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Mobile phone use in accessing rice information for adaptation to climate change in kilosa and kilomberodistricts, Morogoro, Tanzania
No full textPhD thesisThe study aimed at determining the use of mobile phones in accessing rice information for
adaptation to climate change in Kilosa and Kilombero Districts in Morogoro Region. The
study involved 400 rain fed-rice farmers owning mobile phones. The study adopted a
cross-sectional research design to collect data using a semi-structured questionnaire, focus
group discussions and key informants interview. Statistical Package for Social Sciences
(SPSS) was used in the data analysis. Quantitative data were analysed using frequency,
percentages, chi-square, binary logistic regression and poisson count regression.
Qualitative data were analysed through content analysis. The study found that sociodemographic
factors influenced respondents’ use of mobile phone for accessing rice
information for adaptation to climate change were sex, age, education level, marital status,
farm size, farming experience, radio ownership and off-farm incomes. In addition, access
to market location was statistically significantly influenced use of mobile phones for
accessing rice information for adaptation to climate change at p< 0.02. Moreover, few, 99
(24.8%)of the respondents used mobile phone to access strategic rice information while
105 (26.3%) of the respondents used mobile phone to access tactical rice information for
adaptation to climate change. Furthermore, use of mobile phones for accessing rice
information for adaption to climate change among study districts was low and did not
differ at p< 0.08. Voice calling was most used application compared to other application.
Moreover, type of rice variety, type of herbicides and weather forecast information was the
major rice information for adaptation to climate change accessed by respondents through
mobile phone. The study concludes that socio-demographic and institutional factors
influence use of mobile phones for accessing rice information for adaptation to climate
change. It can also be concluded the respondents’ use of mobile phones to access rice
information for adaptation to climate change in study areas was low.The study
recommends that Kilosa and Kilombero Districts council through DAICO’s should train
farmers in using mobile phones in accessing rice information for adaptation to climate
change through campaigns, workshop and seminarsSokoine University of Agriculture (SUA
Response of large-scale mining companies to the system of governance for improved local livelihoods in Tanzania: a case of Kahama district
No full textPhD ThesisThis study assesses the response of large scale-mining companies to the system of
governance for improved local livelihoods in Tanzania. Specifically, the study analysed
the policy enabling environment of the mining sector in Tanzania, examined compliance
of large-scale mining companies with regulatory framework, explored community
perception on mining companies’ practices towards enhancing environmental
sustainability and assessed the contribution of mining companies to the local livelihoods
in Kahama District. The study employed both the cross-sectional and case study designs
in which three mining village communities namely Mwendakulima, Mwime and
Chapulwa were involved. The sample size for the study was 215 respondents, and
systematic review of literature was used to collect information related to policies and
legislation from Tanzania and best practices elsewhere. Additionally, household and key
informant interviews with technical personnel from government and mining company
officials were contacted to determine the extent to which communities’ understood issues
of regulatory framework in relation to sustainable mining practices for improved local
livelihoods. A five-point Likert scale with alternative answers from strongly disagree to
strongly agree attitudes with statements implying disliking and liking the system of
governance to the mode of mining operations was used as part from a questionnaire
which was used for the household survey in this study. Data on policy review were
analysed using content analysis from sources of information captured in various
documents to portray the policy enabling environment of the mining sector in Tanzania.
The whole mining operations in relation to attributes of compliance, sustainable
environmental practices and livelihoods from community perspectives were handled by
adopting exploratory factor analysis (EFA) using the Statistical Package for Social
Sciences (SPSS) software to explore inter-relationships with a reflection in the national
regulatory framework. The study findings show that Tanzania has taken serious measures
towards exploiting opportunities by creating a policy enabling environment. However, the
measures have not that much achieved the expected results to its desired level due to the
persistence of targeted challenges in the sector. The persisting challenges are reflected in
the form of lack of expected benefits and failure to develop policy options for making the
investment environment supportive for all actors in the sector, hence failure to use mineral
wealth sustainably for growth and poverty reduction for the benefit of all. In terms of
compliance for sustainable mining practices, results show that consultation for views on
issues, publication of anticipated effects and benefits in communities were positively
attained by the mining company. However, it was also evident that the mining companies’
operations largely affected the qualities of water, soil and air within operation areas. There
was also less compliance with better practice on issues of noise reduction and
employment of a work force from the local communities. While the community perceived
a positive response on social accountability measures, the community response showed
less compliance regarding the degree of achievement in practice. Additionally, the
practices towards the restoration of degraded land were also negatively explained.
