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Seroprevalence of brucellosis in pigs in smallholder farms and livestock training centres in mpwapwa district of Dodoma region, Tanzania
No full textPorcine brucellosis is a contagious bacterial zoonotic disease of public health importance
worldwide caused by Brucella suis .This study aimed to estimate seroprevalence of
brucellosis in pigs and potential risk factors for transmission. An epidemiological crosssectional
study was carried out between December 2019 and March 2020 in Mpwapwa
district of Dodoma region in Tanzania. A total of 23 villages and 144 pig-keeping
households were randomly selected and included in the study. At the household level,
two pigs were randomly sampled from herds with less than 10 where in households with
more than 10 pigs three pigs were selected for blood sampling. A total of 349 serum
samples were collected, (324 from smallholder pig farmers and 25 from the livestock
training centres). Samples were transported to the microbiology laboratory at Sokoine
University of Agriculture in a cold chain. Rose Bengal Plate Test (RBPT) was used to
test for Brucella antibodies present in the sera. Out of the 349 pigs tested, 8 (2.3 %) were
positive for Brucella antibodies, all positive sera were from eight different smallholder
pig farms. There was lower seroprevalence in younger pigs (1.7 %) than older pigs
(2.3%). In addition, females were more infected (3.8 %) than males (1%). However, the
differences were not statistically significant between age and sex (P>0.05).
Questionnaire survey results showed many pig farmers were not aware that pigs could
get infected with brucellosis and transmit to human. Also there was significantly low
knowledge on Brucella transmission among pig farmers. This study recommends
educational campaigns in the study communities concerning with brucellosis
transmission as well as further investigations on brucellosis to prevent its implications in
public health and livestock production
Assessment of agricultural extension officers’ perceptions on their roles: a case study of agricultural extension officers’ in Simiyu region
No full textMasters ThesisThis study was conducted to assess agricultural extension officers’ (AEOs) perception on
their roles as per government job description in five districts in Simiyu Region.
Specifically, the study aimed at identifying roles performed by AEOs, determining AEOs
awareness on their roles, determining AEOs self-assessment on their role competence,
determining factors influencing AEOs perception on their roles and evaluating the
opinions of AEOs in relation to their roles. The roles of AEOs were grouped into seven
categories, which included: facilitation, organizational, intermediation, educational,
technical, advisory and administrative. Using a cross-sectional research design, a sample
of 100 AEOs at ward and village levels were randomly selected for the study and selfadministered
questionnaire was used to collect data. Statistical Package for Social Science
(SPSS) was employed as a tool for data analysis, where frequency and percentage were
used to describe distribution of the study variables. Three Focus Group Discussion (FGDs)
each comprising of eight members were conducted, which involved agricultural officers at
the district levels including the District Agricultural Irrigation and Cooperative Officers
(DAICOs). The study findings revealed that majority of the AEOs were aware about most
of their roles: advisory; educational; organizational; facilitation; intermediation and
technical, but least perceived awareness was the administrative role. AEOs reported to
perform advisory and educational roles; furthermore, study findings showed that most of
the AEOs had competence in performing advisory roles. However, they had low
competence on educational, organizational, technical, facilitation, intermediation and
administrative. Also, AEOs perceived advisory, organization, educational, technical,
facilitation and intermediation roles as important. The multiple regression model showed
that factors that statistically significantly influenced perception of AEOs about their roles
were: mode of supervision (p≤ 0.048) at p≤ 0.05; owning transport (p≤ 0.004) at p≤ 0.05;
type of transport (p≤ 0.010); promotion in the organization (p≤ 0.001); responsibility (p≤
0.010), and appreciation (p≤ 0.001). For these study findings, recommendations include
regular training of AEOs and provide support in terms of infrastructure for the AEOs such
as transportation including fuel, allowances, office space and teaching aid for effective and
efficiency role performance
Consumer demand for branded and packaged processed foods: the case of rural and urban towns in Tanzania
No full textThis paper elicit the demand for packaged and branded processed food products in selected
urban and rural towns of Tanzania, where 630 consumers were randomly selected from two
urban and four rural towns based on their size and distance from the primary city Dar es
salaam. Garrett’s Ranking Technique and Multinomial Logistic Model were used to assess
consumer’s purchasing habits and drivers of choices for branded and packaged processed
foods. Results show that there are variations and some similarities in consumer habits in rural
and urban towns, and in small and big towns on: - the type of processed foods bought, source of
processed food, preference on brand types and drivers of consumer choices. The study shows
that majority of the consumers in urban towns are driven by “quantity” while the rural
consumers are driven by “storage” when buying packaged maize flour; on the other hand,
“large volume” drives urban consumers, and “safety” rural consumers when buying packaged
edible oil. In addition, the study showed that consumers from both rural and urban towns prefer
branded to unbranded products due to their preference for “good sensory attributes”.
