ABSTRACT Legumes are important food and cash crops in developing countries. In Tanzania, more than half the farmers grow several species of grain legumes which include common bean, groundnut, pigeon pea, cowpea, chickpea, peas and soybean. However, productivity of all grain legumes is still low and far below potential and this has impacted on profitability. The aim of this study was to contribute to common bean improved profitability facts for income and food security in Tanzania. The specifi...
ABSTRACT The fact that evaluating economic performance of irrigation schemes are important and therefore needed at regular intervals is actually the motivation behind this study. Major objective of the study is to provide information that can be used to improve performance of the Farmer Managed Irrigation Schemes in Tanzania in terms of; economic returns to farmers, water use efficiency and productivity, operation and maintenance and sustainability of the schemes. The study area covered thre...
ABSTRACT The potential of the traditional beef cattle sector in Mwanza region and Tanzania at large have only been utilized marginally. The sector still suffers from limited access and linkages to premium markets, lack of entrepreneurial dynamisms by actors, as well as, use of poor production and processing technology. Based on this ground this study was carried out under the VicRes funding to evaluate the performance of the beef cattle value chain in Ilemela and Magu districts. The study a...
ABSTRACT The broad objective of the study was to analyze the economics of soil conservation practices in Enugu State. This study employed multistage random sampling technique for selecting the respondents. First stage involved simple random selection of one local government area from each of the three (3) agricultural zones. Then three (3) farming communities were selected from each of the three selected local government areas. This gave a total of nine (9) communities for the study. Secondl...
ABSTRACT Tissue culture technology was developed, and disseminated to farmers with active participation of actors along the value chain. However, the potential benefits of the technology are yet to be achieved. This is attributed to diverse challenges that have not been addressed. This study was designed to contribute to this information gap. Primary farm household and trader data were collected through a survey carried out in 2012. Multistage sampling approach was used to select counties, su...
ABSTRACT This study was done to determine the role of warehouse receipt system (WRS) in improving cashewnuts marketing by smallholder farmers in Mkinga district. The specific objectives were to assess the operations of WRS in improving cashewnuts marketing, to determine share of consumer price received by smallholder farmer when selling cashewnuts through WRS or through informal marketing channel and to determine factors influencing smallholder marketing choices among WRS and informal market...
ABSTRACT This study was undertaken to analyze resource productivity in ornamental plants production within Jos metropolis of Nigeria. The study covered Jos North and Jos South local government areas. The specific objectives include: identifying the effect of socio-economic factors on resource productivity, determining costs and returns, and resource productivity in ornamental plants production. An extensive literature review was carried out to provide an indepth knowledge of the study. The c...
ABSTRACT Perceptions guides decision making and eventually determines the actions to be made by farmers on climate change adaptation. This study analyzed how farmers perceive cassava as climate change crop, determinants of farmer’s perception and also estimated the share of cassava to total household income in Kigoma Region. A multistage random sampling procedure was used to select a total of 140 household heads for analysis. Data were collected using structured questionnaire and key infor...
ABSTRACT Quality protein maize (QPM) contains nearly twice as much usable protein more than normal maize. Since 2001 QPM varieties have been disseminated in the country to small scale farmers for production and adoption. The thrust of this study was to determine the adoption of (QPM) technology and examine the factors that influence its adoption by farmers. Primary data was collected from randomly selected 120 smallholder maize farmers in four villages of northern Tanzania (Babati and Hai) d...
ABSTRACT Rice yields in developing countries in general and specifically in Tanzania remain low due to limited adoption of new innovations by smallholder rice farmers. The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) is believed to have promising potential for increasing rice yields. However, the factors influencing the adoption decisions as well as adoption impacts have been a subject of debate. This study was conducted to analyse the adoption of SRI and its impact on rice yields in Mbarali Distri...
ABSTRACT The increase in the use of fossil fuels has led to an increase in Green House Gas (GHG) emissions which are believed to be the main reason for global warming. The world is now encouraged to use bioenergy as a solution in reducing GHG emission from fossil fuels. Jatropha has received much interest as a feedstock for biofuel production because of its minimal adverse effects on the environment and food supply. This crop is now cultivated and processed at both Engaruka and Mpanda study ...
ABSTRACT The research was undertaken to determine livestock-related factors that influence smallholder farmers’ choice of maize cultivars in Hai and Moshi rural Districts. The study employed an On-farm mother-baby trial, informal and formal interviews. A total of 150 farm households - both participants and non-participant in mother baby trials were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. 17 mother-baby trial participants were purposively selected based on their willingness to particip...
ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to identify the sources of finance available to small scale maize and paddy millers in Dar es Salaam and Morogoro regions. Specifically the study aimed at identifying different sources of finance to small scale millers and describing the mode of financial arrangements, analyze the main factors that influence small scale millers access to credit and compare their performance. Structured questionnaire was used to collect information from the sampled mille...
ABSTRACT This study assesses the marketing efficiency of primary livestock markets in Morogoro Region. A market survey of 120 livestock farmers and traders (wholesalers and butchers) from Nanenane, Mkongeni, Melela, Parakuyo and Chakwale markets in Morogoro Region was conducted to evaluate the structure, conduct and performance of the markets. Two types of structured questionnaires one for the farmers and the other for the traders were used to collect data. Informal interview of the key inf...
ABSTRACT This study analysed the economics of smallholder organic farmers in the Muleba district. Specifically, the study was conducted to identify the costs associated with organic and conventional coffee production, to assess the profitability of the two farming system and to determine the effect of premium price in compensation of yield in organic coffee. The study also addressed the coffee organic standard demanded by importers. Multistage, purposive and simple random sampling procedures...