Consequently, this created negative attitude in the community on informed ultimate goal
for enhanced sustainability. While in some instances these challenges were attributed to
the mining company’s less compliance practices to the system of governance, in some
cases they were associated with government’s inability to effectively implement, monitor
and enforce the existing regulatory framework. The study concludes that key aspects for
assured sustainability in areas with large mining operations should be determined in
legally responsible and socially equitable ways for secured community livelihoods
resources in areas affected by mining operations even after mine closure. Consequently,
the study calls for improvement of large-scale mining companies’ compliance with respect
to policy, legal and regulatory frameworks particularly where policy gaps have resulted
into poor practices in terms of accommodating not only the country’s interests but, also
communities’ in areas with large-scale mining operations. Therefore, the critical
contribution of this study is the ability to add on to the existing literature knowledge with
regard to the state of compliance of large-mining companies to the regulatory framework
for improved local livelihoods on the basis of local community perspectives in the
Tanzania’s mining sector using Buzwagi gold mine as a case study. This is especially
important towards realization of the efforts underway by the fifth phase government of
Tanzania (2015-2025) which are aimed at increasing the contribution of the sector to the
country.Mwalimu Nyerere Memorial Academy (MNMA
Pesticide residues in locally produced grape wine in Tanzania: a case study of Dodoma urban and Bahi districts
No full textThe aim of this study was to assess the levels of pesticide residues in locally produced
grape wine in Tanzania. Fifty samples of grape wine from different locations in Dodoma
urban and Bahi district were analysed to determine the presence of 49 pesticides using the
quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe (QuEChERS) multi-residue extraction,
followed by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). Twenty-two
pesticides were detected among the 49 pesticides analysed. The selected 49 pesticides
were based on their use in grape cultivation reported by grape farmers in the study
location which include fungicides, insecticides and herbicides. The pesticides whose
concentrations exceeded the maximum residue levels (MRL) were: pyroquilon 76%,
ethofumasate 66%, chloroneb 92%, azobenzene 28% and cycloate 2% of the wine
samples.
Of the samples analysed 18% contained one pesticide, 16% contained two different
pesticides, 46% contained three different pesticides, 16% contained four different
pesticides, among those that exceeded MRL (pyroquilon, ethofumesate, chloroneb,
azobenzene and cycloate).
The results indicated the occurrence of pesticide residues in grape wine produced in
Dodoma urban and Bahi districts, Tanzania. Most of the samples contained pesticide
residues that exceeded MRL set by European standards for grape wine indicating that
grape wine was not safe for human consumption and could lead to negative health effects
to consumers.
In addition, study aimed at assessing awareness on ill-health effects of pesticide residues
and best practices among grape wine stakeholders in Dodoma Urban and Bahi districts.
A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out between December 2019 and January
2020 in Dodoma Urban and Bahi districts, involving 40 farmers, 15 grape wine
processors and 4 agricultural officers through interviews. Data were collected using
semi-structured questionnaires and analysed using IBM SPSS ® version 25 (2017).
Descriptive statistics were used to determine frequencies and percentages of social
demographic, awareness and handling practices of pesticides. The results indicated that,
grape farming was mostly practiced by people with low education level. It was also
observed that pesticides handling practices were poor. Poor handling practices of
pesticides were identified on poor disposal of empty containers, use of personal protective
equipment whereby few respondents worn it and they usually worn one item of those PPE
recommended and low knowledge about pesticides safety labels. Although respondents
were aware that pesticides had negative health effects on human and environment, still
their handling practices were unsatisfactory. This could be due to negligence and lack of
education. Also, it was observed that there was no treatment performed by grape wine
producers to reduce the pesticides load before wine processing and no tests were
performed to ascertain the pesticides residues level in their raw materials. Awareness
creation on good practices for pesticides application and food safety strengthening are
recommended to protect public health against pesticides.Tanzania Medicine and Medical Devices Authorit
Implications of socio-economic factors on adoption of paddy production innovations in Mvomero district, Tanzania
No full textAdoption of innovations in paddy farming has a potential to impact productivity.