Furthermore, results from the Multinomial Logistic Model report education, income, level of
refinement and price to have a significant influence on the choice of a brand type for edible oil;
while household size, trust, safety and nutrition are important factors influencing the choice of
a brand type for maize flour. Implying choice of brand is different for different products,
depending on the proliferation of these brands
Molecular detection and evolutionary characteristics of recently recovered serotypes a and o foot-and-mouth disease viruses in selected areas of Tanzania
No full textMasters ThesisFoot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious disease that infects cloven hoofed
animals. FMD is caused by FMD virus (FMDV), a picornavirus with a positive sense
single stranded RNA genome of about 8.5 kb in size. FMD is endemic in East African
countries including Tanzania. The general objective of this study was to determine the
genetic characteristics of recently circulated serotypes O and A FMDV field strains in
selected regions of Tanzania in 2019. A total of 36 (four serotype O and 22 serotype A)
archived epithelial samples collected from cattle and pig in Kibaha, Morogoro,
Sengerema, Butiama and Musoma were used in this study. The laboratory analysis of the
samples was performed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)
targeting the 3D and VP1 coding regions, VP1 sequencing and phylogeny. The RT-PCR
results revealed that 72% of samples (n= 26) were positive for FMDV genome. Molecular
typing of the FMDV genome positive samples was achieved by using serotype specific
primers of which serotypes A were 85 % (n= 22) and O were 15 % (n= 4). Phylogenetic
reconstructions were determined by neighbour-joining methods. Phylogenetic analysis of
VP1 showed genetic diversity among the circulating viruses and their molecular
relatedness with previously recorded sequences from East Africa, particularly Kenya and
Tanzania. These findings indicate that the 2019 FMDV types A and O responsible for the
disease outbreaks in Tanzania were the East Africa 2 (EA-2) and genotype I (GI) which
showed a very closely evolutionary relatedness with previous strains collected in Kenya
and Tanzania. Further studies are required to design new vaccine strains so as to prevent
upcoming outbreaks
Public-private partnerships in the provision of healthcare services for sustainable development in Tanzania: A systematic literature review
No full textThis article reviews the literature on the concept and practice of public-private partnership
(PPP). Specifically, the paper reviews theoretical aspects of the concept and practice of PPP and
the rationale and potential of PPP in the provision of healthcare services for sustainable
development in Tanzania. Using a documentary review research method, different search
engines and databases were used in information search from peer-reviewed journals,
conference papers, among others. The search strategy involved keywords such as 'Tanzanian
healthcare', 'healthcare', 'health insurance', 'public-private partnerships', 'sustainable
healthcare provision' and 'sustainable development goals'.The literature search identified a
total of 1,600 articles associated with a set of specific search terms. Only fifty (50) studies met
the final criteria for review. Articles included were those published from the year 2000 to the
present. PPPs are potentially essential tools to increase the delivery of public goods and services
because the private sector is capable of complementing resources from the government. Private
sector investors can substantially participate in the achievement of SDGs by complementing the
available public physical and non-physical resources such as finances, expertise, health sector
workforce, and readiness for risk-taking. PPP in the health sector needs to be promoted because
sustainable development needs a healthy population, which needs access to essential
healthcare services to live healthil
Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation of Community-Based Water Projects in Tanzania: An experience from Chamwino District in Dodoma Region
