Information and the problems of urban agriculture in Tanzania : intentions and realizations

Urban agriculture is practised in most Third World societies not as a hobby but as a necessity both for subsistence food production and to earn extra income. Africa, and in particular, Tanzania, is no exception. In Tanzania, and especially Dar es Salaam the practice of urban agriculture damages the urban environment. The question addressed by this study was how to explain the persistence of urban agriculture in Dar es Salaam in the light of its evident damaging effects on the urban environment. This study uses data obtained through (a) documentary sources such as government reports and statistics, and (b) field data from interviews and observations. Interviews were held with twenty-nine urban agriculturalists and twenty-seven public officials. On average, urban agriculturalists earned annual net profits from livestock enterprises that were about 15 times the total annual salary income of a low income worker, and six times that of a senior public official. The study also found that respondents with high salary earnings also earned high incomes from their urban agriculture enterprises. Most respondents expressed agreement with most statements about the issues about environmental damage due to keeping livestock. However, less than half the interviewees agreed with those statements related to disease-health issues. Most respondents said that people did urban agriculture mainly for economic motivations. They also agreed that people persisted in doing damaging urban agriculture in part because the City Council did not enforce its bylaws. They also said that the government policy explicitly and implicitly encouraged people to do urban agriculture. Most pubhc officials interviewed agreed that most agriculturalists had knowledge about the damaging effects of their practices. This study used factors nested at four contextual levels (government, ministry, city council, and individual) to explain people's persistence in doing urban agriculture in spite of its damaging effects. To lessen environmental damage, this study recommends that: (1) A policy be formulated, (2) The government foster multidisciplinary and coordinated participatory educational approaches that adopt holistic views, (3) The City Council enforces its bylaws aided by other parties, (4) MALCD extension agents offer information inequitably. The study also discusses implications and recommendations for policy, practice, and other areas for further research.Doctor of Philosoph

Determinants of students’ academic achievement in agricultural sciences: A case study of secondary schools in Katsina State, Nigeria

African Educational Research Journal, 2015; 3(1): 80-88.Education is viewed as a tool for change. Globally, efforts are geared toward enhancing the educational process of students’ academic achievement in secondary schools. However, there is gap associated with differences in the students’ attributes, and the desire for parents to provide better educational opportunities to their children. To achieve the goal of this research, students from Katsina State Science and Technical Education Board (STEB) were purposively selected for the study. Random sampling technique was used to select 300 students from six secondary schools. Primary data were collected using a structured questionnaire designed to address the specific objectives of the study. Cramer’s V and stepwise regression model were used as tool of analyses to achieve the stated objectives of the study. Age of students was found statistically related to students’ academic achievement using Cramer’s V. The regression model has an R2 (.915) implying that 92% of the total variations in students’ academic achievement was accounted for by the independent variables. The F statistic was also reliably fit and statistically significant at p ≤ 0.001 confidence level. Of the nineteen variables, nine were statistically significant and show effect on students’ academic achievement. The significant variables that were positively related to academic achievement are: parent education, parent occupation, family feeding, provision of resource materials, visits to schools, provision of pocket money, and residential type. Family type and age category of parents had negative effects on students’ academic achievement. We recommend for an intensified public enlightenment and awareness campaign on family planning and child spacing as well as dilution of family resources to counter the effect of family type being a risk factor.Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Nigeri

Determinants of students’ academic achievement in agricultural sciences: A case study of secondary schools in Katsina State, Nigeria

African Educational Research Journal, 2015; 3(1): 80-88.Education is viewed as a tool for change. Globally, efforts are geared toward enhancing the educational process of students’ academic achievement in secondary schools. However, there is gap associated with differences in the students’ attributes, and the desire for parents to provide better educational opportunities to their children. To achieve the goal of this research, students from Katsina State Science and Technical Education Board (STEB) were purposively selected for the study. Random sampling technique was used to select 300 students from six secondary schools. Primary data were collected using a structured questionnaire designed to address the specific objectives of the study. Cramer’s V and stepwise regression model were used as tool of analyses to achieve the stated objectives of the study. Age of students was found statistically related to students’ academic achievement using Cramer’s V. The regression model has an R2 (.915) implying that 92% of the total variations in students’ academic achievement was accounted for by the independent variables. The F statistic was also reliably fit and statistically significant at p ≤ 0.001 confidence level. Of the nineteen variables, nine were statistically significant and show effect on students’ academic achievement. The significant variables that were positively related to academic achievement are: parent education, parent occupation, family feeding, provision of resource materials, visits to schools, provision of pocket money, and residential type. Family type and age category of parents had negative effects on students’ academic achievement. We recommend for an intensified public enlightenment and awareness campaign on family planning and child spacing as well as dilution of family resources to counter the effect of family type being a risk factor.Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Nigeri

Participatory involvement of farming communities and public sectors in determining malaria control strategies in Mvomero District, Tanzania

