Iris Publishers
Authored by Chami Avit A
Commercialization of smallholder farming
(SF) is of paramount importance for African rural economic transformation. This
study was undertaken to reveal the less known potentials of commercialization
of SF in Kigoma Region. The Gross Profit Margin Analysis of beans, maize and
cassava in Kasulu, Kakonko and Kibondo districts from Kigoma Region was
performed. Descriptive cross-sectional research design was employed and both
primary and secondary data were utilized. The target population of 10,708
smallholder farmers (SFs) resulted to the sample size of 400 SFs (at 95%
confidence level and 5% confidence interval (0.05 sampling error)). The study
revealed majority of households were male-headed households, 57% of the
households had the household size ranging from 6 to 10 members while 96.5% of
all respondent’s own land. Through the overall mean yields, the study also
revealed Kibondo and Kasulu as capable districts of producing both maize and
beans while cassava was highly produced in Kakonko district. The study further
revealed majority of SFs were non-users of improved seeds, fertilizers and
pesticides. The Gross Profit Margin Analyses of all three crops revealed high
profitability under ideal farming conditions compared the prevailing farmers’
traditional practices. The study concludes all opportunities in the ideal
farming conditions as the major potentials for commercialization of SF. The
study urges SFs, business community and the government to put deliberate
efforts towards investing on the agriculture sector to enable ideal farming
conditions to majority of farmers, hence enhancing agricultural productivity
and profitability among SFs in Kigoma region.
Keywords: Commercialization; Smallholder Farming and
Gross-Profit-Margin-Analysis
Introduction
Smallholder agriculture continues to play a
key role in African agriculture. According to FAO [1] smallholder farming is
the type of farming with limited resource endowments, relative to other types
of farming in the agriculture sector. Approximately 80% of agriculture in
sub-Saharan Africa is managed by families cultivating less than 10 hectares of
land, which makes smallholder production the backbone of agriculture sector in
sub-Saharan Africa [1-3]. Food supply and the livelihood of billions of people depend
largely on the productivity of these systems [4]. Although smallholder farming
systems have proven to be resilient and viable in risk-prone environments,
climate change is likely to outpace their current coping capabilities; with
less commercial opportunities in majority of areas in the world [5].
Smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa
have historically been confronted with numerous bottlenecks including high
climate variability, low levels of income and technology, coupled with
isolation from markets and lack of institutional support [1,2]. Among the
widely envisaged common characteristics of smallholder farming systems include
the vulnerability to changes in external conditions which result to low income
producers often who do not have the means to invest in adaptive technologies
and strategies under increasing climatic risks [3]. However, confronted with
unprecedented risks and uncertainties, the need to incorporate new information
and technologies into the traditional farming systems becomes imperative
(Steenwerth et al., 2014). Taking no action towards availing commercial
opportunities to the entire smallholder farming practices means jeopardizing
the efforts of the past decades to improve livelihoods and reduce the number of
undernourished people while enhancing farmers’ standard of living [1,6,7].
According to FAO [1], commercialization is
defined as production for the market with profit objectives. Commercialization
further refers to the process by which products, services, and technologies are
introduced to the market for purchase (USAID, 2017). From an international
development perspective, agricultural commercialization is an important pathway
to providing smallholder farmers access to transformational innovations in the
entire farming practice (USAID, 2017). A commercial approach to various food
crops farming contrasts with subsistence farming in majority of rural areas in
sub-Saharan Africa. Marketing process plays a pivotal role in the
commercialization pathway. Marketing involves finding out what customers want
and supplying it to them at a profit [8,9]. The fact that smallholder farmers’
empowerment decisions are based on the principles of commercialization, the
need of efficient agricultural marketing systems can efficiently save the cost
of exchange of agro-produce. In the agri-food systems, an efficient marketing
assures adequacy and stability of food supply in ways that reward farmers,
agro-traders and consumers. The major challenges underlying agricultural
markets that would hamper commercialization of subsistence agriculture include
poor infrastructure, inadequate support services and weak institutions,
increasing transaction costs and the volatility of prices [1,10].