No full textThis article examines Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation (PM&E) in community-based water projects implemented by the government and non-governmental organisations in Chamwino District. A sequential exploratory research design was adopted to collect quantitative and qualitative data employing a checklist of items, and a structured questionnaire. A random sample size of 120, water users was involved. The Mann Whitney U Test was used to analyse quantitative data while qualitative data were subjected to the content analysis. The results show that beneficiaries were involved in PM&E through ‘representation’ in governance structures
including Village Water Committees, and Community Water Supply Organisations (COWSOs), and also through use of water agents, and direct involvement of individuals in different activities. Some activities like paying water charges and meeting maintenance cost, field visits and supervising project revenues were common for government and non-governmental projects while others like electing water committee members, labour and preparation of progress reports were specific for non-governmental projects. The extent of beneficiaries’ involvement in PM&E was 53.3%, with non-governmental projects showing higher beneficiaries’ involvement relative to
governmental projects. The Mann Whitney U Test showed higher involvement of male relative to female respondents, and the difference was significant at 5% level of significance. The article concludes that PM&E was adopted in community-based water projects, more so in non-governmental relative to government water projects. There was an institutional arrangement of governance structures to enable PM&E by ‘representation’. Individual beneficiaries were also involved directly. The extent of involvement of beneficiaries was high among non-governmental projects relative to government ones. The article recommends the enhancement of PM&E in government projects to ensure realisation of project objectives
Political-administrative interactions towards effective implementation of the construction of health and education infrastructure in Morogoro district council Tanzania
No full textPhD ThesisPolitical-administrative interactions in local governments have gained wide attention
among most development practitioners and scholars of public administration. Politicaladministrative
relations focus on the interaction and reciprocal relations between the
elected and appointed officials in performing local governments’ functions. Through
decentralization by devolution “D by D”, local governments have been mandated to
provide social services within their jurisdictions such as education, health, and clean and
safe water, among others. Implementation of construction of health and infrastructures
projects is one of the strategy used by local governments to ensure effective provision of
health and education services. Despite the efforts made by the government to construct
health and education infrastructures quality and adequacy of physical infrastructures of
health and education remain a challenge. The overall objective of this study was to assess
the contribution of political-administrative interactions to implementation of construction
of health and education infrastructure projects (classrooms, teachers’ houses, latrines,
laboratories, dispensaries and health centres) in Morogoro District Council, Morogoro
Region in Tanzania. The study specifically: (i) assessed the levels of interaction between
elected and appointed officials (ii) examined attitudes between elected and appointed
officials in the projects; (iii) analysed adherence to the principles of governance between
elected and appointed officials in projects implementation, and (iv) examined the
contribution of the interaction between elected and appointed officials in construction of
health and education projects in Morogoro District. The study adopted a case study
research design, and involved a total of 64 respondents that included elected and
appointed officials who were randomly selected. Qualitative data were collected through
Focus Group Discussions (FGD), Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) and observation
techniques while quantitative data were collected using a questionnaire survey.
