SummaryObjectives To investigate (1) benefits due to personal protection of individual net users vs. mass killing of mosquitoes within villages as a result of widespread net usage; (2) sustainability over several years of benefits against malarial morbidity of insecticide-treated nets; (3) distribution of the benefits in different age groups of children and (4) whether, as a result of fading immunity, older age groups 'paid for' the benefits which they had enjoyed when younger.Methods (1) Tabulation of earlier data to compare personal and community-wide effects against mosquito vectors; (2) two cross-sectional surveys for malaria parasitaemia, malarial fever, anaemia and splenomegaly in children in eight Tanzanian villages, in which there had been community-wide use of bednets which had been annually re-treated with alphacypermethrin for 3-4 years; (3) comparison between children of different age groups and with intact, torn or no nets in these villages and in 4-6 villages without nets.Results A 90-95% reduction in infective bites outside nets in netted villages and an additional 54-82% reduction of bites among individual net users. Highly significant reductions (by 55-75%) in malarial morbidity for children aged 6 months to 2 years were found in netted villages with, for some outcomes, better results among individuals who themselves had intact treated nets. For older children, benefits were less clear or absent, but there was no sign that the benefits early in life were 'paid for' by worse outcomes in the netted villages later in childhood. ConclusionsThe overall benefits to the community of widespread use of treated nets are sustainable and are not reversed in 3-4 years as a result of fading immunity. It is important to ensure high enough coverage to realize the full potential of the treated net method. By showing an impact on the vector population in the community these results provide a strong argument for organized free provision of net treatment, rather than relying on marketing.keywords insecticide-treated bednets, malarial morbidity, marketing vs. free provision, mass effect, sustainability of impact, Tanzania correspondence Prof. C.F. Curtis,

The objective of the study was to map sweet potato value chain linkages between actors, processes and activities in Tanzania. The study is cross sectional in design.The study was conducted in Shinyanga rural and Mwanza urban districts. The study used individual interviews, focused group discussions; review of relevant practical documents and discussions with key informants. A total of 150 actors in the value chain participated. Data collected was summarized using Statistical Package of Social Science (SPSS) and content analysis. Analysis of data shows that "Michembe" and "Matobolwa" were two main local made value added products derived from sweet potatoes preferred by producers. In general sweet potatoes production is marked with low production and productivity. Low productivity is a result of poor agronomic practices and low level of production technology application among others. Three main marketing channels exist in the study area: Producers selling directly to consumer; producers to retailers to consumer; and producers to hawkers/village vendors to consumer. Moreover data revealed that (50.7%) of sampled producers set prices after hearing from their fellow farmers. About (44%) of the sampled producers sell their produce direct to the market. The sub sector in general faces a number of structural and technological problems that need immediate attention to revamp agricultural sector development.

In Tanzania, structural adjustment policies implemented during the 1980s removed all agricultural subsidies. However, declining productivity and production of maize and rice—the main food crops—forced the government to restore subsidies in 2003. This chapter examines the impact of the agricultural input subsidy programme, looking at farmers’ response to subsidized inorganic fertilizer and improved maize and rice seed—discerning gender and temporal impacts. Farmers in Iringa and Morogoro were highly responsive to the fertilizer and seed components of the input subsidy, and their response was sensitive to the magnitude of the subsidy. Farmers in Morogoro were less responsive to both technologies due to dominance of rice production. Adoption was lower for female-managed farms, with corresponding lower livelihood outcomes, attributed to lower resource endowment. It is therefore recommended that underperforming farmers, including female farm manages in lower wealth ranks, required initiative to improve their productivity and production.

No abstract

Several different actors are involved in making sure smallholder farmers are motivated to commit funds in expectation of future returns (investment decisions) from useful domesticated animals (livestock). However, efforts by the government, international organizations and the private sector have not been able to significantly increase trade trends in Tanzania’s livestock which explains that there could be a lot more reasons for that. This manuscript assesses the socio-cultural factors (SCFs) influencing livestock investment decisions among smallholder farmers in Mbulu and Bariadi districts in Tanzania. A cross-sectional research design was employed where a sample of 333 respondents and 9 key informants were interviewed. Primary data were collected using a structured questionnaire and a key informant checklist. A binary logistic regression model (BLRM) was used to analyse the relationship between SCFs and livestock investment decisions. Results show that store of wealth is the most influencing factor followed by prestige, bride prices, ethnicity and number of children (significant at p < 0.05) to household livestock investment decisions. The study generally concludes that smallholder farmers consider their cultural perspectives before they decide on livestock management styles and that blending the SCFs and other factors could secure more livestock investments.

Agricultural intensification based on smallholders is among many economists viewed as a necessary developmental path to ensure food security and poverty reduction in sub-Saharan Africa. Increasingly, a one-sided focus on raising productivity in cereals has been questioned on environmental grounds, with the concept of sustainable agricultural intensification (SAI) emerging from the natural sciences as a way of advancing environmental and social needs simultaneously. SAI approaches have, however, been criticized for being both conceptually and methodologically vague. This study combines socioeconomic survey data with remotely sensed land productivity data and qualitative data from four villages in Tanzania. By triangulating and comparing data collected through ground level surveys and ground-truthing with remote sensing data, we find that this combination of methods is capable of resolving some of the theoretical and methodological vagueness found in SAI approaches. The results show the problems of relying on only one type of data when studying sustainable agricultural intensification and indicate the poor environmental outcomes of cereal monocropping, even when social outcomes may be forthcoming. We identify land use practices that can be considered both socially and environmentally sustainable. Theoretically, we contribute to a further problematization of the SAI concept.

No abstract

This chapter reviews aspirations by the government of Tanzania to transform agriculture and thereby to reduce income poverty while also achieving food security, especially for the 80% of the population who mainly depend on primary agricultural production for their livelihoods. This ambition is articulated in various national, regional and global development goals e.g. the MDGs to which Tanzania is a signatory. More recently (2009), another policy statement 'Kilimo Kwanza' expressed the ambition to foster a Tanzanian Green Revolution. However, analysis of data at macro and micro levels shows that set targets are not being met. Use of inputs and productivity has declined since 1999. Production and productivity for maize and rice, the main food staples, has been declining or rising slower than the population growth rate. The agricultural sector has been growing at about 4.2%, which is lower than the target of 6% set under CAADP. At the household level, farmers face challenges of access to inputs, lack of essential services, poor marketing infrastructure, dysfunctional markets, poor organization and land tenure.