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Optimal farm enterprise mix and threshold dietary requierements for smallholder farmers in semi-arid Chamwino district, Dodoma-Tanzania
No full textA Dissertation 2019Malnutrition is among the serious health problems affecting infants, children and women
of reproductive age in Tanzania. Various approaches have been adopted to address this
problem. Such approaches include; importation of food, food aid and medical treatment.
Despite these efforts, however, millions of Tanzanians particularly women and children
continue to suffer from one or more forms of malnutrition. Agriculture has been currently
taken as great measure to harness malnutrition among developing countries including
Tanzania, whereas recently new attention has been given to the role of agriculture in
nutrition and malnutrition. The study was conducted to determine an optimal farm
enterprise mix that uses available resources to maximize profit while ensuring adequate
supply of food to meet household’s macro-nutrient requirements. The study used cross
sectional data from 300 farming households from two villages of Chinoje and Mzula in
Chamwino District in Dodoma region of central Tanzania. A static linear programming
(LP) model was used to determine optimal farm enterprise mix and threshold dietary
requirements for smallholder farming households. The findings indicate that the optimal
enterprise mix that maximizes profit while meeting adequate macro-nutrient food needs
of the households entails a combination of 2.40 acres of millet, 0.75 acres of sunflower,
3.65 acres of groundnuts and at least 16 chickens. This nutrition sensitive optimal
resource combination enables the farming household to attain global optimal solution of
TZS 1 383 878. It could be concluded that with the current average farm production, most
of the farming households were unable to satisfy their household food needs from farm
production. In this regard, the study recommends for optimal combination of available
resources to meet minimal macro-nutrient requirements while generating an optimal level
of farm income
Detection and antibiotic susceptibility of vibrio cholerae In oreochromis tanganicae (Tilapia) and water in Lake Tanganyika, Kigoma-Tanzania
No full textMSc. (Molecular Biology and Biotechnology)Toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O1 and O139 are responsible for the production of cholera
toxin and subsequently cause cholera. Although cholera has been very rampant around
African great lakes, little is known about the status of V. cholerae in aquatic reservoirs
like fish. This study aimed to determine the occurrence of toxigenic and drug resistant V.
cholerae in Tanganyika Tilapia (Oreochromis tanganicae) and water from Lake
Tanganyika in Tanzania. Repeated cross-sectional study design that involved 140
Tilapia fish samples and 60 water samples was carried out in Lake Tanganyika during
dry and rain seasons. Bacterial analyses culture and biochemical tests were used for
identification of V. cholera. Positive isolates were confirmed by PCR of the ompW and
ctxA genes then serotyped with polyvalent O1 antiserum. Antimicrobial susceptibility
patterns of V. cholerae O1 (n = 65) were performed using disk diffusion method. Results
of the study revealed a prevalence of V. cholerae at 27.9% (n = 39/140) in Tanganyika
tilapia and 33.3% (n = 20/60) in water samples. The proportions of toxigenic V.cholerae
in Tanganyika Tilapia and water were 11.4% (n = 16/140) and 20% (n = 20/60)
respectively. Prevalence of toxigenic V. cholerae in fish gills and intestines were 5.7%
(n = 16/280) and 0.4% (n = 1/280) respectively. Vibrio cholerae were susceptible to
Gentamicin (100%), Ciprofloxacin (100%), Cefotaxime (100%), Ceftazidime (73.8%),
Chloramphenicol (63.1%), Tetracycline (53.8%) and Naliadixic acid (47.7%).
