Does the Improvement of Productivity of Maize and Rice Reduce Poverty? Comparison Case Study for Tanzania and Togo

Abstract

Agriculture is the backbone of the economy of most of that provides two thirds of employment and generates over one third of Gross National Income. Maize and rice are dominant cereal crops produced and consumed most by poor people in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), as most studies relate poverty and income with no relation to the productivity or environment of the poor people. This study is aiming at determining how the improvement of productivity of major cereal crops (maize and rice) has managed to contribute to the reduction of poverty for Tanzania and Togo. Based on the data from 1961 to 2013, the analysis show that the productivity of both countries for cereal crops has been marginally increasing but the increase in population has caused high demand for food and exuberate poverty for their people. Farmers will continue to face low productivity and marketing risks, which in turn increase the variability in production and income growth of the sector. Special attention is needed to improve the productivity of maize and paddy which are not internationally traded, but consumed by the poor and traded locally. However, due to scarcity of resources cost-sharing could be a necessity and ultimate solution for the poverty reduction for weak economies countries. Keywords: Productivity, Poverty, Maize, Rice, Tanzania, Togo