Arusha. Tanzania is turning to smart livestock technologies, including sensors, data analytics and digital monitoring systems, to boost productivity, combat diseases and increase incomes among smallholder farmers.
The technologies have been tested under a three-year Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) project implemented between 2024 and 2026 by the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST) in collaboration with the University of Florida in the United States, with funding from the Gates Foundation.
The project brought together livestock farmers, researchers, technology companies and other stakeholders in northern Tanzania and other parts of the country.
Its findings were presented on August 27, 2026, during the Dairy Innovation Symposium and Project Close-Out held in Arusha.
Speaking on behalf of the NM-AIST Vice Chancellor, the institution’s Deputy Vice Chancellor for Planning, Finance and Administration, Prof Susan Augustino, said the project had delivered positive results, particularly in livestock housing, feeding practices and animal health monitoring.
She said NM-AIST wanted technologies developed through the project to move beyond research institutions and reach smallholder farmers at affordable prices.
“We do not want researchers to stop here. The technologies developed must reach smallholder farmers at affordable prices so that they can purchase and use them to contribute to the development of the livestock sector,” Prof Augustino said.
She said the institution would continue encouraging researchers to publish their findings while ensuring the knowledge generated reaches its intended beneficiaries.
Prof Augustino also stressed the importance of sustained collaboration between researchers and livestock farmers in developing practical solutions to challenges facing the sector, saying such efforts would contribute to the implementation of Tanzania’s Development Vision 2050.
The project’s principal researcher at NM-AIST, Prof Gabriel Mkelema Shirima, said the initiative was launched in response to persistent challenges affecting livestock productivity, including diseases, poor nutrition and a lack of accurate and timely information.
He said smart technologies could enable farmers to use mobile phones and other digital devices to access information about animal health and productivity, allowing them to take action or share the information with veterinary experts.
According to Prof Shirima, the technologies can help farmers monitor the amount of feed and water required by their animals, detect early signs of disease and track reproductive conditions.
“The technology can provide information on the nutritional requirements of livestock and the amount of water they need, as well as early warnings of disease or the need for vaccination before a cow becomes severely affected,” he said.
He said the next focus was to encourage more farmers to adopt the technologies and move away from traditional practices that constrain productivity.
“The goal is to increase household incomes and the livestock sector’s contribution to the national economy,” he said.
The project introduced various technologies, including sensors and monitoring devices capable of providing farmers with real-time information about their animals.
It also established a digital innovation centre at NM-AIST in Arusha to provide training and demonstrations, support research and promote the use of technology in the livestock sector.
A livestock farmer from Kilimanjaro, Mr Tumaini Elias Maimo, said the project had helped his family move from traditional livestock keeping to more modern farming practices.
He said they had improved their cattle sheds, learned how to prepare nutritionally balanced feed, improved water management and adopted more appropriate use of medicines and vaccines.
“Before the project, we used to produce about five litres of milk, but now we produce between 10 and 15 litres, which we sell to increase our household income,” he said.
Another farmer, Mr Khalid Abuu Lema, urged the Government to increase investment in livestock research, particularly in finding solutions to animal diseases and improving markets for livestock products.