Resistance in V. cholerae was observed for Streptomycin (100%), Amoxicillin (95.4%),
Ampicillin (81.5%), Sulphamethaxole (80%) and Trimethoprim (72.3%). This study
revealed that Tanganyika Tilapia and water in Lake Tanganyika harbor toxigenic,
antibiotic resistant V. cholerae of the epidemic potentials, with high incidences in wet
season. Raising awareness on public health practices (hygiene/sanitation) and rational
use of antimicrobial agents to safeguard public health from cholera outbreaks are
recommended
The occurrence of cyanobacteria blooms in freshwater ecosystems and their link with hydro-meteorological and environmental variations in Tanzania
No full textMembers’ participation and financial performance of wheat producers’ cooperative societies in Southern Ethiopia
No full textThesis 2019Currently, cooperative enterprises in Ethiopia are growing in terms of numbers and
membership. However, despite growing policy attention and researchers‟ interest on
cooperatives, the issue of members‟ participation, in relation to performance of
cooperatives has not been adequately addressed. The overall objective of this study was to
determine the influence members‟ participation in their cooperative financial performance
of cooperatives. The study used a cross-sectional research design. Questionnaires and key
informant interview checklist were used for data collection. The study covered 371
members from 27 primary cooperatives. Participation attitudes were assessed using likert-
scale items, while members‟ evaluative perceptions about their cooperatives performance
were measured by using five score scale measurement. Multiple linear regression were
employed to analyze the relationship between participation and financial performance of
wheat growers‟ cooperatives. The study results show that majority of respondents have
positive attitude of participation in their cooperatives. Years in membership, number of
shares, quantity of seed purchased and quantity of wheat supplied were statistically
significant relationship with performance. Overall, on average members evaluated their
societies‟ functioning as good performance. Majority of respondents agreed that they are
better off in the market after joining cooperatives. It is recommended that since members‟
attitude and behavior of participation is affected by the level of information and education,
launching of a continuous cooperative extension education is critical. Strengthening those
participation aspects having influence on the financial performances. The good
performance of agricultural inputs provision service should be considered as best practice
of lesson and internal strength. Cooperatives should be able encouraging members to
supply more quality produce to their cooperatives by giving them tangible benefits in price reward and patronage dividend. The study indicates issues for further study such as how to address the financial capacity limitation of primary cooperatives and how to explore and implement tri-modal arrangement in the form of public-cooperative-private partnership model
Effects of grilicidia sepium intercropping, rainwater harvesting and planting times on maize performance in Kongwa District, Tanzania
No full textA DissertationThis study assessed the effects of integrating Gliricidia sepium, rainwater harvesting
known as chololo pits and planting times on soil moisture, maize growth and yield in
Kongwa District, Dodoma, Tanzania. A factorial experiment was adopted to test the
effects of planting times (Early, Normal and Late planting), and CSA practices (Maize
monoculture, Gliricida sepium intercropping and intercropping with G. sepium and
chololo pits. The planting times were Mid-November to Mid-December (Early), Mid-
December to Mid-January (Normal) and Mid-January to Mid-February (Late).
Results revealed that soil moisture content, maize growth and yield varied
significantly between planting times and CSA practices. The G. sepium-chololo pits
treatment increased soil moisture by 41% compared to 34% and 26% in the G.
sepium and maize monoculture treatments, respectively. Overall, G.sepium
intercropping alone increased maize grain yield by 23% relative to monoculture
(2.6t/ha) due to improved soil moisture content and soil fertility. Maize grain yield
was the highest (2.8-4.2t/ha) in the G. sepium-chololo pits treatment across all
planting times, reflecting high resilience due to combined effects of improved soil
fertility and soil moisture. At all planting times and CSA practices tested, the higher maize yields observed at maize planted Mid-December to Mid-January (Normal). This affirms the appropriate planting time of maize crops for Kongwa. This study
demonstrated that the combined use of weather information on the appropriate
planting time and CSA practice improves yield and build resilience in maize-based farming systems in semiarid areas
Effect of drying methods and beheading of dried sardines on nutritional, microbiological and sensory qualities
No full textA dissertation in Food Quality and SafetyThe purpose of this study was to determine the effect of drying methods and beheading of
dried sardines on nutritional, microbial and sensory qualities. Fresh sardines from Lake
Victoria were dried by three different solar drying methods (solar dryer, rack and ground).
Dried sardine from each drying methods were divided in two portions (whole body and
beheaded part). Analytical samples were analysed using AOAC and ISO standard methods
for nutritional and microbial qualities. Both sardines body parts samples were subjected to
sensory evaluation for Qualitative Descriptive Analysis and consumer liking using 1 – 9
Hedonic scale. Results showed significant differences (p<0.05) in drying methods and
body parts, with solar dried samples having a higher protein and fat content than rack and
ground in all body parts. Ground dried samples had higher ash and moisture content than
respective counterpart. There were no significant differences (p< 0.05) in drying methods
on mineral composition, but there were significant differences (p< 0.05) in body parts with
whole body having higher Potassium content 4852±052 mg/Kg DM than 2241.5±0.33
mg/Kg DM in beheaded part. Moreover, the results showed that ground dried sample had
higher microbial count than rack and solar dried samples, but there were no E. coli and S.
aureus detected. Sensory evaluation results showed significant differences (p<0.05) in the
mean intensity score in colour and sandiness attributes with solar dried samples having
higher silver colour intensity value of 6.6±0.24 as compared to 5.9±0.42 in ground dried
samples. However, the ground dried samples had higher sandiness intensity with value
5.9±0.25 than rack and solar samples. Therefore, the findings suggest that samples dried
using solar dryer have comparatively good nutritional value and quality followed by rack
dried sardine
Conserving rivers and their biodiversity in Tanzania
No full textWater 2019, 11, 2612The United Republic of Tanzania (Tanzania) is rich in freshwater resources and biodiversity.