In Tanzania, the agriculture sector
contributes 50% of the country’s GDP. The sector accounts for over 50% of the
country’s exports [11-13]. Majority of Tanzanian agriculture like any other
African agriculture is predominantly carried out on small-scale family farms.
The big question about such family farms which are subsistence in nature is
whether they can be successfully commercialized within their current
structures, or whether they should give way to commercial medium and
large-scale farm enterprises. In more detail, the following questions arise
about the experience of commercialization of small farming in Tanzania and
Africa at large and their prospects, various initiatives have been in place
[14]. In all facets, commercialization of smallholder farming seems as a main
vehicle in any national economic strategy to combat poverty and enhanced
agricultural productivity.
Kigoma
region; the region found
in the North-Western Tanzania which has a rich base of land and water
resources, with high crop diversity including maize, beans, cassava, rice etc
[15-17]. Agriculture is mainly an economic mainstay of the Kigoma Region, with
over 85% of the total population of the region depending on agriculture for its
livelihood [18]. Despite the fact that maize, beans and cassava stand as the
major staple crops grown by the majority of smallholder farmers in the Kigoma
region, other food crops are highly grown in the region including rice,
sorghum, banana, sweet potatoes, groundnut, oil palm and various fruits and
vegetables. The main export crops include tobacco, coffee and cotton. Livestock
kept in the target area including cattle, goats and poultry (mainly local
chicken). The rationale of significant policy commitments to commercialize
Tanzanian agriculture are clearly made in KILIMO KWANZA declaration [19]. Some
commercialization initiatives related action points in this declaration include
agricultural commoditization, implementation of incentives to ensure
competitiveness and address market barriers, price stabilization mechanisms,
industrialization and infrastructure development which have been advocated in
the earlier times [16].
Despite the widely known challenges, roles,
merits and usefulness of smallholder farming in the entire spectrum of climate
change, food security and the livelihoods of smallholder farmers [1,4,20] less
remains to be known on the existing potentials of commercialization of
smallholder farming in Kigoma Region. This study performed Gross Profit Margin
Analysis of selected three crops namely beans, maize and cassava in selected
three districts namely Kasulu, Kakonko and Kibondo in Kigoma Region. The fact
that, the agricultural sector in Kigoma region is dominated by smallholder
farming systems which accounts for the 75% of national food production, the
majority of smallholder farmers lack access to inputs, knowledge on sustainable
technologies, finance, commercial markets, as well as business and market
orientation [14,21]. For the sake of revealing the actual growth or decline in
performance of smallholder farming particularly beans, maize and cassava in Kigoma
region compared to the previous period or the industry, the Gross Profit Margin
Analysis will be undertaken. The study envisaged to avail significant findings
which will be useful inputs to the agricultural market actors and institutions
which are at the core of agrarian revolutions which have been pursued ever
since [22]. This was attributed by the three objectives; firstly to assess the
average annual yield for the three crops among smallholder farmers in the study
area, secondly to examine the level of adoption of modern farming methods among
smallholder farmers in the study area and thirdly was to assess profitability
of maize, beans, and cassava per acre in the study area.
Methodology
Description
of the study location
The study was conducted in three districts
of Kigoma Region, the North-Eastern located region in Tanzania East Africa
namely, Kasulu, Kakonko, and Kibondo. The selected three districts are
generally from the North-Eastern part of the Kigoma region. For the sake of
revealing the actual growth or decline in performance of smallholder farming in
the region, three staple crops were selected namely beans, maize and cassava.
Data on the said crop production were collected from three districts in Kigoma
region. The Gross Profit Margin Analysis of the three selected crops of the
annual production was undertaken.
Research
Design
Descriptive cross-sectional research design
was employed in the course of undertaking this study. The design is preferred
because due to the fact that data on the variables of interest were collected
and examined only once and the relationship between variables determined [23].
