Sokoine University of Agriculture
Sokoine University of Agriculture Institutional RepositoryNot a member yet
3509 research outputs found
Sort by
Ex-Ante analysis of adoption of introduced chicken strains among smallholder farmers in selected areas of Tanzania
No full textKeeping local chickens is an integral part of Tanzania’s rural
economy although it suffers low genetic potential. To address the problem, the
Africa Chicken Genetic Gains (ACGG) project introduced and tested improved
strains of chicken viz. Sasso and Kuroiler in Tanzania, The paper aimed to
predict the rate of adoption of Sasso and Kuroiler chicken strains by using the
Adoption and Diffusion Outcome Prediction Tool (ADOPT). Developmental
research design involving provision of 25 six weeks old chicks to farmers was
adopted. Data were obtained from a questionnaire survey and Focus Group
Discussion in three regions of Tanzania. The results indicate that the peak for
adoption is likely to be 34, 29 and 38% after 8, 7 and 9 years in Bahi, Ifakara
and Wanging’ombe sites respectively. The sensitivity report indicates that the
adoption rate may increase to reach 59, 49 and 57% and may decline to about
17, 16 and 21% in Bahi, Ifakara and Wanging’ombe respectively. Extension
efforts to facilitate availability of the strains, feeds, treatment and reducing
upfront and operating costs are main factors affecting change in the adoption rate
to optimize the inherent genetic potential. It is recommended to facilitate
extension efforts for adoption rate improvement by upgrading local chicken
value chain to enable farmers to access the strains, feeds, medication and
market
Occurrence of fungal infections in Rufiji Tilapia and hybrids of female nile Tilapia and male Rufiji Tilapia at different salinities
No full textA DissertationFungal diseases are prevalent in fish and have the potential of limiting productivity in
aquaculture. This study aimed to isolate and determine fungal infections in hatchery with
female Rufiji tilapia and their hybrids of male Rufiji tilapia and female Nile tilapia. An
experimental study design was conducted to determine the occurrence of fungal infections
and to characterize the isolates of Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus niger. Fish samples
were randomly collected from the hatchery at the Institute of Marine Sciences Mariculture
centre in Pangani. In the sampled fish the gills, gastrointestinal tract and skin were
collected. The morphological and physiological tests were employed to isolate and
identify fungi using SDA. The lactophenol detached crystal cotton blue was used for
characterization of fungi. The Rufiji tilapia stocked at different salinities were infected by
A. niger and A. flavus at 72.4 % and 17.1% (n = 61) respectively. The prevalence of A.
niger and A. flavus in water of tilapia and hybrids was 37.4 % and 10.6% respectively.
Rufiji tilapia and hybrids were infected by A. niger and A. flavus at 37.9 % and 6.5 % (n =
62) respectively. For PCR based analysis, fragments of bp400 and 895 were detected for
A.flavus and bp290 for A.niger. Despite the percentage variations for fungal isolates in
some of the fish, overall, there was a significant (P0.05) reduction of prevalence of
fungal infections with increasing salinities. In the hybrids, an increase in salinity did not
influence the prevalence of Aspergillus species (P0.05). Increase in salinity has no
influence on the growth of A. flavus in fish organs of Rufiji tilapia. Conventional methods
are time-consuming and less sensitive; PCR methods provide more specification and high
sensitivity of the target organism. Different salinities of 15, 25 and 35 are potential for
mariculture since they cannot support the existence of A. niger unlike A. flavus, which
showed significant difference in fish organs
Safety and quality of stream and borehole water used by selected communities in Lushoto District, Tanzania
No full textA Dissertation 2019This study was conducted to assess the quality and safety of borehole and stream water
used in Sunga and Mbaru wards in Lushoto district, Tanzania. Water samples from
streams were collected in duplicate from three locations based on land use. These
included forest areas, populated areas with agricultural activities and less populated areas
with agricultural activities. Borehole‟s water was collected in duplicate from three
boreholes in each ward. Samples from the two sources of water were analysed in triplicate
using standard methods for chemical parameters (pH, Total hardness, ammonia, nitrate,
phosphate, lead, arsenic and DDT) and microbiological parameters (E. coli and
Salmonella). Nested design was applied and data obtained was analyzed by R-Software.
Means were separated by using Tukey„s honest at p<0.05. Results obtained were
compared with TZS and WHO water guideline. Significant differences (p<0.05) in
chemical parameters were observed in all locations within the streams except for arsenic.