In this article, we highlight the importance of Tanzanian rivers and make a case for the conservation
of the freshwater and terrestrial species that rely on these rivers. We provide an overview of
current knowledge on Tanzanian rivers and discuss progress towards implementation of the National
Water Policy (2002) and Water Management Act (2009), two legislative instruments that have
motivated environmental flow assessments on at least six major rivers and o er legal backing for river
conservation. We examine major challenges that pose significant threats to water security for river
ecosystems and humans in Tanzania, among those: (1) human population growth, (2) agricultural
expansion, (3) river flow alterations, (4) industrialization, (5) introduced species, and (6) climate
change. We conclude by o ering recommendations for future river conservation e orts in Tanzania
Comparative gross and histological morphology of goat (caprine) and sheep (ovine) placentomes
No full textTanzania Veterinary Journal, 2019; 34(2): 23-34This study aimed to investigate the gross and micro-anatomy of the placentome of Tanzanian
goats and sheep and their relationship with some foetal parameters. Forty pregnant uteri (20
from goats and 20 from sheep) were collected from slaughtered pregnant animals. Foetal age
was estimated using Crown-Rump Length formula. Other parameters such as head length (HL),
neck length (NL), fore and hind limb length, foetal weight, total number of placentomes and
placentome size and location in the uteri were taken. All placentae exhibited the typical
characteristics of a cotyledonary with discrete areas of attachment between maternal and foetal
tissues. Placentome counts ranged from 70 to 92 and 74 to 104 in sheep and goats, respectively.
The average length of placentomes was 20.0±4.2 and 30.7±9.0 in sheep and goats, respectively.
Placentomes from does in the present study were concave in shape and the majority were of
type A. Regression analysis showed a statistically significant relationship between foetal age
and placental size (r2=0.3245; p<0.001); between foetal age and foetal weight (r2=0.7364;
p<0.001); and between foetal age and placental weight (r2=0.6458; p<0.01); but the number of
placentomes insignificantly (P>0.01) varied with foetal age. In conclusion, this study has
demonstrated that the Tanzanian sheep and goat placentae are cotyledonary –
synepitheliochorial type having placentomes that tend to increase in size with gestation age in
response to greater nutrient and or metabolic requirement of the growing foetus
Optimising techniques for improving post-harvest quality of orange (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck) and mango (Mangifera indica, L.) fruits in Eastern Zone Of Tanzania
No full textThesis: Degree of doctor of Philosophy in Crop Science 2019The preliminary experiment was done by using Jaffa orange variety to assess the effects of
different concentrations of hexanal, calcium chloride and smoke treatment on physico-
chemical quality. Jaffa orange fruits were separately (i) dipped in hexanal at 0.01%, 0.02%
and 0.04% volume/voume for five minutes (ii) dipped in calcium chloride 1%, 2% and 4%
weight/volume for five minutes (iii) fruits were smoked by burning 0.5 kg, 1.0 kg and 1.5
kg of dry banana leaves (iv) Untreated fruits (control). The fruits were evaluated under
two storage conditions; ambient (28 ± 2 °C) and reduced temperature (18 ± 2 °C) and the
data were collected at the 4th, 8th and 12th day after fruit harvest. Collected data were
analysed by using R - software. Mean separation was done by using Tukey Honestly
Significant Difference at p ≤ 0.05. Results of preliminary experiment showed that hexanal
at 0.02% v/v and calcium chloride at 0.02% w/v and smoke treatment obtained by burning
1.0 kg of dry banana leaves were effective in maintaining physico-chemical quality of
Jaffa orange. Then, hexanal 0.02% v/v, calcium chloride 2% w/v and smoke treatment
obtained from burning 1.0 kg of dry banana leaves were selected and used in other
objectives. The actual experiments were conducted for two consecutive seasons of 2016
and 2017 to assess the effects of hexanal, calcium chloride and smoke on physico-
chemical, shelf life, nutritional quality and cost benefit analysis of two orange (Msasa and
Jaffa) and two mango (Apple and Palmer) varieties. The study on post-harvest losses of
these fruits along the supply chain was also conducted. Various physico-chemical
parameters were assessed. Results showed that hexanal and calcium chloride significantly
reduced physiological weight loss, maintained fruit firmness and increased total soluble
solids of both mango and orange fruits relative to smoke treatment and the controls.
Reduced temperature significantly lowered physiological weight loss over the ambient
storage. Major sites of post-harvest losses were at harvest, transport, wholesale and retail
stages of supply chain. Post-harvest treatments of fruits with hexanal and calcium chloride
significantly increased the shelf life and reduced disease incidences relative to control and
smoke treated fruits. Reduced temperature significantly increased shelf life of fruits over
the ambient storage. Hexanal improved nutritional quality of the fruits followed by
calcium chloride and the control. While vitamin C and total flavonoids were decreasing,
total sugars and reducing sugar content increased with storage time. Further results
showed that hexanal and cold storage conditions led to higher number of marketable fruits
over other treatments. Smoke treatment had the lowest number of marketable fruits.