Addressing the malaria-agriculture linkages requires a broad inter-disciplinary and integrated approach that involves farming communities and key public sectors. In this paper, we report results of participatory involvement of farming communities in determining malaria control strategies in Mvomero District, Tanzania. A seminar involving local government leaders, health and agricultural officials comprising of a total of 27 participants was held. Public meetings in villages of Komtonga, Mbogo, Mkindo, Dihombo and Luhindo followed this. Findings from a research on the impact of agricultural practices on malaria burden in the district were shared with local communities, public sector officials and other key stakeholders as a basis for a participatory discussion. The community and key stakeholders had an opportunity to critically examine the linkages between agricultural practices and malaria in their villages and to identify problems and propose practical solutions. Several factors were identified as bottlenecks in the implementation of malaria control in the area. Lack of community participation and decision making in malaria interventions was expressed as among the major constraints. This denied the community the opportunities of determining their health priorities and accessing knowledge needed to effectively implement malaria interventions. In conclusion, this paper emphasizes the importance of participatory approach that involves community and other key stakeholders in malaria control using an ecosystem approach. An interdisciplinary and integrated approach is needed to involve farmers and more than one sector in malaria control effort

Mosquito larval productivity in rice-fields infested with Azolla in Mvomero District, Tanzania

Azolla (Salviniales: Azollaceae) is known to reduce oviposition and adult emergence of a number of mosquito species. Several species of Azolla are reportedly indigenous to Tanzania. However, the potential of Azolla as a biocontrol agent against malaria mosquitoes has not been evaluated in the country. This crosssectional study was carried out to assess mosquito larval productivity in irrigated rice-fields infested with Azolla in Mvomero District, Tanzania. A systematic larval sampling covering all open water bodies along designed transect was carried in rice-fields. Larval density was estimated by dipping water bodies with or without Azolla. The degree of Azolla coverage was categorized as 0%, 80%. Larvae densities were categorised as low (<50/m2), medium (50-500/m2) and high (≥500/m2) productivity. A total of 120 water bodies were surveyed and 105 (87.5%) had Azolla microphyla and A. pinnata at varying degrees of coverage. Of the total 105 water bodies with Azolla, 80 (76.2%) had a green Azolla mat, and 25 (23.8%) a brown Azolla mat. Eightyeight (73.3%) of the sites were infested with anophelines and 109 (90.8%) with culicine larvae. Seventy percent of all water bodies contained anophelines and culicines in sympatric breeding, while 20.8% and 3.3% had only culicines and anophelines, respectively. The majority (82%) of mosquito breeding sites were found in area with Azolla substrate. Mosquito larva productivity was low in sites with highest (>80%) Azolla coverage. Seventytwo (81.8%) of the anopheline and 90 (82.6%) culicine breeding sites were infested with Azolla. Water bodies infested with green Azolla were more productive than those covered by brown coloured Azolla substrates for both culicines (13%) and anophelines (8%). Of the 1537 field collected larvae that hatched to adult stage, 646 (42.03%) were Anopheles gambiae s.l., 42 (2.73%) were An. funestus and 769 (50.03%) were Culex quinquefasciatus . These findings suggest that the mosquito productivity is low when the Azolla coverage is high (>80%). The promotion of Azolla in mosquito control should take into consideration the degree of Azolla coverage

Preliminary Observation on accessibility and utilization of water in selected villages in Dodoma rural and Bagamoyo districts, Tanzania

Water Research Fund for Southern Africa (Warfsa

Analyzing usage of crowdsourcing platform Ushaurikilimo' by pastoral and agro-pastoral communities in Tanzania

Earlier studies report that agricultural extension service for livestock keepers in Tanzania is not effectively offered. ‘Ushaurikilimo’ which is a crowdsourcing platform consisting of a Web and Mobile based agro-advisory system. It is a system which complements the traditional agricultural extension provided to pastoralists and agro-pastoralists. Mobile crowdsourcing for agricultural extension service is an emerging approach to address some of the problems experiencing in traditional agricultural extension service. This study explored the information seeking pattern of livestock keepers who are using ‘Ushaurikilimo’. In total 1739 questions are in ‘Ushaurikilimo’. Out of 1739 questions and answers, the study concentrated on 1312 questions since 427 questions related to forestry. Out of 1312 questions submitted to ‘Ushaurikilimo’ via livestock keepers’ mobile phones, 605 (47%) questions relate to livestock and 53% relate to crops. Most livestock keepers asked questions with keywords related to chicken, pigs and milk from ‘Ushaurikilimo’ knowledge base. Further data mining analysis showed that the following keywords are the most queried information by livestock keepers: poultry management, poultry equipment and accessories, hatching equipment, feed equipment, feed storage, feed manufacturing machinery, product handling/transport equipment, quality testing equipment and energy saving equipment, milk processing, housing and environment, building materials and equipment, feeds and feeding, food preservation, feed additives and dairy products. In this study, the pattern of information seeking behavior of livestock keepers matched the pattern which has been reported earlier by other researchers who explored the information seeking behavior of livestock keepers who are using other sources of information such as newspapers, television, radio, farmers’ friends and extension agents. One peculiar result from this study is that the average response time after the question had been assigned to an expert to answer was 32.49 hours. Thus, the crowdsourcing platform, web and mobile based agro-advisory system proved to be effective compared to conventional agricultural extension methods. This calls for a need to scale up ‘Ushaurikilimo’ to complement the traditional agricultural extension service in Tanzania