Welcome to SUAIRE
Sokoine University of Agriculture Institutional Repository (SUA IR). This repository was built and is maintained by the university library (Sokoine National Agricultural Library-SNAL) , in order to collect, preserve and disseminate scholarly output generated by University research community (staff and students) members.
This repository hosts a variety of openly accessible materials including: scholarly articles and books, theses and dissertations, conference proceedings and technical reports. For assistance about depositing your research output in the repository click here. SUA IR Policy click here or any queries contact us at snal@sua.ac.tz.
Communities in SUAIRE
Select a community to browse its collections.
- The Agroforesty Community is a collaborative network dedicated to advancing sustainable land-use practices that integrate trees, crops, and livestock. It serves as a platform for knowledge exchange, research dissemination, and practical innovations in Agroforestry. By fostering connections among researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and local communities, the Agroforestry Community promotes environmental conservation, enhanced agricultural productivity, and resilient livelihoods.
Recent Submissions
Extension service needs in mixed farming systems based on elements of agroecology in Karatu District, Arusha Region, Tanzania
(South African Journal of Agricultural Extension (SAJAE), 2026) Magesa, A.E.; Shausi, G.L; Mosha, D.B.
This study investigated the extension services needed to transition mixed farming systems
towards agroecological practices grounded in agroecological principles in Karatu District,
Arusha Region, Northern Tanzania. As agroecology gains traction globally to combat climate
change, biodiversity loss, and food insecurity, its uptake in sub-Saharan Africa, including
Tanzania and the Karatu district, remains limited due to extension models that favour high-
input, monocultural systems. A cross-sectional research design was used, involving 94
smallholder farmers across seven purposively selected villages. Data were collected using
structured questionnaires guided by the modified FAO’s Tool for Agroecology Performance
Evaluation (TAPE) and the Borich Needs Assessment model. Results, which on this part are
based on the most needed, show that farmers need financial support such as incentives (98.9%)
for diversity, improved infrastructure (98.9%), access to cover crops (98.9%), trees, and better
space management (100%) for synergies, organic materials (98.9%) and biological inputs
(100%) for efficiency, renewable energy technologies (100%) and water-saving equipment
(98.9%) for recycling. Others include market access (98.9%) and climate adaptation tools
(100%) to build resilience, access to diverse and nutritious foods (98.9%) to preserve culture
and food traditions, improved resources for animal welfare (98.9%) to ensure human and
social values; support for increased local production; support for increased local production (98.9%) for a circular and solidarity economy. The study concludes that effective extension
services should integrate training, input access, market linkages, and policy support to
facilitate the gradual transition and promotion of mixed farming systems towards agroecology.
The study recommends integrated support, access to inputs, training, market linkages, and
supportive agroecological policies.
Promoting youth engagement in agriculture through land titling programs: evidence from Tanzania
(Elsevier, 2024) Msangi, Haji Athumani; Waized, Betty; Ndyetabula, Daniel Wilson; Manyong, Victor M.
In many African countries, land access and tenure insecurity pose significant challenges to
agriculture, in particular for the youth. As the farming population ages, young people are ex
pected to take over, but they don’t often show much interest in farming, which could harm the
future of agriculture in Africa, where the population is the youngest. Land reforms and titling
programs are suggested as amongst strategies to make agriculture more attractive to investors and
promote youth involvement. As a result, majority African countries undertook reforms such as
land titling, ownership mapping and market facilitation as policy prescriptions for promoting
youth involvement in agriculture. Nonetheless, the impact of these programs is not well docu
mented in the body of literature thus constraining policy decisions. This study examines the
impact of land titling on youth participation in agriculture in Tanzania, using 2020/2021’s wave
of Tanzania national panel survey data with a sample size of 2725 youth households from 419
enumeration areas. The study finds that land titling is a critical factor in promoting youth
participation in agriculture in Tanzania, with young people who have titled land tending to
allocate more resources (time) to farming activities. The study also identified farm size, educa
tional level, and land dispute experience as significant factors influencing youth participation in
agriculture. Based on these findings, the study recommends interventions to promote youth
participation in agriculture in Tanzania, including investing in land titling programs that spe
cifically target young people and promoting educational programs that equip young people with
foundational skills. The study also highlights the need for tailored interventions that address the
specific needs of different groups of young people. Overall, the study underlines the importance of
promoting youth participation in agriculture in Tanzania and by extension to other African
countries to contribute to food security and rural development.
