Challenges faced by smallholder spice farmers in controlling market in Tanzania: a case of Morogoro District
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Date
2022
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Publisher
Sokoine university of agricurture
Abstract
Smallholder spice farmers in Tanzania have been enging in spice farming and selling their
crops at low price despite having great value. There have been several strategies and
efforts towards supporting agricultural sector. Some of these efforts is the establishment
of Kilimo Kwanza plan, Spice-sub sector strategy 2014, Hortcultural development
strategy as well the Agricultural sector Development Strategy (ASDS). Despite these
efforts by both government and agricultural private sectors, relatively little hasbeen
achieved in supporting spice farmers to control the market. Therefore, the objective of this
study was to examine challenges faced by smallholder spice farmers in controlling the
market in Tanzania. The study was conducted in Morogoro district. The study adopted a
cross-sectional research design. In this study, data were collected from 170 smallholder
spice farmers.Interview guide,checklist and questionners were used. Both quantitative and
qualitative data were collected. Regression and descriptive analysis were undertaken with
the aid of STATA 16 to analyze quantitative data. Qualitative data were generated from
focus group discussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews (KIIs). Content analysis
was used to analyze qualitative data. The study finding from content analysis and
descriptive analysis revealed the following. The majority of key informants during the
interview pointed out that the district lacks enough human resources in agricultural
extension services,and therefore this has contributed spice farmers to lack important
agricultural skills. It was also reported during key informant interviews that some villages
experience poor or no mobile communication networks due to a lack of communication
network towers. In this study the majority (78.9%) lack good storage facilities as they
store spices in places like the kitchen. Majority of the participants (65.9%) especially in
turmeric farming, did not adhere to sanitation standards as they dry spices on the ground
(soil surface).Again, Study findings through regression analysis showed that variables like electricity availability was statistically significant at p<0.05. There was a statistically
significant association between electricity availability and access to market information.
Therefore, farmers with electricity had an increased likelihood of accessing market
information by 1.19109 log odds compared to those without.
It is concluded that market control to smallholder farmers was faced by challenges such
as poor infrastructures, lack of reliable source of market information ,inadequate
extension services, Poor communication networks. It is further concluded that access to
market information was influenced by age, education, electricity availability, means of
accessing news, and ownership of mobile phones. It is therefore recommended that the
government and other stakeholders should improve market information systems, introduce
tax waivers in mobile phones tarriffs, rural electrification. and overcome communication
challenges in rural areas. Lastly. The ministry for agriculture in Tanzania and other
stakeholders should pull their efforts towards improving market information systems to
smallholder farmers, improve access to credit, improve extension services that are market-
oriented to smallholder spice farmers.
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Keywords
Smallholder, Spice farmers, Controlling market, Tanzania, Morogoro district