Browsing by Author "Sikira, Anna"

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Dynamics of infestation and losses of stored maize due to the larger grain borer (Prostephanus truncatus Horn) and maize weevils (Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky)
(2010-09) Makundi, Rhodes H.; Swila, Ntuli N.; Misangu, Robert N; Reuben, Shazia W.M.; Mwatawala, Maulid; Sikira, Anna; Kilonzo, Bukhet S; Lyimo, H.; Massawe, Apia W.; Ishengoma, Christine
The dynamics of infestation and losses of stored maize due to the larger grain borer (Prostephanus truncatus Horn) and maize weevils (Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky) were investigated in Tanzania. In single species populations, significantly higher maize damage (P 0.05) was caused by P. truncatus (23.3%) compared to S. zeamais (6.4%). Weight losses caused by P. truncatus were higher (12.7%) than for S. zeamais (6.7%) under similar conditions. A higher proportion of P. truncatus in the initial infestation population led to significantly higher ( 0.05) maize damage compared to equal or higher proportions of S. zeamais. Irrespective of the initial number of S. zeamais, population size increased to levels higher than for P. truncatus. Maize losses in unimproved storage structures were480% compared to52.5% in improved structures under natural infestation. Inter-specific competition appeared to influence the dynamics of infestation, damage levels and weight losses. The first two months of storage were critical for damaging insect populations to build up.
Land Fragmentation, agricultural productivity and implications for agricultural investments in the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT) region, Tanzania
(Journal of Development and Agricultural Economics, 2017-01) Kadigi, Reuben MJ; Kashaigili, Japhet J; Sirima, Agnes; Kamau, Felix; Sikira, Anna; Mbungu, Winfred
There are polarized evidences of the impact of agricultural land fragmentation on land productivity. On the one hand there viewpoints which consider land fragmentation to harm agricultural productivity. On the other hand there are counter thoughts which view land fragmentation as a positive situation which allows farmers to cultivate many environmental zones, minimise production risk and optimise the schedule for cropping activities. We use the case of Ihemi cluster in the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT) to investigate the impact of land fragmentation on crop productivity. We furthermore discuss the nature and causes of land fragmentation in the SAGCOT region and its implication on the future structure of agricultural landholdings and welfare of smallholder farmers in the region. The results showed that the nature and level of fragmentation in the study area were the outcome of combined, rather than isolated influences of supply and demand driven factors. Overall, the results did not support the claim that fragmentation reduces land productivity. This then implies that land fragmentation should not always be considered as defective. There were evidences of increasing chunks of land owned by rich farmers and investors which increased the possibility for increased consolidation of agricultural land under large scale farming. However, the landholdings for smallholder farmers might become increasingly more fragmented as poor smallholder farmers continue selling their land holdings to rich farmers and investors. Releasing the SAGCOT region’s potential for agricultural development will require that smallholder farmers are helped to secure adequate and suitable land for farming, raise agricultural productivity, diversify their sources of income, and adopt good production practices. This requires setting up a strong base of investor - farmer synergies for inclusive agricultural growth.
Using participatory rural appraisal to investigate food production, nutrition and safety in the Tanzanian dairy value chain
(2019) Häslera, Barbara; Msalya, George; Roeseld, Kristina; Fornacea, Kimberly; Eltholtha, Mahmoud; Sikira, Anna; Kurwijila, Lusato; Rushtona, Jonathan; Grace, Delia
Identifying and implementing interventions that create co-benefits in terms of food and nutrition security as well as food safety requires an interdisciplinary and intersectoral approach. This study was part of a larger project that applied an integrated framework for combined nutritional, food safety and value chain analysis to assess the dairy value chain in two regions of Tanzania, namely Morogoro and Tanga. Here, we report on the use of participatory rural appraisals (PRAs) with producers and consumers to investigate seasonality, constraints and opportunities in cow milk production and consumption in ten villages in Tanzania and describe attitudes and practices surrounding milk quality and safety. The PRAs allowed identifying strong seasonal milk production and consumption practices reflecting rainfall patterns and a dependence on the natural environment. A wide range of production constraints were described by producers including insufficient technical know-how, poor quality breeds, cattle diseases, lack of capital, feed, water and reliable markets. While milk availability had a strong influence on milk consumption, findings showed that there are a range of other factors such as the consistency of milk, purchasing power and the availability of other foods which also influence consumer choice. A dependence on sensory milk quality attributes in the absence of other systems of certification was described. Both producers and consumers showed little concern regarding potentially contaminated milk despite an awareness of the ex istence of milkborne disease risks. The results indicate great potential for upscaling dairy production and at the same time highlight that any such interventions should carefully consider mitigation measures for food safety risks