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Consumption of processed food & food away from home in big cities, small towns, and rural areas of Tanzania
No full textJournal ArticleWe study household consumption of various categories of processed food, includ ing ultra-processed food and meals away from home in Tanzania. We compare
peri-urban versus hinterland rural areas, and large cities versus small towns.
Three sets of findings stand out. (1) Contrary to the common view in Africa that
processed food is mainly an urban middle-class phenomenon, we found it has
penetrated the diets of the rural areas and the rural and urban poor. In rural areas,
surprisingly 60% of food consumption comes from purchases in value terms, and
processed food accounts for 76% of purchases and 47% of all food consumed.
For the rural poor, purchased processed food is 38% of food consumption. In
urban areas processed food’s share of purchases (hence consumption) is 78%,
similar for the rich and poor. (2) We found that ultra-processed food (such as
sugar-sweetened beverages and cookies) and meals-away-from-home (MAFH)
have emerged as important in urban as well as rural areas. As these foods tend
to be high in oil, salt, and sugar, this is a health concern. The share of ultra processed foods and MAFH is 21% in rural areas and 36% in cities albeit twice as
high in large cities compared with small towns and among richer compared to
poorer consumers. (3) Our regressions show the spread of processed food con sumption in rural and urban areas, among the rich and poor, is driven mainly
by opportunity costs of the time of women and men, and thus the pursuit of sav ing home-processing and cooking time, as well as food environment factors. As
these drivers are long term trends this suggests processed food consumption will
continue to gro
Promotion of agricultural innovation systems approach: policy implications for maize extension and advisory services in Tanzania
No full textTanzania Journal of Agricultural Sciences, pp. 56-66Studies have been conducted in Africa to assess extension officers’ perception towards their
roles, however, little is known on agricultural extension officers’ perception on their roles as per
government job description in Tanzania. The study was therefore conducted in Simiyu Region
to assess the perception of agricultural extension officers towards their roles. A cross-sectional
survey design was used whereby a structured questionnaire was employed to collect data from 100
randomly selected Agricultural extension officers (AEOs). The collected quantitative data were
analyzed by using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences computer programme (SPSS). On
the other hand, the content analysis was used to analyze the collected qualitative information. The
findings show that most of interviewed AEOs perceived their roles namely, advisory, organizational,
educational, technical, facilitation and intermediation as important. However the AEOs perceived
the existence of difficulties in fulfilling the roles. These include agricultural extension officers
overloaded with non-extension tasks like tax collection that hinder them to perform their technical
roles; lack of in-service training which results to low level of competence in performing their
mandated roles; inadequate logistics such as motorcycles, vehicles, just to mention few, These
results to EAOs blamed for not performing their roles. Based on these findings it is recommended
that there is a need to work out with all aspects that affect performance of the AEOs’ mandated
roles as follows: AEOs concentrate more on their mandated roles and not non extension work,
organize short and long term training to improve their knowledge and skills
Changes in the agricultural sector and extension workers roles: implications to training sector in Tanzania
No full textJournal ArticleIn Tanzania and elsewhere, extension workers roles have been focusing mainly on transfer of
technologies from research centers to farmers and train them on the same for improving
agricultural production. However, agricultural extension system has been criticized as not
effective in improving the agricultural sector. This is mainly caused by changes that are taking
place in and outside the agricultural sector like technological, climate, and others that affect
performance of extension workers roles. The objective of this paper is to present these changes
and their implications to the training sector. The information presented in this paper was
obtained from author’s long experience in the topic, literature review and synthesis of the
collected information from various sources like Journals, books and reports. The collected
information show that there are various changes that are taking place in the agricultural sector
like technological, social, climatic and political that require extension workers to change their
roles in line with these changes. These include shifting from technology transfer to facilitation,
beyond training to learning, lobbying and advocacy, networking and partnering, coaching,
negotiation, problem-solving, capacity to reflect and considering value chain aspects. These
changes should be well addressed through long and short term training programmes involving
new curriculum development and review and organizing short courses. It is recommended that
training organs should conduct training needs assessment through participatory approaches to
identify relevant knowledge, skills, attitudes and new ways of extension service delivery needed
to build capacity of extension workers for them to perform their roles effectively for improving
performance of the agricultural sector in general
The regeneration of miombo woodlands in charcoal Production areas in Kilosa district, Tanzania
No full textDissertationMiombo woodlands covers 90% of the forested area in Tanzania and 10% of the African
landmass. Therefore, any deforestation or forest degradation of these forests have the
national and continental significance. The ability of miombo to regenerate naturally
functions as the survival mechanism amongst multiple disturbances. The majority of
disturbances to miombo woodlands have been imposed by humans in meeting their
demands for survival. This includes the disturbance generated in obtaining the fuelwood.
