Abstract:
In maize-based farming systems, intercropping of maize with green manure have been increasingly been one of the
strategies to revive the declining maize production caused by increasing pests’ infestations and low soil fertility. This
study analyzed the potential impacts of adoption of green manure technology on yield, cost, and profitability of
maize production in the Eastern Zone of Tanzania. To assess the income and costs effects of maize production using
green manure, a farm level budget was constructed from primary and secondary sets of data and information using a
with-and-without framework of analysis. A partial budget was constructed to determine the incremental benefits
from costs of adopting the green manure technology in managing noxious weeds such as Striga. Results showed that
the adoption of green manure technology has a high potential to increase marketable yield, reduce costs and increase
net profits. The partial budget analysis showed that green manure would give a net incremental benefit of Tsh. 478
654/acre compared to the chemical fertilizers used by farmers. These additional benefits were realized from
increased marketable yields and savings from reduced chemical fertilizers and labour costs. Future research should
strive to further develop and strategize dissemination channels to reach more of the smallholder population to
increase their knowledge base on the alternative values of green manures.