The design was further preferred because, it concerns with answering questions
such as who, how, what, which, when and how much respondents (smallholder
farmers) had accrued in the previous farming season [24]. The selected study
design was found useful due to the fact that, apart from managing the data
collection process to clearly avail quantitative information, the selected
research design ensures minimum bias in data collection that was helpful in
reducing errors in data collection process and henceforth its interpretation
[25].
Types
of data and collection techniques
The study gathered both primary and
secondary data. Primary data were collected using a questionnaire which was
selfadministered through enumerators who were deployed to gather data from the
smallholder farmers in the designated study area. Other sources of primary data
were value chain players including agro-dealers, operators of aggregation
centers, processors and various financial service providers. These stakeholders
were consulted through scheduled interviews which were guided by checklists of
issues related to their thematic areas of operations. Secondary data were
collected through desk review of different reports including various
agriculture project documents, progress reports; government documents and
several other reports from district extension officers and relevant literature
from regional and district levels. Data was largely collected through close
ended questionnaire which was self-administered through enumerators. Nine
enumerators were deployed into collecting data across the three target
districts. The data were then imported to Excel and SPSS software for cleaning
analysis.
Sampling
technique
This study employed random sampling
technique. A multistage cluster sampling technique was applied where the
population of target farmers was first clustered into three target districts,
then into wards according to the proportion of farmers in each district and
ward. The individual farmers, organized in groups at ward level, were then
randomly selected from villages to ensure that each had equal chance of being
selected.
Sample
size and distribution of farmers
The sampling frame of the study was the
list of all smallholder farmers in the three districts namely Kibondo, Kakonko
and Kasulu. From the target population of 10,708 smallholder farmers (listed in
groups by various intervention projects had been carried out in the selected
districts), the sample size was determined to be 371 individual farmers (at 95%
confidence level and 5% confidence interval (0.05 sampling error)). The sample
was weighted, and farmers apportioned to districts according to their numbers
per district (Table 1). Working out the calculation (last column), the
proportions of farmers allocated to Kakonko, Kibondo and Kasulu were 43%, 28%
and 29% respectively, which is similar to 161 framers in Kakonko, 103 in
Kibondo and 107 in Kasulu.
The respective number of farmers per
district was changed from the original plan to that indicated in Table 2: 114
farmers in Kibondo, 120 in Kakonko and 166 in Kasulu. The sample was increased
by almost 8% to 400 farmers above the planned 371 farmers to take care of
potential missing data. The distribution of farmers who were interviewed in
three districts is presented in the Table 2.
Table 1: Distribution of smallholder
farmers’ population and their groups in three districts.
Data analysis
Data analysis for
each perspective was aided by the application of Microsoft Excel and
Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 22.0) computer programs. Analysis
entailed descriptive statistics which generated frequencies/percentage and
means for the required information. Qualitative data were mainly used to
triangulate quantitative information. In particular Gross Profit Margin
Analysis (GMA per acre) was undertaken. The fact that gross profit can be used
as a proxy for assessing land productivity, the test assumes all (100%) of the
harvested crop was sold at the market. The revealed findings on profitability
of maize, beans, and cassava respectively per acre were calculated by
consultations with field extension staff, taking practical data from
smallholder farmers themselves. Gross Profit Margin Analysis considered two
sides; namely ideal farming conditions (demo plots) and farming practice in the
study area.
Results and Discussion
The results and
discussion section entails basing findings regarding the potential and useful
demographic attributes of the study respondents as well as the designated three
study objectives. The findings on the first objective which was meant to assess
the average annual yield for the three crops among smallholder farmers in the
study area were presented in line with other findings for second and third
objective; to examine the level of adoption of modern farming methods among
smallholder farmers in the study area and to assess profitability of maize,
beans, and cassava per acre in the study area respectively.