Charcoal is used as an important fuelwood to both urban and rural populations. However,
charcoal production is considered as the massive cause of deforestation and forest
degradation in Tanzania and across the continent. Regarding the importance of charcoal
to the society, Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) to ensure the sustained production
of charcoal is requisite. The present study aimed to provide a better understanding of
regeneration of miombo trees through the assessment of the area deliberately harvested
for charcoal production. The study was conducted in eight Village Land Forest Reserves
(VLFRs) in Kilosa district under Community Based Forest Management (CBFM).
Specifically, the study aimed to (i) review literature on regeneration dynamics of miombo
trees, (ii) assess the regeneration status of miombo trees in the charcoal kiln scars, (iii)
assess the forest standing structure and above-ground biomass in harvested blocks and
(iv) determine the optimum stump height and diameter for maximum coppicing in
harvested miombo.
Data collection utilized different methods and sampling approaches. For the first
objective, a standard literature search for documents related to miombo regeneration was
performed using multiple electronic databases. More than 60 peer-reviewed published
papers on the subject matter were obtained and critically reviewed. The data for the
second objective was obtained by assessing the kiln scars in charcoal production blocks.
The assessed blocks were only those with 4, 5 and 6 years from cessation of charcoal
production where 154 kiln scars were assessed. The third objective aimed to assess the
standing structure and above-ground biomass, where 106 circular plots with a radius of 15
m were assessed in the areas where charcoal production has ceased for 6 years. In the
fourth objective which aimed on establishing the optimum stump height and diameter for
maximization of coppicing regeneration in the areas harvested for charcoal production,
the assessment was done to stumps within the plot of 50 m x 50 m. A total of 925 stumps,
representing 43 species were measured in the area with 4 (2015-2019), 5 (2014 - 2019)
and 6 (2013 - 2019) years from cessation of charcoal production. The stump height,
stump diameter, regenerants counts and size (basal diameter and height) were measured,
alongside identifying species for individual stumps.
The results revealed that vegetative propagation through coppice and root suckers are the
most feasible and prominent regeneration method in miombo woodlands managed for
charcoal production. Kiln scar results revealed that kiln scars occupy 1.5% of the total
harvested area. The study also confirmed that trees can naturally regenerate in kiln scars
to which the number of tree regenerants increases significantly (F (2,151) = 7.1, p <
0.05) with the addition of time from cessation of charcoal production. Assessment of
standing structure and composition of 6 years post charcoal production cessation recorded
stand dominated by re-growing trees with the basal area, volume and above-ground
biomass of 3.77 ± 1.27m 2 ha -1 , 31.71 ± 10.79m 3 ha -1 and 21.5 ± 7.24t ha -1 , respectively. Also
in the harvested area, about 68% of trees were established from seedlings with remaining
individuals established vegetatively as they were limited to the number of stumps
remained. The assessment of stumps for coppicing revealed that number of living stumps
decreased significantly (p < 0.05) with the increase in time where 73, 68 and 51% of
stumps were alive in the area terminated harvesting for 4, 5 and 6 years, respectively.
Also, there is a positive relationship between the stump mortality and the increase of the
stump diameter while no clear pattern for stump height. The coppicing effectiveness of
the stump increases with both diameter (r 2 = 0.31) and height (r 2 = 0.18). The optimum
harvesting diameter and height ranges is from 20 to 40 cm and 45 to 60 cm, respectively.
Generally, it is concluded that trees in harvested charcoal production areas are
regenerating naturally and growing relatively well. Also, vegetative propagation through
stump coppices and root suckers is the most feasible and suitable regeneration method in
management of forest harvested for charcoal production. The coppicing effectiveness is
determined by stump height, stump diameter and the time lapsed from harvesting.