With the exception of phosphate in both streams all water samples tested met the
TZS (2016) and WHO (2011). The phosphate levels were significantly higher (p<0.05) in
populated areas in both streams but also in less populated areas in Daa stream than other
study areas. All chemical parameters tested in borehole‟s water met the requirements for
both TZS and WHO water guideline except pH and ammonia which exceeded the WHO
(2011) water guideline. For microbiological parameters, significant differences (p<0.05)
in E. coli and Salmonella
were observed between the three locations of the streams.
Furthermore significant differences (p<0.05) in E. coli contamination was also observed
at boreholes water located at Madukani while the rest of boreholes were free from
Salmonella and E. coli contamination. Good agricultural and hygienic practices should be
applied so as to avoid contamination of water sources. Water from boreholes and streams
should be treated before consumption to prevent water borne diseases
Effect of Fertilizer Micro-Dose and Moisture Management Practices on Agronomic and Economic Performances of Groundnut in Semi- Arid Areas
No full textJournal ArticleLow soil fertility and drought condition are main crop production challenges that
threatening food security in semi-arid areas. Use of fertilizer at micro dose rates together
with in-situ rainwater harvesting using infiltration pits (IP) or tied ridges (TR) are lowinput strategies to cope with these challenges. This research was conducted to investigate
effects of integrating fertilizer micro dose rates and in-situ rainwater harvesting using IP
and TR on groundnut yield and its household profitability to Tanzania smallholder
farming groups. Field experiments were conducted from 2015/2016 to 2016/2017
cropping seasons. Infiltration pits and tied ridges increased groundnut yield significantly
by 20.2 to 32.6 % and 34.2 to 46.6% respectively over flat cultivation. Fertilizer micro
dose at 50% of recommended rate significantly increased yield by 50.8 to 64.7 % over
zero application. Integration of TR with fertilizer at RR resulted into highest groundnut
yield ranged from 1,034 to 1,096 kg/ha and highest NP ranged from 1,027 to 1,081
USD/ha. The integrations of TR and fertilizer micro dose at 50% of recommended had
significant higher yield ranged from 748 to 1,086 kg/ha and higher NP ranging from 405
to 662 USD/ha compared to famer practice. The integrations of micro dose rate of 50%
of recommended rate and tied ridges is therefore recommended to small holder’s famers
located in semi dry areas of central Tanzania. This will enable farmers to achieve highly
agronomic and economic performances compared to farmer practices
Safety and quality of organically grown cloves (syzigium aromaticum) and black pepper (piper nigrum l.) in Tawa Ward, Morogoro-Tanzania
No full textM.Sc. DissertationParticipatory Action Research approach was used in this study involving organic spice
farmers from Tawa Ward within Morogoro region, researchers from Sokoine University
of Agriculture and Sustainable Agriculture Tanzania organization. Harvesting and post-
harvest handling practices by clove and black pepper organic farmers in Tawa Ward were
assessed. Five villages were visited, 107 organic farmers were interviewed, 34 among
them inspected and provided samples for analysis. Fungal quality in association to post-
harvest practices and moisture content was evaluated. Average moisture content was
18.7% (clove) and 12.3% (black pepper) in dry weight basis. It was observed that,
farmers use experience and color change to determine moisture content and therefore fail
to achieve the recommended moisture content of 12% as per Tanzania Bureau of
Standards. Farmers in this study practices mixed farming in farm sizes of less than 5
hectares and harvest less than 100 kg of spices annually. However, poor drying and
storage methods, mixing spice batches and attempts to treat spoiled spices were noticed as
critical points that compromises safety and quality. Fungi were isolated by using spread
plating method in PDA and V8 medias. Fungi identification were based on macro and
microscopic characteristics. Black pepper samples were found to be contaminated by
Aspergillus, Rhizopus, Penicillium and Fusarium fungal species at level of 2200 - >
30 000 cfu/g. Clove sample were contaminated by Aspergillus and Rhizopus species at
level of 100-60°C
fu/g in 46% of the samples. Longer storage time and mixing spices
with previous batches during storage showed higher influence on level of fungal
contamination. Also, this study measured levels of three heavy metals; Lead, Cadmium
and Chromium in the spice samples. Levels of all three metals were found to be below
permissible levels with average of 0.32±0.22mg/kg (Lead), 0.14±0.06mg/kg (Cadmium)
and 0.33±0.16 mg/kg (Chromium). Detection of Lead in 10% of the sample was highly related to poor storage. This study recommends improvement in post-harvest handling
approaches in order to ensure safety of the spices from Tawa Ward
Forest Resources Assessment
No full textForest resource assessment is fundamental in decision making to provide essential data and information for forest managers and decision makers to ensure sustainable forest management. This chapter has described objectives and importance of forest resource assessment, forest inventory planning and methods/designs and important descriptive statistics which should be applied when describing forest parameters of interest. Other essential aspects which also guide and compliment forest resource assessment, i.e. survey and mapping; and remote sensing are described. Application of remote sensing and GIS in forestry has also been covered
Livelihood strategies and household food security of vegetable street vendors in Morogoro town, Tanzania
No full textA dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for degree of master of science in human nutrition of sokoine university of agriculture.