Characteristics of respondents
The useful
socio-economic characteristics of the 400 respondents who were involved in this
study namely sex, household size and Ownership and access to land among
smallholder farmers in the study area. The respondents’ relevant
characteristics were sought important in providing a snapshot on the background
of the respondents and their suitability for this inquiry. The characteristics
are summarized, presented in percent using bar charts and possible implications
to the populations discussed in the following subsections.
Sex of respondents:
Most of the households were male headed. Overall, 82.5% of households were
headed by men and 17.5% by women. The female household heads indicated either
that they were divorced, widowed, unmarried or married to polygamous husbands.
Variation in three districts surveyed was visible. For example, there were more
female-headed households in Kibondo (28.5%), followed by Kakonko (19.7%) and
Kasulu (10.8%). Traditionally, households in the three districts are headed by
males. Female-headed households are fewer and considered abnormal in this
community.
Household size: It
was found, among interviewed households that, household size ranged from 1 to
16 members, with an average of 7 persons per household. Most of the households
(57%) had members ranging from 6 to 10 and 0 to 5 members (35%). Only a few
households (about 9%) had over 10 members. Figure 2 depicts the general picture
of household size in the three districts (Figure 1).
The household sizes
differences among districts can be drawn from the study findings as follows:
Kasulu had more households with family size ranging from 0 to 5 years (7.3%);
while Kakonko had the largest number of households with 6 to 10 members
(12.6%). The same district also had a relatively large number of household
sizes above 10.
Ownership and access
to land among smallholder farmers: In terms of land ownership, about 96.5% of
the interviewed respondents indicated that they own land; 1.2% reported that
they both owned and hired land and the remaining 2.3% indicated that they don’t
own land but share the land with others such as their parents, other relatives,
and friends. In terms of access, all interviewed respondents indicated that
they have access to agricultural land. No farmers failed to grow crops because
of the lack of access to land. The size varied widely as some farmers owned
small areas such as 1 acre (0.4 hectares) while only 2 farmers mentioned to
having above 60 acres. However, the mean was 5.3 acres (2.12 hectares). The
ownership among districts did not differ much from general ownership; only 3.6%
and 2.4% of farmers in Kibondo and Kasulu respectively said that they share
ownership with others. There was no big difference in land ownership by sex;
about 98.8% of males owned land while 96.6% of females indicated that they own
land.
Average annual yield for the three crops among
smallholder farmers
In the course of
underscoring the effective participation of smallholder farmers in agricultural
activities in the study area, the average annual yield for the three selected
crops namely maize, cassava and beans in three districts were revealed. Crop
yield per unit area is key productivity index. The average yield values for the
three crops are indicated in Table 3. The presented data in the Table has
disaggregated yields of the three crops per district. However, the overall mean
yields of maize, beans and cassava for the three districts are 371 kg, 400 kg,
and 53 kg per acre respectively.
With exception of
beans, the yields in Table 3 are below the average figures cited in literature
and those recommended by local extension staff. An average yield of maize in
Kigoma ranges from 1200 to 1600 kg per ha (480 to 640 kg per acre) [5].
However, discussions with local extension staff in the three target districts
indicated that the average yield of maize ranges between 2,000 and 2,500 kg per
acre depending on the variety planted.
Table 3: Acreage and
yield of maize, beans and cassava for target districts.
In beans, FAOSTAT
(2006) showed the average yield for Tanzania is 741 kg/ha which is a little bit
below Africa’s average (799 kg/ha). This national average is equivalent to
296.4kg/acre, which is less than the average yield of beans reported in Table
3. With exception of Kakonko, the average yield of beans in the target
districts seems to be higher than the National average. The widely planted
Kigoma yellow variety produces an average of 715 Kg/Ha, while the highest
producing variety, Lyamungu 90, produces 1,430 Kg/Ha under the same conditions
[18].