Harvested large diameter trees are associated with high mortality compared to small-
diameter trees. The high stump survival was recorded for stumps with height between 46
and 60 compared to higher mortality of shorter and longer stumps. To reduce the recovery
time of the harvested stand, it is recommended that the minimum harvesting dimensions
should be revised to stump diameter between 20 and 40cm and height between 45 an
60cm. Also, the protection of regenerating areas against disturbances is highly
recommended since its recovery largely depends on the seedlings which are highly
vulnerable to the effects of disturbances such as fire and overgrazing.Tanzania Forest Conservation Group (TFCG) and Tanzania Community Forest Network
(MJUMITA
Climate smart Agricultural practises and Food security: A case of Mbeya and Songwe regions in Tanzania
No full textThesisAlthough Climate Smart Agriculture Practises (CSA-practises) have been promoted and
implemented in the Tanzania, but usage of CSA-practises is still low while their impact on
food security is not well documented, especially when used in combinations. This study
examined the usage of different CSA-practises and their impact on food security among
farming households in Mbeya and Songwe Regions in Tanzania with specific objectives to; a)
assess the usage and intensity of using multiple CSA-Practises by farming households b)
assess the determinants of using combinations of CSA-Practises by farming households c)
evaluate the impact of using combination of crop rotation, residue retention and intercropping
on food security d) evaluate the impact of using combination of organic manure, irrigation
and drought tolerant maize seeds on food security and e) evaluate the impact of climate-smart
irrigation practise on food security.
Multistage sampling technique was employed in sampling 1443 farming households. A
household survey was conducted whereby the primary data were collected using a structured
questionnaire. The Household Dietary Diversity Score per Adult Equivalent Unit
(HDDS/AEU) and Food Variety Score per Adult Equivalent Unit (FVS/AEU) were used as
indicators to measure household food security.
To assess the usage of the multiple CSA-practises a multivariate probit model was used while
the ordered probit model was used to examine the intensity of using CSA-practises. A
multinomial probit model was employed to estimate the factors influencing the use of
combinations of CSA-practises (i.e. crop-rotation, crop residue retention and intercropping).
To examine the impact of using a combination of CSA-practises (crop rotation, residue
retention and intercropping), a multinomial endogenous switching regression model was
employed. Furthermore, the study employed a multinomial endogenous treatment effect
regression model to evaluated the impact of using organic manure, drought-tolerant maize
seeds. and irrigation on food security. Furthermore, endogenous switching regression model
was employed to evaluate the impact of using climate smart irrigation on food security. The
evaluation methods used in this study are appropriate in the analysis of the control for both
observed and unobserved heterogeneity. Other evaluation approaches such as propensity
score matching and inversely probability-weighted regression (IPWR) can only control
observed heterogeneity which leads to unbiased estimates.
The results from multivariate probit (objective one) showed that the use of CSA-practises was
positively influenced by gender of the head of the household, farm size, education of the head
of household, location, size of the household, occupation, and farmer organizations
membership. Moreover, it was found that the use of drought-tolerant maize seeds and crop
rotation was positively associated while the use of a residue-retention and crop-rotation in
combination, the use of organic manure and crop-rotation, combination of intercropping and
residue-retention and the use of intercropping and organic manure were significantly and
positively associated at significant level 1 %. This implies that farming households consider
these combinations as complements.
The study examined the determinants of farm households’ decision to use combinations CSA-
practises (objective two) and found that production diversification, gender and livestock
ownership were positively and significantly influence the usage of combinations of residue-
retention and intercropping. In addition, education level and gender of the head of the
household were positively and significantly affect in the usage of combination of crop
rotation, crop residue and intercropping This comprehensive study is significant for finer
understanding of the synergistic effect of interrelated CSA-practises.
The result for objective three found that usage of CSA-practises depends on either it is used in
isolation or in combinations, and the usage of these CSA-practises significantly increase food
variety score per adult equivalent unit when used either singly or jointly. Furthermore, the use
of intercropping in isolation show the highest food variety scores per adult equivalent unit
among all the possible combinations of CSA-practises. Moreover, the use of crop rotation in
isolation also showed a high pay off after intercropping followed by a joint combination of
crop rotation and residue retention. Thus, the usage of a combination of crop rotation,
intercropping and crop residue retention was found to be the best food security portfolio.
Results from objective four found that the characteristics of the household, plot characteristics
and institutional characteristics (e.g access to extension services) influences the usage of a
different combination of CSA-practises. The study also found that the highest payoff of food
security could be achieved when CSA-practises are used in combination than in isolation. The
combination of drought-tolerant maize seeds and irrigation gave higher payoff than the
combination of all three CSA-practises.