The Government of Tanzania in partnership with non-Governmental organizations
(NGOs) like Kilimo Trust (KT) have been promoting rice sector through implementation
of agricultural programmes and strategies whereby among other initiatives farmers are
encouraged to adopt innovations. However, the adoption of innovations by farmers is not
sufficiently explored. The overall objective of the study was to assess the implications of
socio-economic factors on adoption of paddy production innovations in the Mvomero
District, Morogoro Region of Tanzania. Specifically the study sought to: i) establish the
level of farmer participation in the innovations process in the study area, ii) determine the
extent of adoption of the paddy innovations, iii) assess profitability for adoption of
selected innovations, iv) analyze the factors affecting adoption of introduced innovations
to paddy farmers, and v) assess the association between adoption of selected innovations
and change in gender roles among paddy farmers in the study area. The study was
conducted in Mvomero District. A cross-sectional research design was adopted in the
study. Quantitative data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire involving
299 paddy farmers. Qualitative data were collected through key informant interviews
(KIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs). Quantitative data analysis employed
development of participation index, ordinal probit regression, binary logistic regression,
two-limit Tobit model, net farm income (NFI) and return on investment (ROI) as
measures of profitability. IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to
compute descriptive statistics including frequencies and percentages. Qualitative data
were analyzed using content analysis. Results show that the overall participation level of
paddy farmers in the innovation process is medium using a five-form typology of
participation. Only 3.7% of the respondents adopted all 12 SRI practices (full adopters).
Binary logistic regression and Two-limit Tobit regression analysis indicated that farmers’
knowledge of innovations, land ownership, access to credit facilities, labour and market
availability, were the most important predictors of the adoption of system of rice
intensification (SRI), power tillers (PTs), wooden threshers (WTs) and combine rice mills
(CRMs) (p < 0.05). The profitability analysis shows that adopters of SRI, PTs and WTs
secured more profit compared to non-adopters (p < 0.01). There was an association
between the adoption of SRI, PTs and WTs and gender roles which are production, labour
offering and financial management (p < 0.05). The study concludes that medium level of
farmers’ participation in the innovation process impairs active involvement of farmers
into development of innovations, diffusion process as well as full adoption of paddy
innovations. The selected innovations which were introduced in the study area are not
fully adopted; this situation impacts paddy productivity and farmers’ wellbeing. Adoption
of introduced innovations is profitable compared to non-adoption in the study area.
Adoption of introduced innovations have impact in changing gender roles particularly
paddy production role, financial management role as well as offering labour to on- and
off-farm activities role. Researchers and extension agents are advised to ensure that there
is active participation of paddy farmers along the innovation process. The active
participation of paddy farmers along the innovation process will be achieved through
conducting farmer trainings. The provision of training to farmers will help to create and
raise awareness on introduced innovations. The Ministry of Agriculture under farmers’
training Division should design, implement, monitor and evaluate farmer training
programmes on paddy innovations whenever introduced in Tanzania as it is responsible in
the provision of various types of training to farmers. Rural development strategies that
targeted to promote adoption of innovations in rural areas should be designed simple
enough by development practitioners to be taken up by farmers and directed to promote
profit to rural farmers. Extension agents should educate rural paddy farmers on
innovations especially non-adopters so as to adopt innovations once introduced in rural
paddy farming. Extension agents and paddy related stakeholders need to address gender
roles to paddy farmers in course of adoption of innovations since adoption empowers
women in regards to paddy production.Tengeru Institute of Community Development (TICD
Patterns and determinants of Cholera outbreaks in Imbo region of Burundi
No full textMasters DissertationCholera is an ancient disease but remains an important public health threat mainly in lowand-
middle-income countries. The disease has been reported almost every year in Burundi.
Understanding its spatial-temporal distribution and the determinants within the country
contribute to early detection and quick response to contain the outbreaks. The objective of
this study was to determine the patterns and factors responsible for cholera outbreaks in
Imbo Region of western Burundi. Data were collected retrospectively from health districts
and hospitals/dispensaries records. A structured questionnaire was administered to selected
participants from affected community to get information on determinants of cholera
outbreaks. The analysis was done by using R software, version 3.6.1. Temporal patterns
were obtained by plotting cholera cases against time (months and weeks). Spatial patterns
were established by tagging cholera cases to their locations for each year whereby Burundi
provinces, communes, Collins shape files were entered in ArcGIS software, version 10.3.
