The Role Of Input Vouchers In Improving Agricultural Productivity Among Smallholder Farmers In Geita District, Tanzania

ABSTRACT

This work is about the Role of Input Vouchers in Improving Agricultural Productivity among Smallholder farmers in Geita District, Tanzania. The study was carried out in four villages of Geita District, namely Nyakamwaga, Ntono, Imalampaka and Buyagu. The study was associated with the use of improved inputs like inorganic fertilizer, seeds and pesticides in the study area with its adoption rate in improving agricultural productivity. A sample size of 100 respondents was selected using random sampling and purposive sampling techniques. Primary data were collected using interviews, observation, survey and Focus Group Discussions. Descriptive statistics were applied in analyzing data, Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16.0 and MS excel computer packages as tools for quantitative data were used to obtain frequencies and percentages which were presented in tables. The findings from the study reveal that the productivity per acre in maize and rice increased, for instance there was great changes in maize productivity from 4bags/acre to 16bags – 28bags/acre. While in rice changes were from 13bags/acre to 35bags – 40bags/acre. Also, input vouchers enabled smallholder farmers to access improved agricultural inputs closer to the village or ward agro-dealers at subsidized prices. The study recommends that actors in agricultural sector should look for possibility of lowering farmers’ level of contribution to the voucher value to be less than 50% due to existence of poverty in most of smallholder farmers. Furthermore, smallholder farmers should be encouraged to form associations of crop producers for their agricultural produces