Finally, the findings from objective five showed that radio ownership, education of the
household head, farm experience, production diversity and livestock ownership were the
determinants of using irrigation in the study area. The average treatment effect of the treated
(ATT) and the average treatment effect of untreated (ATU) were positive and highly
significant for irrigators and non-irrigators. That is, the use of irrigation as a CSA-practise has
improved food security of the farming households.
It is recommended that, inorder in order to enhance the usage of CSA-practise, policy makers
and local government authorities should target equipping extension workers and other
agricultural practitionners with adequate items of infrastructure that enable their easy
movement to the farmers. In addition, more more extension agents should be trained and
deployed in the country to reduce the workload of the limited number of extension officers
available inoder to improve agricultural productivity and food security
The study calls for policy makers on policies and plans that promote CSA-practises as a
combination, including other interrelated practises which upscaling CSA-practises usage.
Furthermore, there is a need to promote the usage of CSA-practise in isolation or in
combination. In addition, the study suggests that based on the practises considered in this
study, usage of a combination of various practises results in better food security compared to
the usage of these practises individually. This suggests that agricultural practitioners should
promote combinations of CSA-practises to improve food security in the farming households.
It is recommended that policymakers should consider rehabilitating the existing irrigation
schemes while constructing new irrigation schemes to widen the impacts of irrigation to
household food security. However, despite the positive impact of irrigation, it is
recommended that other irrigation practises such as drip irrigation, sprinkler irrigation should
be used in the areas where construction of small-scale irrigation is not possible.Impact Evaluation (3ie), Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), Wageningen University and Research center (WUR), African Green Revolution Alliance (AGRA
Dynamics of fall armyworm spodoptera frugiperda (smith) (lepidoptera: noctuidae) in Morogoro and prospects for insecticide-based management options
No full textDissertationFall armyworm (FAW) Spodoptera frugiperda is one of the most devastating polyphagous
field crop pests in many parts of the world, including Tanzania. This study aimed at
determining the influence of altitude on the abundance of S. frugiperda, to assess the
efficacy of insecticides that readily available and commonly used by farmers for the
control of S. frugiperda, and to establish the reliability on injury sign observed on maize
crop to determine the appropriate insecticide to apply for effective control of the pest. The
study on influence of altitude showed that there was significant difference among location
in FAW abundance (p < 0.001). At low altitude SUA, the mean FAW abundance was high
(24 per trap) compared to medium (9 per trap) and high altitude (7 per trap), Mgeta and
Nyandira respectively. The study on response of S. frugiperda larval stages to selected
insecticides under the laboratory and screen house experiments showed significant
variation (p < 0.001) in time taken to cause 50% and 100% mortality. In laboratory,
Duduba 450 EC and Ninja plus 5EC caused 100% mortality at 48 hours after treatment
(HAT). Thunder 145 OD was a fourth most effective with 79.05% mortality in 48HAT. In
screen house varied effectiveness were significantly (p < 0.001) recorded among
insecticides with Multi Alpha plus 150 EC causing 100% mortality to all larval instars
followed by Thunder that caused 76.67% mortality 48 HAT. The field experiment
conducted at Mikese to determine the right timing of insecticide application based on
injury sign on maize crop suggested significant interactions (p < 0.001) between injury
signs and larval development stages. Injury signs could be used in choosing insecticides
that are effective against the respective S. frugiperda larvae stage. Thus, the findings from
this study can be used in planning for insecticide-based management options for the
control of S. frugiperda.Ministry of Agricultur
Vendors’ Willingness Drivers for Participation in Public Electronic Procurement System, Ilala District, Tanzania
No full textBook ChapterVendors’ participation in public e-procurement system termed as a means for government to achieve her objectives on procurement operations. However, little is known about vendors’ willingness drives to participate in public e-procurement system. This paper investigates vendors’ willingness drivers for participation in public e-procurement system. The objective was to identify the drivers with influence on vendors’ willingness for participation in public electronic system. The study adopted a cross-sectional research design. The study was conducted in Ilala District due to concentrations for eligible vendors. The study randomly sampled 300 vendors eligible to participate in public e-procurement system. Public Procurement Regulatory Authority, Government Procurement Services Agency and Medical Stores Department were purposively selected to provide key informants. Quantitative data were collected using structured questionnaire and Key Informants Interview (KIIs) guide used for qualitative data. Quantitative data were analysed by multiple regression for vendors’ willingness drivers’ influence on public electronic procurement system participation. Qualitative data were analysed using content analysis by thematic approach. The study found significant at p < 0.05 on transparent, corruption practice, paper work and perceived usefulness as drivers for vendors’ willingness for participation in public e-procurement system. The study concludes that, vendors are willing to participate in public e-procurement system subjective to significant willingness’ drivers. The study therefore recommends that, the public e-procurement system’s stakeholders must improve on transparent and corruption free zone with awareness creation to attract more vendors to participate. The practical implication is that transparency and corruption free is crucial concern for vendors’ willingness drivers to participate in public electronic procurement system
Maize milling and modifying atmospheric conditions limit formation of aflatoxin B1 by aspergillus flavus
No full textJournal of Biology and Life Science, Vol. 12, No. 2. pp. 16-26Occurrence of mycotoxins in foods poses a serious health concern all over the world.
Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is the most toxic, with widest occurrence in various foods, but mainly in
cereals and nuts and its accumulation depends on substrate and environmental factors. This
study investigated the how physical status (milling) of maize kernels and atmospheric
conditions (aeration, moisture and temperature) affect production of aflatoxin B1 by
Aspergillus flavus (ATCC 28862). Intact kernels and flour were incubated for up to 20 days in
open and partially sealed petri dishes under controlled temperatures of 25 ºC, 30 ºC and 37 ºC
and initial moisture contents of 27%, 22%, 18%, 15% and 12%. It was found that on average,
significantly higher (p < 0.05) aflatoxin B1 level was accumulated in intact kernels (145.7
µg/kg) as compared to milled kernels (2.2 µg/kg). Also, none of the samples incubated under partially sealed conditions, compared to up to 100% of the samples incubated in open
atmosphere had detectable levels of aflatoxin B1 after 20 days. Fungal growth was not
affected by milling or aeration, but sporulation was low at 37 ºC and high at 25 ºC and 30 ºC.
The findings of this study provide baseline information on how conditions can be modified to
control postharvest accumulation of aflatoxin B1 in cereal
Health Literacy, Health Behaviour and Healthcare Seeking Behaviour in Rural Settings in Tanzania: Towards a Conceptual Framework
No full textJournal ArticleConceptual framework can serve very useful purposes when it comes to formulating research
questions and developing hypotheses. This article presents a conceptual framework from a
study conducted in rural settings in Mvomero district in Morogoro, Tanzania. The study
assessed health literacy (HL) and its influence on health Behaviour (HB) and health care
seeking behaviour (HCSB) as well as attitudes of people under One Health Approach (OHA).
This article shares with readers who intend to conduct similar studies focusing on the
connection between HL, HB and HCSB on the framework to be employed in studies of those
nature. The intention of this article is not to present the whole study, but to share a detailed
account of a conceptual framework. This framework is on the connection between HL, HB
and HCSB. The framework informs health education and HL interventions; particularly, on
ways the interventions can effectively lead to health behavioural change in the context of One
Health Approach (OHA). Other studies can be conducted to assess HL in other areas of
Tanzania and beyond using this conceptual framework. This analytical framework is vital at
this particular moment when the need for educating people to become more health literate is
pertinent. It is recommended that the conceptual framework should contextualize to attain
additional context specific variable
Amending traditional substrate rice straw with agroforestry tree foliage increases production cycle and nutritional value of pleurotus floridanus
No full textTanzania Journal of Science 47(2): 485-494, 2021The recent heightened attention on mushrooms has not considered shortening the production time
and increasing nutritional value using substrates from agroforestry trees in addition to traditionally
used agro-industrial residues. This study therefore, examined harvesting time, protein and essential
minerals of Pleurotus floridanus grown on rice straw amended with Gliricidia sepium foliage in
Morogoro, Tanzania. Mushrooms were cultivated in 30 x 40 cm 4 kg dry weight polythene bags in
randomized complete block design (RCBD) experiment. Results showed that the addition of 5%
G. sepium into rice straw reduced total time between spawning and first harvest of P. floridanus.
Gliricidia sepium increased significantly (P < 0.05) protein contents of the mushrooms by up to
40%. The addition of 5–10% G. sepium into rice straw increased significantly (P < 0.05)
manganese, copper and zinc in the mushrooms. The decrease in production time and high increase
in protein and mineral contents indicate that agroforestry trees have the potential to increase
production cycles and nutritional value of P. floridanus. Therefore, use of foliage from
agroforestry trees in combination with traditional substrates for mushroom production could help
fight malnutrition, improve food security and enhance income