Effect of choice of tillage technology on commercialisation and livelihood of smallholder farmers in Mngeta division, Kilombero district, Tanzania
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Date
2020
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Agricultural Policy Research in Africa
Abstract
This paper examines the effect of choice of tillage
technology options on rice, commercialisation, yield,
and livelihood of smallholder rice farmers in Mngeta
Division, Kilombero District, Tanzania. There are four
options comprising: (i) the hand hoe (HH), a basic
tillage implement traditionally widely used in Kilombero
District and Tanzania as a whole; (ii) the hand hoe
and ox plough (HHOP); (iii) the hand hoe and tractor
(HHTR); and (iv) the hand hoe, ox plough, and tractor
(HHOPTR). The ox plough (OP) was introduced into
Kilombero Valley (KV) by agro-pastoral immigrants in
2000 while the tractor (TR) was introduced by large-
scale farmers in the late 1980s. The introduction of
ox ploughs and tractors widened the choice of tillage
technology options that farmers could choose and use
in rice production besides the hand hoe. It was expected
that the use of any of the three tillage technology
options (HHOP, HHTR, and HHOPTR) would have a
higher level of effectiveness than the HH alone on rice
commercialisation and rice yield as an intermediate
outcome contributing to livelihood, household food
security, (FS), minimum dietary diversity for women
(MDD-W), and poverty level as measured in terms of
the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI).
Description
Working Paper
Keywords
Kilombero-Tanzania., Tillage technology, Commercialisation, Multidimensional poverty index, Food security, Smallholder farmers