Qualitative data were analysed through content analysis and categorised based on the
research objectives. Quantitative data were analysed using IBM Statistical Package for
Social Science (SPSS) Software by computing descriptive statistics employing
frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations. An interaction index was also
computed. The results from the interaction index revealed that there was moderate
interaction (65.6%) between the elected and appointed officials in implementation of
public development projects in Morogoro District Council. About one-fifth (20.3%) of the
respondents had low interactions while 14.1% had high interaction. On attitude, the
results indicated that 56.2% of respondents had negative attitude while 12.6% had
indifferent attitude and 31.2% had positive attitude towards their relationship in
implementation of the projects. It was, further, found that there was poor transparency at
68.8% and accountability (65.2%) between the elected and appointed officials in
implementation of projects, particularly on financial matters. The findings also showed
that the elected officials were not adhering to the rule of law compared to the appointed
officials; instead they were influenced by their political interests and partisan politics and
ignorance on the laws, policies and regulations. The findings indicated that good
relationship between elected and appointed officials facilitated mobilization of project
resources, increased public participation, improved trust, minimised conflict of interest
and ensured transparency and accountability in the projects. However, the study revealed
various challenges that affected their relationship in the projects. The challenges included
difference in the levels of education, distrust and conflicting interests, partisan and
political interference, and poor transparency and accountability. With regard to the results
of objectives one and two, it is concluded that inadequate monitoring of relationships
between elected and appointed officials in implementation of development projects by
local government leads to moderate interaction and increases misunderstandings. From
the results that meet objective three, it is concluded that lack of transparency,
accountability and adherence to the rule of law among elected and appointed officials
jeopardizes compliance with governance principles in implementation of the projects. In
regard to the results on contribution to projects, it is concluded that positive relationships
between elected and appointed officials contributes much to effective implementation of
the said projects in the study area. Based on the conclusion drawn on the interaction
between elected and appointed officials, it is recommended that local government should
regularly conduct trainings on policies, regulations, and demarcation and monitoring of
officials’ interaction in implementation of development projects. In view of the
conclusion drawn from objective three, it is recommended that Morogoro District Council
should monitor adherence to governance practices among both elected and appointed
officials and provide trainings on policies, rule of law, and conducts that govern their
relations. It is also recommended that local governments should encourage collaborations
and partnerships between elected and appointed officials as advocated by complementary
model of political-administrative relations. Moreover, it is recommended that local
governments, through their own sources, should establish monthly allowances to
village/hamlet chairpersons and other elected officials. This will improve morale and
accountability of the elected officials to effectively implement development projectsTanzania Institute of
Accountancy (TIA
Optimization of land productivity in Zanzibar through intercropping of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) and sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas L.Lam)
No full textMasters ThesisTwo field experiments were conducted during the growing season of 2018/2019 at
Zanzibar Agricultural Research Institute (ZARI) Unguja and Pemba. The objective of the
experiment was to explore the potentiality of optimizing land productivity through
intercropping cassava with sweet potato on limited land available. The experiment was a
split-split plot laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four
replications. Improved cassava variety 'Kizimbani' was intercropped with improved sweet
potato variety 'Mayai'. The main plot was intercropping time of sweet potato. Fertilizer
application was a sub plot and sweet potato intercrop plant density of 10 000, 20 000 and
30 000 plants ha-1was a sub-sub plot. There were 48 intercropped plots and 32 sole-cropped
plots. Data on crop establishment, plant height, canopy dimension, foliage cover, vine
vigour, root/tuber yields and number of roots/tubers were collected and subjected to
analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results revealed that there were significant differences
between treatments in crop yields, vine vigor, plant height, foliage cover, canopy length,
thickness and number of marketable roots/tubers. Furthermore, there were significant
differences in the two sites in most of the observed characteristics. Matangatuani gave the
highest yield of cassava (17.63tha-1) in intercropping compared with Kizimbani
(13.15tha-1). However, for sweet potato, Kizimbanirecorded14.67tha-1 and
Matangatuani13.75tha-1.In addition, intercropping of cassava with sweet potato gave the
highest land equivalent ratio (LER) of 1.75 in combined site analysis. This indicated that
the greatest productivity per unit area was achieved by growing the two crops together.African Cassava Agronomy Initiative(ACAI
Population density, distribution and habitat association of Callulina shengena: An endemic frog species in the Eastern arc mountains
