Determinants of Consumer Preference for and Expenditure on Rice in the Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania

The primary objective of the study was to examine determinants of consumer preferences for and expenditure on rice in the Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania. Data were collected from a random sample of 230 participants, and analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression analyses. The descriptive statistics revealed that domestic rice was preferred by a majority of the participants over imported rice. The most important attribute for consumers was aroma, followed by taste, cleanness, and price. The logistic regression analysis showed that price of a substitute, quality, and household size had significant effects on preference for rice, domestic or imported. The OLS analysis revealed that the price of rice, income, frequency of consumption, and household size had significant effects on expenditure on rice. It is suggested that domestic rice should be promoted, and influential factors should be considered in any consumption and policy changes in the rice industry

Land fragmentation, agricultural productivity and implications for agricultural investments in the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT) region, Tanzania.

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

Do communities understand the impacts of unlawful bushmeat hunting and trade?:Insights from villagers bordering western Nyerere National Park Tanzania

Assessing local people's understanding of the consequences of unsustainable bushmeat-related activities on conservation is an important step toward developing effective solutions to decrease unlawful hunting activities. The current study investigated the knowledge regarding the ecological and socioeconomic impacts of illegal bushmeat activities among villagers adjacent to western Nyerere National Park Tanzania. The two terminologies i.e., “hunting” and “trade” were collectively used herein as “bushmeat trade”. We collected data from 261 households and 24 key informants using a semi-structured questionnaire and an interview guide, respectively. Results show that 84% of local residents know that bushmeat trade directly threatens wildlife by reducing the population of hunted species. Nearly half of the respondents also appreciate the benefits of wildlife conservation. Regarding the trend of bushmeat trade in the study area, the majority (80%) of the respondents stated that the activity is decreasing. Moreover, the study revealed that the knowledge variation regarding the impacts of bushmeat trade is significantly influenced by education level, age and proximity to the park boundaries. Interventions aimed at addressing the illegal bushmeat trade should consider demographic factors and ensure that conservation programmes are extended to both nearby and distant villages from the park boundaries for enhanced and impactful results

Potential of rainfall indexed micro-insurance programs as tools to mitigate agricultural production risks in Tanzania

This paper discusses the theoretical and practical approach of developing and pricing rainfall indices, the potential and challenges of using rainfall indexed microinsurance programs as tools to mitigate agricultural production risks in Tanzania. The paper draws on the conceptual and methodological approaches of an on‐going research project which is funded by the Research on Poverty Alleviation (REPOA). The overall aim of the project is to estimate rainfall indexed put options and provide quantitative evidence that put options can be effectively employed as a viable agricultural risk management strategy by small scale farmers in Tanzania. The project is intended to provide the real world contexts within which pricing rainfall indexed put options methodology and tools can be assessed. Specifically, the project reviews the existing policies that affect availability and access to microfinance by small‐scale farmers in Tanzania. It intends to develop and price rainfall‐indexed put options at the ward level; estimate the willingness to pay for rainfall‐indexed put options; identify factors influencing willingness to pay for these options; build capacity to develop and price rainfall‐indexed put options and estimate willingness to pay for rainfall‐indexed put options.Research on Poverty Alleviation (REPOA

A decision aid for resolving environment, agriculture water conflicts in the Great Ruaha River Basin, Tanzania

Paper presented at the First SANTREN Conference and Exhibition on Challenges in Environmental Protection and Sustainable Use of Natural Resources, Gaborone, Botswana, 19-21 May 200

Potential of rainfall indexed micro-insurance programs as tools to mitigate agricultural production risks in Tanzania

This paper discusses the theoretical and practical approach of developing and pricing rainfall indices, the potential and challenges of using rainfall indexed microinsurance programs as tools to mitigate agricultural production risks in Tanzania. The paper draws on the conceptual and methodological approaches of an on‐going research project which is funded by the Research on Poverty Alleviation (REPOA). The overall aim of the project is to estimate rainfall indexed put options and provide quantitative evidence that put options can be effectively employed as a viable agricultural risk management strategy by small scale farmers in Tanzania. The project is intended to provide the real world contexts within which pricing rainfall indexed put options methodology and tools can be assessed. Specifically, the project reviews the existing policies that affect availability and access to microfinance by small‐scale farmers in Tanzania. It intends to develop and price rainfall‐indexed put options at the ward level; estimate the willingness to pay for rainfall‐indexed put options; identify factors influencing willingness to pay for these options; build capacity to develop and price rainfall‐indexed put options and estimate willingness to pay for rainfall‐indexed put options.Research on Poverty Alleviation (REPOA

A decision-aid for the management of water resources in the Ruaha River Basin, Tanzania

Paper presented at the East Africa Integrated River Basin Management Conference, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania, 7-9 March 2005. [Vol.1]. Funded by IWMI, and other

Challenges and opportunities for sustaining the Usangu wetland in Tanzania

This article is available at http://bscw.ihe.nl/pub/bscw.cgi/S4af49516/d2606509/Njau.pdfDespite the many benefits that wetlands provide, the same resources constitute one of the most threatened, degraded and lost habitats in the world. Sustaining them and restoring the lost ones require a thorough understanding of the roots of the problem and the means to overcome it. Based on this ground, a study was conducted in Usangu Plains in the southwestern part of Tanzania using various Participatory Rural Approaches (PRAs) and a semi structured questionnaire so as to explore the challenges and opportunities for achieving sustainable management of the Usangu wetland. The following major challenges were identified: a) the challenge of ensuring a year round environmental water flow to the Usangu wetlands, b) the challenge of resolving the “paradigm dichotomy” between the natural resource conservationists and local communities (i.e. the conservation dilemma of whether to adapt a complete preservation approach or a flexible conservation approach to wetland resources, by allowing multiple uses of wetland resources), c) the challenge of winning the support of the local communities or actively involving them in ensuring sustainable management of wetlands, and d) the challenge of ensuring a thorough understanding of the trade-offs between utilization and sustainability of wetland resources, given the current rate of degradation and losses. Community-based conservation was perceived as the most preferable wetland conservation approach, which seeks to co-opt the managerial capacities of the wetland resources to the local people themselves, who have been very often by-passed in the conventional approaches

Do communities understand the impacts of unlawful bushmeat hunting and trade? Insights from villagers bordering Western Nyerere National Park Tanzania

Assessing local people's understanding of the consequences of unsustainable bushmeat-related activities on conservation is an important step toward developing effective solutions to decrease unlawful hunting activities. The current study investigated the knowledge regarding the ecological and socioeconomic impacts of illegal bushmeat activities among villagers adjacent to western Nyerere National Park Tanzania. The two terminologies i.e., “hunting” and “trade” were collectively used herein as “bushmeat trade”. We collected data from 261 households and 24 key informants using a semi-structured questionnaire and an interview guide, respectively. Results show that 84% of local residents know that bushmeat trade directly threatens wildlife by reducing the population of hunted species. Nearly half of the respondents also appreciate the benefits of wildlife conservation. Regarding the trend of bushmeat trade in the study area, the majority (80%) of the respondents stated that the activity is decreasing. Moreover, the study revealed that the knowledge variation regarding the impacts of bushmeat trade is significantly influenced by education level, age and proximity to the park boundaries. Interventions aimed at addressing the illegal bushmeat trade should consider demographic factors and ensure that conservation programmes are extended to both nearby and distant villages from the park boundaries for enhanced and impactful results