Activities in Tanzania

Technical Cooperation in Strengthening the Backstopping Capacities for the DADP Planning and Implementation

Meeting on Quality Evaluation of DADPs

This technical cooperation project is a part of continued support for the Rural and Agricultural Sector Support Program, which ended in February 2009. The objective of the project is to strengthen the backstopping capacity of the central government for the effective planning and implementation of the District Agricultural Development Plan (DADP), which is the primary component of the Agricultural Sector Development Programme (ASDP) in Tanzania.

Under the policy of decentralization in Tanzania, seventy-five percent of the ASDP budget is allocated to agricultural development at the district level. In each district, the DADP is formulated through a bottom-up approach from the village level in view of a situation analysis of agricultural sector performance in the district, alignment with upper level strategies, and the packaging of infrastructure development and capacity building activities such as training and extension. It is also necessary for the districts to submit precise and timely quarterly reports on the progress of DADP activities and their financial status. These are required to function as a comprehensive system from the village, district, and region, to the national level.

The project is targeting all the districts on the Tanzania Mainland and is being implemented together with the members of the Thematic Working Group (TWG) on DADP Planning and Implementation, which consists of officials from the Agriculture Sector Lead Ministries (ASLMs), such as the Ministry of Agriculture Food Security and Cooperatives, Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries Development, Ministry of Industry and Trade, and the Prime Minister's Office-Regional Administration and Local Government. The project is supporting various backstopping activities by the TWG including seminars and training programmes for central, regional, and district officials, improvement of the guidelines and formats, and data compilation and analysis to improve the quality of work in DADP planning and implementation.