
J.T. Ranching Company Ltd. holds a 98 year Derivative Title on the 2000 hectare property known as Wami River Ranch. The company is owned and operated by experienced Zimbabwean ranchers and farmers – Jonathan and Lynn Taylor – who reside on the property. Situated 70km inland in the Bagamoyo District of Tanzania, the ranch is being developed into a mixed or “whole farm” incorporating cropping, animal husbandry and plantation agriculture. The property is 150 km by road from the commercial capital of Tanzania, Dar es Salaam. The city is a major East African port and air hub and has a fast-growing population of over 5 million people. This, coupled with the export opportunities in the Middle East and South, Southeast, and East Asia accessible through the port, allow J.T. Ranching Company to access markets inexpensively and with minimal logistical risks.
The farm comprises gently rolling to hilly terrain, with the large Wami River on the southern boundary being situated in a deep gorge below the farm. A second seasonal watercourse, the Mnguzi River, forms the eastern boundary of the farm. There are at least 5 entrants to the gorge area that form excellent dam sites. Water Rights for dam sites and for pumping directly from the Wami River have been obtained.
Soils are sandy loam on the hilltops and rich clay loam in the valley bottoms. The centre of the property is gently rolling and offers approximately 400 hectares (1,000 acres) of very good soils suited to intensive irrigated agriculture. It should be noted that the terrain is not flat, but certainly gentle enough in relief to farm effectively.
The rolling and steeper hills support excellent grass cover, with large stands of indigenous Panicum Maximum grass, ideal for grazing cattle and for pasture enhancement projects. These hills (and climate) are also ideal for tree production, featuring rich yet well-drained soils. Fruit/nut tree production is at an advanced planning stage.
The bulk of the farm sits at 200 metres above sea level, some 170 metres higher than the neighbouring hot, humid coastal plain. Rainfall is bi-modal, averaging between 850 mm and 1,200 mm annually.
What’s Happening at Wami River Ranch …
Jonathan and Lynn Taylor emigrated to Tanzania in 2005 after losing their farm and other landholdings to Zimbabwe’s land redistribution policy in the early 2000s.
The Taylors set about identifying land for ranching and agriculture in Tanzania, and achieved title in 2016 for the beautiful, but totally undeveloped Wami River Ranch.
Follow their journey as they tame the bush and create a working farm …
Wami River
Our friend, Rob Beechey took this spectacular picture of the farm with his drone when he visited us last weekend.
read moreJ.T. Ranching Company Limited
WAMI RIVER RANCH
P. O. Box 133
Bagamoyo
Tanzania