Frequency maps were generated, showing the spatial distribution of cholera disease in the
study area. The findings indicate that most of the cholera outbreaks have occurred during
dry seasons and were associated with a lack of potable water. The multivariate analysis
showed that females were at risk of getting cholera than males (OR=1.85, 95% CI: 1.024 -
3.359) and source of water was a risk factor, whereby use of tap water was protective
compared to use of surface water (OR=0.368, 95% CI: 0.168 - 0.740). In conclusion, most
of the outbreaks in Imbo Region occur during the dry seasons when potable water is in
shortage supply. Improving population access to the potable water distribution system and
promoting sanitation and hygiene will likely reduce the occurrence and spread of cholera in
the Region.Inter-University Council for East Afric
Supply response analysis of the sugarcane outgrowers in Tanzania
No full textMasters ThesisThere are many arguments that increasing food self-sufficiency in sub-Saharan Africa
(SSA) could reduce the high food price escalations which are often related to the
increasing demand and importation of food commodities. In Tanzania, sugar is one of the
agricultural commodities being imported to meet the country’s high sugar demand for
domestic and industrial use. Currently, the overall annual sugar demand in Tanzania is
about 600 000 metric tons against the country’s annual sugar production of about 350 000
metric tons. The study attempts to examine the supply response of the sugarcane outgrowers
to price and non-price factors using the Error Correction Model (VECM) l to
analyse time series data covering the period 1996 to 2018. The findings indicate that the
short-run own price elasticity for sugarcane was 0.954 while the long-run elasticity was
4.525343, cross price elasticity was -0.654929 in the short-run while the long-run
elasticity was -3.8184. For non-price factors area harvested, amount of cane produced
were significant in the short-run with estimated elasticities of -0.41956 and 0.5063
respectively. In the long run all non-price factors were significant with estimated
elasticities of 0.1915, 3.4759 and 0.0137 for sugarcane production, rainfall and trend
factors, respectively. These results imply that, sugarcane producers are more responsive to
price factors than non-price factors. The fact that all the variables were significant in the
long-run implies that farmers need time to adjust their production in response to changes
in the mentioned factors. The very small estimate for the trend factor implies that there
has been a very small adoption of productivity enhancing technologies during the 1996-
2018 period. To achieve her self-sufficient endeavour, the Tanzania Government should
invest in rural infrastructure and appropriate technological improvements as long-term
strategies to improve sugarcane supply, encourage policies geared towards making
sugarcane a more attractive enterprise and design strategies to improve the use of yieldenhancing
inputs like fertilizers
Effects of fertilizer micro-dose and in situ rain water harvesting technologies on growth and yield of pearl millet in a semi-arid environment
No full textArticle of Agric Res 2020Declining soil fertility and low rainfall are key constraints to crop production and are threatening food security in semi-arid areas. Applying inorganic fertilizer at reduced amount (micro-dose) and in situ rainwater harvesting using infiltration pits (IP) or tied ridges (TR) are low-input strategies to cope with these constraints. This work investigates the effect of integrating fertilizer with in situ rainwater harvesting technologies on pearl millet growth, yield and household profitability among Tanzanian smallholder farming communities. Split plot field experiments were conducted from 2015 to 2017 cropping seasons. Flat cultivation (FC) with zero fertilizer application resulted in lowest grain yield ranging from 297 to 453 kg/ha and in a negative net profit (NP). The highest yield of 2202 kg/ha was obtained upon the use of recommended rate under IP, but it resulted in negative NP. Infiltration pits under 25% micro-dose resulted in relative higher grain yield (778–2202 kg/ha) compared to TR (887–1915 kg/ha) and FC (592–1144 kg/ha); despite higher yield, it resulted in negative NP. Tied ridges and FC with micro-dose at 25% of recommended rate had a yield advantage ranging from 537 to 959 kg/ha and 295 to 455 kg/ha, respectively, compared to farmer practices, and both resulted in positive NP. The use of micro-dose at 25% of recommended rate along with TR or FC which gave higher grain yield and NP compared to farmers practice is recommended to resource-poor farmers for improved pearl millet productivity
Gender integration in Local Water Resource Governance Institutions: A Case Study of Community Owned Water Supply Organisations (COWOSOs) in Gairo District, Tanzania
No full textJournal of Social Science and Humanities ResearchGiven the growing demand for water resources and its continued scarcity efforts have been in place
to change governance mechanisms to ensure its sustainability. The sector transformation focuses
on enhancing user’s capacity in developing, managing and sharing water resources efficiently.