morogoro, tanzaniaThe study attempts to examine the livelihood strategies and household food security of vegetable street vendors in Morogoro town, Tanzania. Specifically, the study sought to: (1) To document the nature of the institutional environment in which vegetable street vending business is taking place, (2) To identify the type and extent of livelihood assets owned by individuals working as vegetable street vendors, (3) To measure household food security and dietary diversity of vegetable street vendors and (4) To identify strategies employed by vegetable street vendors to cope with food shortage. A cross sectional study design with mixed methods of sampling was employed whereby data were collected from a total of 234 respondents between February and May, 2018. The study used both quantitative and qualitative data. Semi structured questionnaire, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions were used to obtain the data. Descriptive, inferential, and content analysis methods were used for data analysis. The results showed that respondents own various livelihood assets categorized as human, natural, physical, social and financial capitals. On the other hand, the prevalence of household food insecurity was high (55.5%) among respondents and most of them consumed between 5-9 different food groups (moderate 50.5%) diverse diet. Several factors were identified to influence household food security. These include land size (p<0.000), type of ownership of land (p<0.005), house ownership (p<0.019), motorcycles ownership (p<0.005), bicycles ownership (p<0.005), relative distance to selling point (p<0.011), membership in community Organisation (p<0.000) and type of social Organisation (p<0.035). Others were access to credit (p<0.003), receiving remittances (p<0.000) and training received (p<0.014). Using binary regression model it was found that ownership of the house (p<0.038), membership of community Organisation (p<0.032), and type of transport used (p<0.000) were determinant of food security. It was noted that respondents employ a number of coping strategies during food shortages, which include selling labour, borrowing from relatives, diet change and getting support from relatives were common in the study area. The study concludes that food insecurity is still a problem in the study respondents. It is recommended that LGAs and NGOs support the sector through provision of training on business skills or entrepreneur, low interest credits, formulation of favourable policies to support vegetable vendors and empowering them by forming an association.SU
The role of informal financial institutions in improving social wellbeing of their members in Geita District, Tanzania
No full textM.A. DissertationInformal Financial Institutions (IFIs) are likely to have potential contributions to people’s
enhanced wellbeing in general. However, apart from material wellbeing, there is little
knowledge about the contribution of IFIs especially Accumulating Savings and Credit
Associations (ASCAs) to the social wellbeing particularly social connectedness to its
members. This was the driving force to conducting this research. This study was done to
examine the role played by ASCAs in improving social wellbeing of their members. The
specific objectives were to examine the factors which motivate people to join ASCAs,
identify benefits other than financial enjoyed by the members of ASCAs, determine levels
of social wellbeing achieved by participants in ASCAs and analyse challenges faced by
members of ASCAs to achieve their goals. The study adopted a cross-sectional research
design to achieve the stated objectives in which a combination of purposive and simple
random sampling techniques was employed to select a sample size of 108 respondents
who were members of ASCAs. Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered through a
structured questionnaire survey as well as KIIs and FGDs whereby analysis was done
using IBM SPSS Statistics computer programme version 21 and content analysis
respectively. The inferential statistics ‘paired sample t-test’ was employed to test
significant improvement in social connectedness before and after membership to ASCAs.