In cassava, it is
estimated that, under ideal conditions, cassava varieties yield up to 7 MT per
ha or 2.8 MT/acre [5]. Discussion with local extension staff indicated that
under ideal field conditions as per demo plots, cassava gives yield of up to
300 bags (of 90 kg each) per acre. The yield figures are below this average
regional figure.
Level of adoption of modern farming methods among
smallholder farmers
The fact that more
than 80% of Tanzania’s population depends on climate sensitive rain-fed
agriculture as a source of livelihood, these smallholder farmers who control a
large part of the country’s agricultural production are currently experiencing
adverse climate change impacts due to traditional methods in their farming
practices [15]. The understanding of the level of adoption of modern farming
methods among smallholder farmers in the study area can help in reducing
vulnerability of the agriculture sector hence envisaged to significantly contribute
to socio-economic development and ensure food security among the farming
communities. In the course of shedding light on the level of adoption of modern
farming methods among smallholder farmers in the study area three parameters
were put forward mainly; the application of primary farm inputs including
improved seeds, fertilizers and pesticides.
The fact that
demonstration of modern farming methods implies mostly the application of farm
inputs in the farming practice stands as one of the key factors for increasing
farm productivity (yield). According to agro-dealers in three districts, inputs
required by most farmers in the project area include seed, fertilizers and
pesticides. Most farmers use traditional seed, there is limited tendency to buy
improved seeds. The role of input suppliers in production is mainly limited to
agro-chemicals. Farmers use seeds kept from the previous harvest or buy from
fellow farmers who could store enough to sell, or from food kiosks. There are
no improved, certified, beans seed sold by any of the village input suppliers
interviewed. Farm inputs may also refer to tools, equipment and technologies
which are used to enhance the effectiveness of farm operations. The study found
out that most farmers across the three target districts practice low-input
agriculture which is characterized by no or inadequate use of recommended
inputs. Based on the study findings; three parameters were put forward; the use
of the primary farm inputs including improved seeds, fertilizers and pesticides.
Prevalence of
application of improved seed against traditional seeds: Figure 2 shows that
about 72.7% of maize farmers used traditional maize seeds, 93.6% and 85.3% of
bean and cassava farmers respectively use traditional seeds. This means that
the majority of maize farmers use traditional seeds.
Traditional
(indigenous) low-yielding verities generally have inferior genetic potential in
terms of yield, time to maturity and susceptibility to diseases and pests. In
this era of climate adversity which is associated with short rains, high
prevalence of plant pests and diseases and degrading soil, farmers need to use
improved seed varieties because most of them are adaptive or resilient to these
adverse effects of climate change (Figure 2).
• Maize: USAID (2014)
saw that although improved maize hybrids have diffused rapidly in high
potential areas of Tanzania, a large proportion of resource-poor farmers in
marginal areas still use local varieties and prefer improved open-pollinated
varieties (OPVs) over hybrids. Recent reports estimate the area under improved
OPVs to be 9% (USAID, 2014).
• Beans: In terms of
variety preference, farmers in Kigoma seem to prefer Lyamungo 90 and Jesca
beans. The reasons given by farmers are high yielding and short cooking time.
These traits need to be incorporated into the breeding processes. A study by
Bucheyeki & Mmbaga [18] indicated that Kigoma yellow rank last in terms of
yield. The common bean varieties available include Lyamungo 90, Jesca, Uyole
94, Kablanketi and Kigoma yellow. Despite lowest yield, farmers seem to prefer
Kigoma yellow because it suits Kigoma agro-climatic conditions long and short
cropping seasons. It can be planted in both seasons. Under traditional planting
practice, bean farmers’ plant in lines or broadcast. They sow 3-4 debe1 per
acre (each debe weighs 20-21 kg). Unlike in past years, currently, farmers have
started planting using fertilizers.
