Barriers to Smallholder Farmers Production and Marketing of Wheat in Karatu District, Northern Tanzania
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Date
0202-05
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Kenyatta University
Abstract
The growth and distribution of the world population has led to an increase in demand for food which puts pressure on the expansion of agriculture production and marketing. Smallholder farmers are central to the development of the agriculture sector and they are crucial in contributing to the food security of the majority of the people. Wheat is the fourth most consumed crop in Tanzania. Wheat farming in Karatu district, Tanzania is dominated by smallholder farming. However, it faces many barriers to its contribution in development and poverty reduction. Hence the objectives of this study were; a) examine smallholder wheat production, b) examine factors that affect smallholder production, c) examine the marketing extent of wheat smallholder farmers, d) to determine the factors that influence smallholder market decision in Karatu district. A mixed research design was used for this study. Simple random sampling was used to select household respondents from the five villages, while purposive sampling method was used to select the necessary institutions such as Agriculture Marketing Cooperative Society and local government. Data was collected by use of interviews, questionnaires, observation checklist and Focus Group Discussions. The collected data was analyzed by using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences tool. Estimation of the average yields was done by considering the recorded harvest of farmers and weighing them to a randomly selected number of harvest units. Multinomial regression was used to determine the factors that influence marketing decisions of farmers. The study found wheat production in Karatu to be below the national average harvest with 67% of the farmers harvesting less than one tons per hectare which is below the average production value of 0.5 tones per hectares. Low yields were as a result of the intensity of production challenges and constraints. It was found that smallholder wheat production in Karatu is hindered by various challenges while capital and abiotic variables play the most roles. Wheat production level was the only significant variable found to influence market decision of farmers. Additionally, wheat price advantage, capital support, technical and market assurance emerge as the dominant influences to smallholder farmers market participation. This study derived a significant level of contribution of numerous variables to the farmers’ production and marketing of wheat in the Karatu district. The results provide useful information for economic development, specifically information for making relevant decisions on the use of scarce agricultural resources in wheat production and reformulation of agricultural development policies through updated wheat production and marketing information. The results are also useful as an input for the country or regional evidence-based agricultural production and marketing strategies.
Description
A Research Project Submitted in Partial Fulfilment for the Degree of Master in Environmental Planning and Management in the School of Engineering and Architecture, Kenyatta University, May, 2025
Supervisor:
1.Christine Majale