Institutional Factors that Influence the Survival of Traditional Irrigation Schemes in Nyandira: A Case of Mvomero District, Morogoro, Tanzania

Many studies on irrigation institutions in Tanzania have not focused on the survival of the traditional irrigation schemes. Therefore this study aimed to fill that knowledge gap. The main objective of this study was to assess institutional factors that influence survival of traditional irrigation schemes in Mvomero District, Tanzania. The study adopted a cross-sectional research design and data was collected from a sample of 200 respondents through household questionnaire survey. Additionally, focus group discussions and key informant interview methods were used in collecting the data. Multistage, purposive and simple random sampling methods were used. Qualitative data were analysed using content analysis and quantitative data by Statistical package for social science. The results show that enforcement on water payment fees (β = +0.796), water committee (β = +0.159) and users conformity to rules and regulations (β = +0.060) are statistically significant at p < 0.001 while rules on water distribution (β = +0.0125) and land ownership (β = +0.096) are statistically significant at p < 0.01. Also, 57% of respondents had a positive attitude towards the importance of water permits. Furthermore, Gender relations are similar on access to (95%) and control (94%) over resources thus it was practiced jointly. Based on these results it is concluded that water user associations should be registered and apply for water permits to get public funds. This will strengthen the survival of traditional irrigation schemes in Tanzania. Keywords: Institutional factors, Water permits and Gender Relations

The Contribution of School Committees on Public Primary Schools’ Administrative Performance: The Case of Morogoro District

The purpose of this study was to assess the contribution of school committees on public primary schools’ administrative performance. Specifically the study investigated the guidelines, school committee members’ awareness of their roles and the extent of school committees’ influence on the administrative performance. The target population comprised 82 respondents; including 40 parents 16 teachers 16 X-officious, 8 head teachers and 2 WECs from Morogoro District. The study employed a case study design. Qualitative data analysis procedure was used. Data collection methods were questionnaires, interview and focus group discussion. The area of study included 8 schools from two wards. The study demonstrated that 53% of the school committee members had low understanding of their roles, 47% of the committee members show in adequacy in knowledge and technical skills that lead the head-teachers to have a dominant role over the school committee with regard to implementation of committee guidelines, school committees lack appropriate power over head teachers, causing the committees to play passive role in monitoring the school functions. It is recommended that in order to increase school committees’ effectiveness, the government should train the school committee members and set criteria to specify qualifications for school committee members

Unlocking the potential of Tanzania's cashew processing industry: A comparative analysis with Côte d’Ivoire and Mozambique [version 1; peer review: awaiting peer review]

This research article was published by FIOOOResearch,2024Cashew processing is a vital contributor to economic growth in Tanzania, renowned for its cashew nut production. However, despite the country’s historical prominence in cashew production, only 5% of raw cashews undergo local processing, resulting in substantial economic losses. This paper explores the challenges and opportunities within Tanzania’s cashew processing industry, focusing on limited local processing capacity, inefficient tools, raw material availability, market access, and government support. Comparative insights from Côte d’Ivoire and Mozambique further enrich our understanding of the cashew sector. It recommends increasing local processing capacity, enhancing technical expertise through training, ensuring a reliable supply of high-quality raw materials, improving market access via information systems, and strengthening government support with tailored policy frameworks. Notably, the paper emphasizes regional collaboration among African cashew- producing nations as a crucial strategy for collective growth and knowledge exchange. By drawing upon their experiences, this study aims to provide guidance for policymakers, industry stakeholders, and investors to revitalize and sustain Tanzania’s cashew processing sector

Effectiveness of a nutrition education package in improving feeding practices, dietary adequacy and growth of infants and young children in rural Tanzania : rationale, design and methods of a cluster randomised trial

Background: Strategies to improve infant and young child nutrition in low and middle-income countries need to be implemented at scale. We contextualised and packaged successful strategies into a feasible intervention for implementation in rural Tanzania. Opportunities that can optimise delivery of the intervention and encourage behaviour change include mothers willingness to modifying practices; support of family members; seasonal availability and accessibility of foods; established set-up of village peers and functioning health system. The primary objective of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a nutrition education package in improving feeding practices, dietary adequacy and growth as compared to routine health education. Methods/Design: A parallel cluster randomised controlled trial will be conducted in rural central Tanzania in 9 intervention and 9 control villages. The control group will receive routine health education offered monthly by health staff at health facilities. The intervention group will receive a nutrition education package in addition to the routine health education. The education package is comprised of four components: 1) education and counselling of mothers, 2) training community-based nutrition counsellors and monthly home visits, 3) sensitisation meetings with health staff and family members, and 4) supervision of community-based nutrition counsellors. The duration of the intervention is 9 months and infants will be recruited at 6 months of age. Primary outcome (linear growth as length-for-age Z-scores) and secondary outcomes (changes in weight-for-length Z-scores; mean intake of energy, fat, iron and zinc from complementary foods; proportion of children consuming 4 or more food groups and recommended number of semi-solid/soft meals and snacks per day; maternal level of knowledge and performance of recommended practices) will be assessed at baseline and ages 9, 12 and 15 months. Process evaluation will document reach, dose and fidelity of the intervention and context at 8 and 15 months. Discussion: Results of the trial will provide evidence of the effectiveness of the nutrition education package in community settings of rural Tanzania. They will provide recommendations for strengthening the nutrition component of health education in child health services

An Investigation of the Extent of Implementation of the Financial Management Practices of Agri-SMEs in developing countries: Evidence from Tanzania

This research article was published by Elsevier 2023The success of agricultural Small and Medium Enterprises (agri-SMEs), among other factors, heavily relies on their ability to manage finances effectively. This study examined the extent to which agricultural SMEs in Tanzania practice financial management activities. The study employed a cross-sectional survey design to collect data from 427 agri-SMEs in three regions of Tanzania. Descriptive statistics and higher-order reflective-formative Structural Equation Model (SEM) were employed for data analysis. The findings indicated moderate adoption of financial management practices. Specifically, agri-SMEs were found to frequently engage in working capital management practices, such as maintaining sufficient cash flows and records for payables and receivables. However, financial reporting is less frequently practiced, with sporadic financial statements preparation and financial analysis. The findings indicate further that other financial management practices such as financial accounting, capital budgeting and financing management were moderately and infrequently implemented, with external financing sources being utilized less frequently compared to internal financing sources. The path analysis indicates that all lower-order constructs significantly contributed to the higher-order financial man- agement practice construct with capital budgeting demonstrating the strongest impact. The findings highlight the need for improving financial reporting, analysis, and external financing usage in Tanzanian agri-SMEs. These findings offer valuable insights agri-SMEs in developing countries to appropriately strategize on implementation of financial management practices that will lead to improved access to finance and high performance