No full textMasters ThesisPopulation density and habitat associations are fundamental aspects for conservation and
management of wildlife species such as Callulina shengena. Being a Critically
Endangered warty frog in the Eastern Arc Mountains, such vital information was missing
and therefore demonstrated substandard conservation measures. Documented here are the
information on population density, distribution, habitat traits, associations and threats with
the aim of enhancing proper management of the C. shengena. Active searching was done
in Chome Nature Forest Reserve in 12 plots during wet and dry seasons. Plots were
searched thoroughly and when the species was encountered, the information about that
site were recorded which included GPS location, altitude, percentage canopy cover,
distance from water source, disturbance level, temperature and the amount rainfall. There
was significant difference in population density of C. shengena between wet and dry
seasons. Places that exhibited higher density of C. shengena had largely shady areas close
to slowly moving fresh waters. Also the population density was higher in wet season
suggesting that rainfall and temperature had influence on C. shengena distribution. It was
found that C. shengena was highly distributed in the mid altitudes (1951 - 2050 m.a.s.l),
of the western part of the forest where there was slow moving waters nearby. About 55%
of C. shengena population was close to the forest boundary and this exposes C. shengena
to higher chances of depopulation due to increased human activities in the forest, either
legally or illegally. The Chome Nature Forest Reserve was observed to
experience threats mainly from illegal logging, gold mining and human trails and the
development of tourism activities. The government should put more
emphasis on the societal knowledge about the resources and wildlife found in the reserve
to maximize the conservation efforts to the protected areas
The contribution of incubation programmes to youth employment creation: a case of Sokoine university graduates entrepreneurs cooperative, Morogoro, Tanzania
No full textMasters DissertationGlobally, youth employment is a major issue with remarkable differences within regions
and Tanzania is among the Sub-Saharan African countries facing youth unemployment.
However, at times it is claimed that the youth are to be blamed for being lazy and less
creative. But in reality, the youth are willing to work if a conducive environment is
created to make them work or be innovative. Generally, incubation programmes are
identified as sources of employment creation, wealth generation at local and national level
and reduction of poverty in general. Incubation programmes generate a conducive
environment for entrepreneurs at the early stage of lunching a venture by helping an
entrepreneur reduce costs associated with starting a business venture. In addition,
incubation increases confidence and capacity and linking the entrepreneur to the resources
required to start an enterprise. Sokoine University Graduates Entrepreneurs Cooperative
(SUGECO) is one of the incubation Programmes which offers selected participants an
exciting opportunity to be mentored through the Youth Entrepreneur Incubation program
located at Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro. Therefore, the study aimed at
evaluating how the SUGECO Incubation programme has been successful in enabling its
incubatees not only to be self-employed but, also create employment for others. The study
adopted a cross-sectional research design and a mixed methods approach whereby both
quantitative and qualitative data were collected from SUGECO incubation center and its
incubatees. A total of 88 respondents from SUGECO participated in the study, 43 males
and 45 females. Primary data were collected using a questionnaire and in-depth
interviews. Data collected through the questionnaire was coded and analyzed using IBM
SPSS whereby descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were determined. Generally,
study findings show that SUGECO supports young entrepreneur’s development and job
creation in Tanzania. In addition, SUGECO transforms the minds of the youth using a
business model that activates their innovative behavior, thus, making them more creative
and entrepreneurial which in turn stimulate agribusiness development and creation of
employment. The findings also show that SUGECO offers a variety of trainings which
equip the incubatees with business management and employment skills. However,
findings also show that SUGECO faces a number of challenges which include inadequate
funding, lack of commitment among the incubatees, unsupportive government policies,
quality of entrepreneurs and location specific challenges. Furthermore, binary logistic
regression results show that out of the nine independent variables entered into the model
only two variables i.e marital status and being trained in agribusiness were significantly
(P≤ 0.05) associated with youth employment creation. Nonetheless, findings show that
the graduates faced some challenges, the critical being lack of start-up capital.
Other challenges faced are poor commitment, inadequate market access, insufficient
working equipment and poor infrastructure, lack of confidence and patience, land access
and poor supervision and coaching. Therefore, it is recommended that SUGECO adheres
to its predefined criteria when selecting incubatees so as to recruit only the committed
ones. In addition, the Government of Tanzania and Non-Governmental organizations such
as should collaborate and place more support to promote SUGECO Agribusiness
Incubation programme as it has show the potential for youth’s employment creation and
poverty reduction