Transitioning to clean energy and opportunities for developing countries
(Elsevier, 2025) Nassary, Eliakira Kisetu; Magubika, Aneth Japhet; Mwampashi, Lenganji Lackson; Fukah, Francis Kloh; Kahangwa, Caren Anatory; Tryphone, George Muhamba
The shift from fossil-based energy systems to renewable sources like solar, wind, and hydro presents both op
portunities and challenges for developing countries aiming to expand energy access, promote economic growth,
and meet climate goals. This study examines the technological, financial, institutional, and governance aspects of
clean energy transitions, focusing on regional disparities and implications for low- and middle-income econo
mies. A systematic review of literature was carried out using the SPAR-4-SLR methodology across Scopus, Web of
Science, and Google Scholar. Only peer-reviewed studies published in English from 2009 to 2025 were included,
guided by four research questions: (1) technological and resource endowments, (2) capital structuring and
financial market dynamics, (3) institutional and policy frameworks, and (4) decentralized, digital energy
governance. Search terms were tailored for each theme, and studies were classified by topic, region, and
methodology. Results show that decentralized renewable systems—especially solar micro-grids—offer affordable
alternatives to fossil fuels in rural and off-grid areas, enhancing job creation, energy security, and poverty
reduction. Examples from Kenya, India, and Southeast Asia highlight the importance of policy consistency,
financial innovation, and institutional preparedness in promoting clean energy deployment. Still, ongoing
challenges such as high initial costs, infrastructure gaps, and limited technical skills continue to hinder progress
in many regions.
A review of plant characterization: First step towards sustainable forage production in challenging environments
(African Journal of Plant Science, 2020) Lutatenekwa, Dorice Leonard; Mtengeti, Ephraim Joseph; Msalya, George Mutani
his review paper attempts to give account of how plant characterization assists the availability of
information on desirable plant traits, to enhance selective breeding for environmental stresses and thus
attain sustainable forage production. Plant characterization is referred to as an account for heritable
characters varying from agronomical, morphological to molecular markers. It simplifies grouping of
accessions, development of core collections, identification of gaps and retrieval of valuable germplasm
for breeding programmes resulting in better insight about the composition of the collection and its
genetic diversity. Plant characterization by morphological, physiological and agronomic traits has long
been used in selective breeding. Advancement of characterization to the use of molecular markers
speed up the process and permits optimal utilization of the adaptive traits harboured in all breeds for
stressful environments. In countries like Tanzania, where agro-climatic conditions are challenging,
technological progress is slow and market institutions are poorly developed, selecting highly adaptive
local varieties is important. Knowledge from characterization of local varieties could be used to breed
adaptive and resilient varieties. This will help the farmers to produce enough forage in the fast
changing and stressful environmental condition
The joint effects of information and financing constraints on technology adoption: evidence from a field experiment in rural Tanzania
(Elsevier, 2021-10-04) Harou, Aurélie P.; Madajewicz, Malgosia; Michelson, Hope; Palm, Cheryl A.; Amuri, Nyambilila; Magomba, Christopher; Semoka, Johnson M.; Tschirhart, Kevin; Weil, Ray
Low investment in profitable technologies contributes to persistent poverty. Many farmers in developing coun-
tries invest too little in fertilizer despite evidence that fertilizer is profitable. This field experiment investigates
a two-part explanation: (1) farmers are reluctant to invest without farm-specific evidence of profitability,
possibly because of heterogeneous returns, and (2) information is not sufficient to increase investment because
of financing constraints. Farmers in one arm of the experiment receive fertilizer recommendations based on
tests of their soils, others receive recommendations paired with an input subsidy, and others receive only the
input subsidy. Only farmers who receive recommendations and the subsidy increase fertilizer application and
yields relative to the control group. The financing constraint may explain limited response to heterogeneous
fertilizer recommendations. The approximate net benefit of increased yields, accounting for the full cost of
inputs and soil tests, is equivalent to average wages for seven days of work.