1Swahili word for a
metallic (tin) container, usually measuring 20 liters
• Cassava: Despite
the release of several new cassava varieties, cassava landraces remain
predominant in Kigoma. Most farmers still grow traditional varieties and
practice recycling. It is estimated that only 2% of cassava is planted with
improved planting materials while 98% is planted with recycled or shared
cuttings. This practice has led to severe yield decline due to the spread of
diseases, especially Cassava Brown Streak Disease (CBSD) and Cassava Mosaic
Disease (CMD) which are common in most of the cassava growing ecologies.
Fertilizer: Results indicate that the majority of farmers are
non-users. From Figure 3, only 1.5% of farmers indicated that they use
fertilizers, while 26.5% and 1.5% of bean and cassava farmers respectively
indicated that they use fertilizers. As majority of target community does not
keep livestock; use of organic fertilizers is also uncommon. The fewer farmers
who apply fertilizers don’t use the recommended rates resulting into low crop
productivityIn terms of amount of fertilizers applied, maize farmers used an
average of 22 kg/ha (range 0 to 250 kg per hectare); bean farmers used and
average of 24 kg/ha (range 0 to 500 kg/ha). These are lower application rates.
According to local extension staff, the recommended application rate in both
maize and bean crop is 125 kg/ha for both planting and topdressing. This rate
is applicable for both phosphate (planting) and nitrogenous (top-dressing)
fertilizers. Generally, farmers don’t use fertilizers in cassava farms. Table 4
shows use of fertilizers disaggregated per district.
Pesticide
application: Similarly, the study identified that most farmers don’t use
pesticides. Low or non-use of pesticides results into crop loss due to the
vulnerability of crop plants to pest attacks. Farmers indicated that there were
pests and diseases that attack their crops; however, there were no documented
records for the last few years even from the government officials. Most of the
farmers indicated that they don’t use pesticides, mainly because they are high
prices of chemical pesticides; only few farmers could buy the chemical
pesticides. For example, 84.8% of farmers indicated that they didn’t apply
pesticides in their farm in the last farming season. At the district level,
about 88.1% of farmers in Kasulu did not apply pesticides; 84.4% and 80.0% of
farmers in Kakonko and Kibondo respectively indicated that they did not apply
pesticides in bean and maize farms in last farming season. Some farmers
indicated that they combat the challenge of pests using traditional pesticides
extracted from plants such as the locally known ntibuhunwa (Tephrosia vogelii)
and vitembwatembwa which may be with pepper leaves. Some farmers reported that
they use same pesticides in both crops (beans and maize). The study findings
indicated in Table 4 apply to only few farmers who could afford chemical
fertilizers.
In line with the
study findings, the presence of agro-dealers in the study envisages the access
to farm inputs among farmers. Basing on the study findings, among the three
districts studied, most agrodealers are found in Kasulu. The consulted 8
agrodealers in Kasulu town were selling several agro-inputs, mainly fertilizers
pesticides and herbicides. The team found only 3 agrodealers in Kakonko and 3
in Kibondo. The common characteristics of these agrodealers are the fact that
they usually stock a variety of fertilizers, pesticides, and veterinary drugs.
Pesticides are widely used, to control farm insects or during post-harvest
handling (storage) to control insects such as Stophilus trancatus.
The primary farm
inputs, in essence, include improved seeds, fertilizers and pesticides. Farm
inputs may also refer to tools, equipment and technologies which are used to
enhance the effectiveness of farm operations. The study found out that most
farmers across the three target districts practice low-input agriculture which
is characterized by no or inadequate use of recommended inputs. In line with
the findings from Rwehumbiza [21] that in order to improve the productivity of
smallholder farming there is need for government to subsidize and enhance the
availability of inputs mainly farm inputs. However, it is impetus to train,
equip and deploy adequate numbers of extension officers and land use planners
at grass root level to reduce unplanned land management improper farming
practices.
Profitability of maize, beans, and cassava per acre
Gross profit can be
used as a proxy for assessing land productivity. This assumes all (100%) of the
harvested crop was sold at the market. This can give a smallholder farmer
deeper insight into farming practice management efficiency. In the course of
revealing gross margin profit, the ideal conditions were calculated with the
aid of field extension staff as well as taking practical data from demo plots.
