Agriculture and Rural Development in Tanzania: Policies, Approaches, and Strategies in Sixty years of Political Independence
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Date
2022
Authors
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Publisher
Sokoine University of Agriculture
Abstract
It is difficult to comprehend the efforts of the government of Tanzania to transform the rural sector because the
information is scattered in the literature. This study examines agriculture and rural development policies, approaches, and
strategies since independence, focusing on achievements and challenges, and proposes the way forward for future
development. The study is based on a “systematic review approach” of empirical literature and national reports, using a
periodization approach. The periods analysed include: before the Arusha Declaration (1961-1966), the socialism and self-
reliance (1967-1985), the economic reforms and transition (1986-2005), and the contemporary epoch (the 2000s to date).
Tanzania implemented several policies, approaches, and strategies in different periods since its independence. The prominent
ones include improvement and transformation approaches, and the socialism and self-reliance policies. Liberalization and
privatization policies dominated the economic reforms and transition period. There is an emergence of strategies including
the Rural Development Strategy (RDS) of 2001, and sectoral programmes in the contemporary epoch. It can be concluded
that, despite efforts made by the government in different historical epochs, agricultural growth rate and productivity have
remained low. Rural livelihood has also consistently remained poor in rural Tanzania, compared to urban areas. The study
recommends national-level strategies and sectoral programmes that consider rural-urban differences, and agricultural policy
interventions that aim at increasing agricultural growth rate and productivity. The RDS should be revised and implemented
effectively by coordinating different sectors of the economy through a well-developed monitoring and evaluation framework.
The study also recommends the use of Information Communication Technology in agriculture, the adoption of an effective
local people’s participation in decision-making, and a foreign investment policy that is hinged on a win-win situation.
Description
Journal article
Keywords
Rural development, Development policies, Development approaches, Development strategies, Independent Tanzania