Abstract:
The Agricultural and Livestock Policy of Tanzania gives high priority to the promotion of food sufficiency and security through irrigated agriculture. The aim of this study was to investigate factors affecting participation of farmers in irrigation schemes in Tanzania. The data were collected by interviewing farmers using semi structured questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were done using SPSS version 12 as a tool of analysis. The findings reveal that the level of participation in the project was low. Participation of the respondents was high only in one area, and that is, the project implementation. Participation was low in other stages of the project. Factors affecting participation included lack of extension contact, poor access to credit facilities, poor access to markets, poor access to land and poor effectiveness of farmers‟ organization.
The respondents‟ individual characteristics; age, marital status, level of education and income had a statistically significant relationship with the level of participation in the project. On the other hand, sex did not have a statistically significant relationship with the level of participation. The study suggests that communities should put emphasis on implementing projects by involving them in all the stages of the project; extension services should be made available to provide the required assistance to agricultural related projects; communities should be encouraged to establish saving and credit facilities to help them finance agricultural related activities; and lastly, local governments should establish organized marketing channels.
