Abstract:
The study for this dissertation was done to assess Local Government Authority (LGA) support to food vendors in Songea Rural and Urban Districts. The sample comprised 120 food vendors both men and women. Data were collected using a questionnaire with openended and close-ended questions and analyzed using SPSS. The findings showed that the food types vended were those locally available like maize stiff porridge, and rice served together with beans, meat, fish and green vegetables. Loans and grants, training, business areas, potable water and means of waste disposal were the kinds of support provided by the district authorities to food vendors, though it was little. The mean net profit due to food vending services for the respondents who had received government support ranged from TZS 17 295.75 to TZS 18 581.83 while among those who had not received any support the net profit ranged from TZS 16 960.81 to TZS 18 707.54. The mean monetary value of assets owned by the respondents who had received government support ranged from TZS 4 255 686 to TZS 4 719 865, while the mean monetary values of assets for those who had not received any support ranged from TZS 4 743 951 to TZS 4 931 400. A t-test to compare mean net profit due to food vending services and mean monetary values of assets owned between the two categories of respondents indicated that the differences were not significant (p > 0.05). It is concluded that little support from district authorities, factors like availability of customers, personal creativity, and ability to win customers, individual, families and relatives’ responsibilities could have influenced the mean net profit and mean monetary values of assets between the two groups. It is recommended that LGAs should increase support and make close follow of food vendors after receiving support, to monitor application of those types of support.