Mango fruits treatment with hexanal and stored under ambient storage was the most viable
post-harvest technique with positive net present value and cost benefit ratio greater than
1.0, thus, viable investments while the other post-harvest techniques had negative net
present values and cost benefit ratio less than 1.0. Hexanal treatment is therefore
recommended to farmers, transporters and traders for improved quality and shelf life of
orange and mango fruits
Live and dead mulch for weed and soil fertility management in organic production of sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.)
No full textPhD ThesisThe study was conducted for three seasons aimed at developing a strategy that combines
weed control with soil fertility enhancement using live and dead mulch for increased
productivity of organic sweet pepper. Synchronization experiments were set to evaluate
release patterns and availability of nutrients by leguminous green manures in soil. A
randomized complete block design (RCBD) with a plot size of 3 m x 3 m replicated four
times was used. Mucuna and greengram materials in mesh bags were buried 10 cm in soil.
Replicated bags were removed weekly and analysed to determine decomposition rates and
quantities of nutrients released into soil. The grown cover crops were slashed at the stage
of 50% flowering and used as dead mulch for weed control and their influence on weeds
dynamics evaluated when greengram and mucuna cover crops were used as live and dead
mulch. Weed density, weed biomass and crop mineral contents were analysed each season
and soil weed seed bank data were determined from different depths 0–10, 11-20 and 21-
30 cm from plots managed with hand hoe weeding, mixed grass mulch and cover crops
treatment in four replicates. Farmers assessed the efficacy of each treatment and their
preference by identifying the criteria for selecting the best treatment for weed control and
soil fertility improvement. Different treatments were ranked depending on their
effectiveness on weeds control and soil fertility improvement, its single use for the live
and dead mulch, availability and costs of the materials and the amount of labour required
for the specific treatment application. Mucuna decomposition was faster compared with
greengram, from third to twelfth week of incubation. This implies that greengram has
relatively more resistant materials to decomposition as compared with mucuna. Maximum
effect on soil nutrient content occurred in sixth and seventh weeks after application of
green manures. Total organic C in soils treated with cover crops increased by a factor of
2.3 to 3.2. Total N increased significantly from 1.28% to 2.64% at sixth week in soil with greengram and to 2.83% at seventh week in soil with mucuna. Available P content of soil
increased from 0.03 to 0.39 and 0.37 mg kg -1 in soil treated with greengram and mucuna,
respectively. Optimum microbial population was attained from fifth to seventh week after
manure application, with 2.3 x 10 8 in soil with greengram and 3.08 x 10 8 with mucuna,
significantly improved compared with original population. Plots planted with greengram
and mucuna cover crops reduced weed species to 13 and 12, respectively, from 17 weed
species identified at the beginning of the experiment. Mucuna cover crop reduced weed
biomass from 33.1 g/m 2 to 9.1 g/m 2 and weed seed bank density from 17922 to 9418 per
metre square. However, Cyperus rotundus, Cynodon dactylon and Elangia codifolia
remained to be the most observed weeds in both treatments throughout the experimental
period. Growth of sweet pepper plants planted in plots with mucuna cover crop was
improved by increasing stem branches to 22, leaves to 157 and high number of fruits per
plant (25). The highest total N and P in vegetative parts were recorded in crops planted
with mucuna having 2.81 and 1.63% and those planted with greengram 2.48 and 1.09%. In
farmers’ assessment, farmers’ criteria for selecting the best weed and soil fertility
management treatment were sweet pepper yield, fruit quality, weeds control and soil
fertility improvement. Farmers preferred the two green manure cover crops in terms of
absolutely ranking, matrix ranking and pairwise ranking. The cover crops were also
preferred due to their cost effectiveness, sustainability and availability, giving the farmers
more profit compared with other treatments. Results from this study have shown the
suitability of the cover crops on weed control and improving soil fertility. It has been
observed that the two cover crops mucuna and greengram can suppress different types of
weeds above ground and below ground in terms of weed seed bank. However, this
depends much on the type of weeds available in site, as results indicate that sedge and
grasses were not completely suppressed and few managed to grow passing the live cover
crops mulch and dead mulch. Furthermore, one year application of cover crops for weed
control did not significantly reduce weed and weed seeds population. Therefore, to obtain
sustainable benefits of using cover crops, it is important to use these cover crops
frequently in more than one season. This will help building residue effects within the field for sustainable profi