Production And Marketing Of Maize For Poverty Reduction Among Smallholder Farmers In Namtumbo District

ABSTRACT

The general objective of this research was to assess the production and marketing of maize for poverty reduction to smallholder farmers in Hanga and Mlilayoyo village in Namtumbo District. The specific objectives included to investigate expenses on major inputs on maize production per acre; to assess the economic relationship between the expenses for agricultural inputs and the output in terms of the value of bags of maize per acre; to identify and analyze maize price setters and decision makers; and to investigate the extent to which maize marketing empower smallholder maize growers to reduce their income poverty. In order to collect data effectively survey method and the following research tools were used: questionnaire, interview, observation and documentation. Among the findings obtained in the study villages were: the majority of the respondents 50 (88.37%) used industrial fertilizer such as CAN UREA, SA etc. At the same time the major sources of finance and credit were self-savings, VICOBA, and SACCOS. The size of farm plots were between 1 and 5 acres per individual farmer and 17 (64%) of the respondents harvested between 3 and 6 bags of maize per acre. On the side of market and price of maize the majority of the respondents 38 (76%) sold their maize to private buyers and very few 7 (13%) sold their maize to NFRA. It was concluded that poor farm mechanization in Mlilayoyo and Hanga villages was the major problem as farmers depended only on hand hoe; and the measurement scales used in maize selling was exploitative, because traditional measurements such as “dumla” lead farmers to poverty. Recommendations included the need to increase the extension services to farmers, to provide education on the importance of farm mechanization to farmers and the prices of inputs should be controlled so as to help farmers to benefit from their maize production. vi TABLE OF