Women are among the actors that are now recognized as managers than mere users of
waterresources given their gender roles. Therefore, policies and water resource management
strategies in many countries including Tanzania, demand women involvement in Community
Owned Water Supply Organizations (COWSOs). The argument of this paper is that
for
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women representation in water governance structures might not necessarily transform
gender relations among men and women hence making women voices unheard. Therefore, this
study presents gender dynamics in COWSOs in various villages of Gairo District, Tanzania
by exploring power and leadership positions held by men and women. The findings show that
under the support of external actors, women are holding a various leadership position in COWSOs
though the strategicpower of making decisions are still held by men. The study concludes that
numbers are not enough without capacity building for women to be able to influence decision
making process in water resource governance
Role of biocides in occurrence and persistence of biocide-tolerant and multi- drug resistant salmonellae
No full textTanzania Veterinary Journal Vol. 35 (1) 2020, pg. 14-35The aim of this study was to characterize the role of biocide interventions in the emergence of
biocide-tolerant Salmonella, its co-selective association with multidrug-resistant Salmonella and
the association with carriage of specific efflux gene markers. Salmonella isolates were detected
in 13.9% (208/1,497) and 6.7% (98/1,468) of swine barn drag swab samples at pre- and post-
disinfection with biocide, whereas, Salmonella isolates were detected in 17.2% (1,180/6,842)
and 7.1% (431/6,093) of the early and late finishing pigs, respectively. Barn-level prevalence of
antimicrobial resistance among Salmonella isolates recovered from the floor swab samples was
92.3% (1,503 of 1,628), whereas, the barn-level prevalence of antimicrobial resistance among
Salmonella isolates recovered from the fecal samples was 98.02% (4,415 of 4,504). A total of
348 Salmonella isolates from swine barns formerly disinfected with Biosentry and 428 from
swine barns disinfected with Synergize were subjected to minimum inhibitory concentration
(MIC) testing for Biosentry and Synergize, respectively. In addition, selected Salmonella isolates
were also genotyped to identify the carriage of quaternary ammonium compound (qac) tolerance
genes. Interestingly, 22.9% (98 of 428) of Salmonella isolates from swine barns disinfected with
Synergize carried the qac gene and the 86% of isolates that carried the qac gene also carried
attenuated qacEΔ1. Nearly 31% (109 of 348) of Salmonella isolates from swine barns disinfected
with Biosentry carried the qac gene. Furthermore, out of 109 Salmonella isolates that carried qac
genes, 94.5% of the isolates contained attenuated qacEΔ1 gene, whereas 72.5% of the isolates
carrying qacEΔ1 gene also carried class 1 integrons which is associated with both antibiotic and
quaternary ammonium compound resistance. Although biocides are effective in limiting the
growth, load and the colonization of bacterial pathogens, this study underscores the contribution
of biocides in selective pressure towards antibiotic resistant in Salmonella
Performance of hermetic storage bags for maize grains under farmer- managed conditions: Good practice versus local reality
No full textJournal of Stored Products Research 87 (2020) 101586There are various types of grain storage bags available to farmers in tropical countries. However, these bags differ in price, quality, and reduced post-harvest losses due to insect pests and mould infestation. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of three types of storage bags of Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS), Grain pro-super (GPS) and woven (WN) bags under assumed small farmer’s storage practices in the sub-tropical climatic conditions. The practice of weekly routine opening of the bags was compared with the recommended practice of keeping the bags closed for at least 3 months. Under laboratory experiment, insect population, moisture content, grain humidity, and temperature were measured at the weekly intervals while under farmer’s setting, moisture content (%) of maize and percentage of insect damage were measured after 3 and 6 months of storage at the farmer’s homestead. Considering the routine weekly opening effect, the PICS bag kept a low grain humidity average (56.6%) compared to the Grain pro-super bag (64.2%) and Woven bag (71.5%). The PICS bag reduced the insect population to an average of zero (0.4) compared to GPS (6.5) and the WN (14.8). Under farmer’s conditions, the mean difference in the percentage of insect damage between the PICS and GPS were insignificant (P > 0.05) at both 3 and 6 months of storage, and the insect damage throughout decreased with time. The results of this study indicate that PICS bag may support positively the practice of routine weekly opening compared to the GPS and WN in the sub-tropical climatic conditions