The contribution of cassava production and marketing on smallholder farmers’ livelihood in Dodoma Region, Tanzania

Abstract

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) has remained a major source of food security and income generation for most developing countries including Tanzania due to its ability to drought and disease resistance. At present, its production in Tanzania stands at 630,000 tons while the country's market demand is expected to grow at 7% by 2026.  Therefore, this study assessed the contribution of cassava production and marketing on the livelihood of smallholder farmers in Tanzania particularly in the Dodoma region, so as to explore its potential contributions to the society welfare. A cross-sectional research design was employed whereby a multi-stage sampling procedure was used in selecting a sample of 240 cassava smallholder farmers from four districts in the Dodoma region namely Kondoa, Chemba, Kongwa, and Mpwapwa. Quantitative data were collected through self-administered structured questionnaires and focus group discussion, interview and observation methods also were used in collecting qualitative data from the study area. Content analysis was used in analyzing qualitative data.  A binary logistic regression model was employed to estimate the contribution of cassava production and marketing on smallholder farmers’ livelihoods in the region. The findings from the study indicated that family size, farmers’ experience, land size, education, number of visits by extension, and market access statistically were significant with showed a positive relationship with the improvement in the livelihood of farmers in the selected districts. On the other hand, transportation costs showed a negative relation with the improvement of farmers’ livelihood. Generally, it can be concluded that an increase in production and improvement in marketing variables could contribute much to the improvement of smallholder farmers’ livelihood.  Based on these findings, it is recommended that Ministries responsible for cassava production and marketing which included the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Industry and Trade focus more on the design, promotion, and implementation of policies and programs that are intended to enhance cassava production in rural areas and increase the provision of best farming practices through employing more extension officers.