The study findings presented in Tables 5, 6 and 7 show profitability of maize,
beans, and cassava respectively per acre under ideal (demo plots) and farmer
conditions (as recorded during the undertaking of study) [26]. Basing on the
study context, the ideal conditions refer to the plots which accessed all
necessary farm inputs during the whole season while farmer condition data where
the collected information from the common farming practice from the study area.
Gross profit margin
analysis for maize: Maize (Zea mays, L.) is the main staple crop in Tanzania
and Kigoma in particular. Food security information indicates that maize is the
main staple and source of calories (carbohydrate) in the Kigoma region.
Overall, 98.8% of farmers indicated that they grow maize in the last farming
season. District data show that about 97.6% of farmers in Kasulu grew maize;
99.1% in Kibondo and all farmers (100%) in Kakonko grew maize in the last
farming season. Majority of maize farmers were reported to sell maize as whole
grains, packaged in bags, unpackaged flour or packaged flour.
The gross profit
margin per acre of maize under ideal practices recommended by extension staff
could be 50% per acre. However, under farmers’ condition, it is about 13% per
acre. Farmers still have a long way to go to attain the ideal gross margin.
Gross profit margin
analysis for beans: Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris, L.) is the main protein source in
the three districts. The production of beans in the target districts is
characteristically dominated by smallholder farmers. Beans in the target
districts are a critical crop for two reasons: first, it is the main supplier
of protein and second, it is a source of income. It is estimated that about 50%
of small-scale farmers do intercrop beans with maize or cassava, usually in the
first season and grow the crop in monoculture during the second season. In
terms of yield, pure stands are better than the intercropped crop. Through
Gross Profit Margin Analysis for beans could inform the potential area for
investment. The two sides of the collected data including demo plots with ideal
conditions compared to farmers traditional farming conditions. By undertaking
the gross margin per acre is higher for ideal farming practices, as
demonstrated in demo plots. The findings in the Table 6 entail Gross Profit
Margin Analysis of beans under ideal conditions was about 70% as opposed to
bean farming under farmers’ conditions. Similarly, the ideal production figures
as demonstrated at demonstration plots showed a great difference from farmers’
real practice on the ground.
Like maize, the gross
margin per acre is higher for ideal farming practices, as demonstrated in demo
plots. Since beans production under ideal conditions was about 70% as opposed
to bean farming under farmers’ conditions, investing in the ideal farming
conditions is envisaged to be highly potential towards commercializing
smallholder farming.
Gross profit margin
analysis for cassava: Cassava (Manihot esculanta, L.) is the third crop, in
terms of importance in Kigoma region. Cassava contributes significantly to
household food security in Kigoma region. Compared to maize and beans farmers
in the surveyed districts grow less cassava. Out of about 54.8% of the
interviewed farmers indicated that they grow cassava. The crop seems to be
grown much more in Kakonko district, where about 68.9% of farmers indicated to
have planted the crop in their farm in the last farming season, compared to
53.6% and 40.9% in Kibondo and Kasulu respectively. In terms of acreage per
household, the overall mean was 1.54 acres, which differed slightly from
district mean acreage. For example, the largest acreage was in Kakonko where
households grew an average of about 1.71 acres. Kasulu and Kibondo nearly had
the same average land size; that is 1.49 acres and 1.45 acres per household
respectively. Gross Profit Margin Analysis for Cassava was envisaged to be
highly useful in unleashing the potential for commercialization among smallholder
farmers. This could inform the ongoing initiatives towards enhancing the
agriculture productivity and food security strategies in rural areas.
Similarly, GM
analysis indicates that growing cassava under demo plot conditions a farmer get
more profit than growing cassava under the current practice of most farmers.
