Africa Milk Project (AMP) is the first prize winner in the category of “Sustainable development of small rural communities in marginal areas” during the Expo Milan 2015. The project partners the Italian civil society organization CEFA with Italy’s largest milk co-operative, Granarolo on one hand and Njombe Livestock Farmers Association (NjoLiFa) on the other to improve livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Njombe district in Tanzania. Founded in 2004, the project has been instrumental in showcasing the ability of commercial orientation of dairy in improving incomes and nutrition of dairy farmers.  Through a school feeding programme, the project has provided 24,000 pupils with pasteurized milk a benefit that has been credited with improvement of school attendance in the district. Although NjoLiFa is a profitable business with the support of the project, it is challenged by a limited market in Njombe district, inaccessibility in markets such as in Dar-Es-Salaam as well as limited skilled staff. Despite these challenges, the project has been hailed as a milestone in the relationships between co-operatives-ran enterprises and commercial businesses.

http://www.thenews.coop/100740/news/agriculture/italy-tanzania-african-m...