The results showed that ASCAs are rich of opportunities sought by people for their well
being. Apart from financial benefits, ASCAs have positive contribution to the
improvement of social connectedness to their members offering members’ improved
satisfaction with life. The findings also showed that members’ social connectedness
increased by 25.8%; the increase was significantly different at 0.05 (p = 0.000) as the
results of a paired samples t-test of comparing members’ level of social connectedness
before and after membership to ASCAs. ASCAs face some challenges, among othe
Youth Trained to be Environmentally Sensitive through Confirmation Classes: Experience from Northern Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania
No full textTengeru Community Development Journal, 2019; 6(1):73-85Religion institutions forward the conservation of natural biodiversity by providing
ethical and social models for living respectfully with nature. Given this acknowledgment,
Northern Diocese(ND) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCT) in Kilimanjaro region
started an intervention on tree planting through engaging confirmation students who are enrolled to the classes every year. Therefore, a cross-sectional study was conducted to examine success and challenges of the approach. Specifically, the study established the survival rate of trees and presents opinion on factors facilitated the success of the approach. The descriptive analysis was adopted in establishing the rate of survived trees and opinion associated with its survival. The findings reveal that, 78% of all trees planted by students survived. Generally, despite various factors reported to contribute to high rate of tree survival, spiritual influence was cited as strong factor. It was found that even if a tree seedling given to a child died, most of them found any means to replace the seedling by either taking the ones that grew around their environment, from
friend’s fields, or even asking for some money from their parents. Factors like livestock grazing,theft, drought, and negligence were cited as challenges for the success of the project. The study concludes that the mode of engaging youth in tree planting program to be successful since the youth attribute tree planting to faith, leading to changing people’s behaviour on environmental conservation. It is recommended that the mode should be up scaled to other areas in Tanzania and also to other faith groups
Molecular and morphological characterization of grainyield and root architecture of selected faya ricegenotypes
No full textMsc. Dissertation 2019The screen house and field experiments were conducted during the 2017 /2018 rainy
season in order to characterize grain yield and root architecture of fifteen(15) selected
Faya rice genotypes namely; Faya 14 M 69, Faya Zambia, Faya Mafuta 1, Faya
Mafuta 2, Faya Makanjira, Acc 5934, Mw 1685, Acc 9290, Acc 9293, Acc 18037,
Acc 18028, Acc 17323, Acc 17344, Acc 5933, and Faya Kalonga, at both molecular
and morphological levels for further utilization in crop breeding programmes. The
fifteen (15) selected Faya rice genotypes were obtained from Lifuwu Agricultural
Research Station (LARS). The molecular work was conducted at the Molecular
Biology Laboratory of Sokoine University of Agriculture (Tanzania) using ten (10)
Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) markers. The morphological study was done at
Lifuwu Research Station (Malawi) on twelve (12) qualitative and twelve (12)
quantitative morphological traits, five (5) root architectural traits and seven (7)grain
quality traits in screen house (using PVC pipes) and field conditions. The present
study illustrated rich genetic divergence for different quantitative and qualitative traits
among the Faya rice genotypes. The quantitative traits such as grain yield, 1000 grain
weight, spikelet fertility, number of panicles per plant, number of tillers per plant,
panicle length, leaf length, leaf width, flag leaf length, flag leaf width and number of
spikelets per panicle illustrated most variation. The studied root architectural traits
such as fresh root mass, root number, maximum root length, fresh shoot mass, dry root
mass and dry shoot mass showed great variation among the studied genotypes. All the
grain quality traits in the present study showed no variation except translucency,
chalkiness, gelatinization temperature and gel consistency. The eleven qualitative
traits studied depicted great variation. Grain yield trait correlated positively with root
number, root thickness (root volume), 1000 grain weight, number of spikelets per
panicle, spikelet fertility and plant height and negatively with the other associated
traits that were analyzed. The agglomerative hierarchical clustering using twenty five
(25) quantitative morphological, grain quality, and root architectural traits grouped the
fifteen (15) Faya rice genotypes into four (4) clusters and five Principal Components
while the same genotypes were categorized into three clusters when ten (10) SSR
markers were used for clustering. All the ten (10) SSR (Microsatellite) markers that
were used in studying the 15 Faya rice genotypes turned out to be polymorphic for the
target traits and amplified 142 bands and 63 alleles. The least genetic similarity index
magnitude detected for and among the genotypes implies that some of the genotypes
studied have closely similar genetic constitution while others are distantly similar. The
highest Polymerase Information Content (PIC) value was recorded for primer RM215
and all the markers used in this study were neutral, convenient and co-dominant in
nature. The screening of the genotypes using both morphological and molecular (SSR)
markers for the fifteen (15) rice genotypes has revealed that the genotypes are diverse
and would produce significant transgressive segregants if used in general and
hybridization breeding work. All the SSR markers used in this study have proven to be
a success in studying the land races of rice as evidenced in the current work where all
markers turned out to be polymorphic