GM% for the ideal demo plot conditions and farmers practice on the ground was
83% and 42% - the difference is almost twice. Farmers practicing ideal farming
are likely to get twice as much profit as what they get currently, hence
calling for more investment in improving farming conditions.
Conclusions and Recommendations
Conclusion
Basing on the study
findings, it was concluded that majority of households in the three districts
are headed by males. Also, majority of the households (57%) had the household
size ranging from 6 to 10 members. The study concludes that majority (96.5%) of
the interviewed respondents own land. However, the concluded overall mean
yields of maize, beans and cassava for the three districts are 371 kg, 400 kg,
and 53 kg per acre respectively, Kibondo and Kasulu were capable of producing
high quantity of maize and beans while cassava productivity was high in Kakonko
district. On the other hand, the study concludes that majority of smallholder
farmers were used to traditional seeds such that (72.7%) of maize farmers in
the study area were reported using traditional maize seeds, 93.6% and 85.3% of
bean and cassava farmers respectively use traditional seeds. This means that
the majority of maize farmers use traditional seeds. Results further concluded
that the majority of farmers are fertilizers non-users. Similarly, the study
concluded that most farmers in the study area don’t use pesticides. Finally,
the study concluded the results from the Gross Profit Margin Analyses of all
three crops that; since the study findings revealed Gross Profit Margin for
maize under ideal farming conditions being 50% compared to 13% that under
farmers traditional practices, Gross Profit Margin for beans under ideal
farming conditions being 70% compared to 62% that under farmers traditional
practices while Gross Profit Margin for cassava under ideal farming conditions
being 83% compared to 42% that under farmers traditional practices. Basing on
the Gross Profit Margin analyses findings, the study concludes high Gross
Profit Margin on all demo-plots/ideal farming conditions. High investment on
farming practices including availing farming inputs on time to enable ideal
farming conditions to majority of farmers was postulated as the major potential
of commercialization of smallholder farming in Kigoma region.
Recommendations
Based on the study
findings, the following recommendations have been put forward: -
To the smallholder
farmers: They should embrace modern farming practices for enhanced agricultural
productivity and profitability among smallholder farmers in Kigoma region.
• Basing on the study
findings, smallholder farmers are urged to widely use improved seeds, modern
fertilizers, and pesticides. This among other things could transform the
current traditional farming practices into improved one with high agricultural
production and productivity among smallholder farmers in Kigoma region, hence
getting turned into a real commercial farming with absolute profitability.
Business community:
They should enhance the availability of inputs for transforming traditional
farming practices into more enhanced agricultural practices among smallholder
farmers in Kigoma region.
• Basing on the study
findings, inadequate agro-dealers in various areas of Kigoma including the
study districts, Business community is urged to widely extend their services to
a more accessible and affordable stage. This among other things could transform
the current traditional farming practices into improved one with high
application of improved inputs for improved agricultural production and
productivity among smallholder farmers in Kigoma region, hence getting turned
into a more commercial and profitable farming.
The government:
Should avail political, institutional and infrastructural support to enhance
the agricultural environment for transforming traditional farming practices
into more profitable agricultural among smallholder farmers in Kigoma region.
• Basing on the study
findings, inadequate political, institutional and infrastructural support in
the area of agricultural development in particular in various areas of Kigoma
including the study districts, the government through her instrumental actors
including the Ministry of Agriculture is urged to enhance the agricultural
environment through availing more political, institutional and infrastructural
support including supporting policies, subsidies and other related
interventions. This will be useful in the course of enhancing agricultural
production and productivity among smallholder farmers in Tanzania.
Acknowledgement
This study has been
accomplished by dedicated efforts of the smallholder farmers of Kigoma region
in Tanzania. Their support, courage and cooperation rendered to me in the
course of realizing this study were incredible. Smallholder farmers will always
remain my teachers and distinguished experts in generating agriculture
knowledge. Indeed, I appreciate every kind of support I got from all actors and
leaders in the study area in the course undertaking this study.
Conflict of Interest
No conflict of
interest.
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