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Abstract We utilize a unique dataset comprising 1180 households affiliated with maize producers' organizations (POs) in the Rukwa and Ruvuma regions of Tanzania to analyze the adoption and impacts of hermetic storage technologies (HSTs) on the quantity of stored maize, measured in kilograms (QSM), and the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS). The study employs the logit and endogenous switching regression models to generate results. We find that, among other factors, the presence of HST vendors in the local community and training on proper HST usage are crucial in the adoption of HSTs among POs. Additionally, the usage of storage pesticides is negatively and significantly correlated with HST adoption. This suggests that farmers employing chemical insect pest control methods are less likely to adopt HSTs. The adoption of HSTs is shown to increase maize storage quantities by 40% and decrease household food insecurity by 43%. Further analysis based on the gender of the household head demonstrates that both female- and male-headed households benefit equally from the adoption of HSTs. The results advocate for the promotion of HSTs as a viable solution to mitigate household food insecurity among members of maize POs in Tanzania.

The promotion of climate-resilient practices (CRPs) requires the development of the capacity of farmers to adopt these practices owing to the knowledge-intensive nature of technologies. Extension services serve as a conduit for facilitating the conceptualization of CRPs and are instrumental in improving the resiliency and mitigation of climate change. We used a social-ecological framework and a multivariate probit model to analyze the drivers of the CRP uptake in moisture-stressed areas in Ethiopia, with a particular focus on extension services. Unlike previous studies that investigated a single technology, we considered a bundle of technologies. We focused on the use of two capital-intensive CRPs (drought-resistant seed and inorganic fertilizer) and four knowledge-intensive CRPs (minimum tillage, farmyard manure, water-saving technology, and crop residue retention). The role of extension services in promoting other CRPs beyond input and capital-intensive technologies was insignificant. Heterogeneity analysis revealed that the correlation between extension services and the adoption of other knowledge-intensive natural resource management practices holds irrespective of the proximity to the extension service providers. This finding highlights the need for targeted and tailored interventions that support farmers to address the challenges faced by them in moisture-stressed areas. Accordingly, we propose continuously improving the ability of the extension service providers to promote climate-change adaptation knowledge and practices. This should be accompanied by efforts to strengthen a pluralistic extension system, improve land tenure security, and decrease transaction costs for farmers through output market linkages.

The use of black soldier fly (BSF) larvae and frass in agriculture can make an important contribution to food and nutrition security. However, it is important to understand whether consumers are willing to consume food products resulting from the use of BSF larvae as animal feed or BSF frass as fertilizer. This study employed the stated preference approach as food products produced using BSF larvae and frass are not currently available on the market. Questionnaires were administered to a total of 4412 consumers in Ghana (1360), Mali (1603), and Niger (1449). The results show that the vast majority of respondents are willing to consume vegetables (88%) produced using BSF frass and meat (87%) produced using animal feed made of BSF larvae. A smaller percentage of respondents are even willing to pay USD 1.32 and USD 1.7 more if the base price of BSF-based products were USD 5 per kg. Age, gender, education, and country positively influenced the respondents’ willingness to consume food produced using BSF products. In contrast, neighborhood status, income, and household size are inversely related to the respondents’ willingness to pay for and consume these products. Our findings are, therefore, important to scaling up BSF technologies in the region.

AbstractThe appropriate use of improved technologies in cashew production can lift cashew productivity and income amongst cashew growing countries including Tanzania. The major motive of this study was to assess the adoption determinants of improved technologies in cashew production for enhancing country’s effort of attaining 1,000,000 MT of cashewnut production by 2025 from the current 238,576 MT. Multistage sampling was used to collect cross-sectional data from 760 cashew growers using a semi-structured questionnaire in Tandahimba and Masasi districts. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the adoption rates whereas a Cragg Double hurdle model was used to analyze the determinant of enhanced cashew technologies. Results showed that the overall adoption of enhanced cashew technologies in Mtwara region was 58%. The findings revealed that the adoption intensity of pesticides application, recommended spacing, and the area under improved cashew trees were 88%, 32%, and 41% respectively. The outcomes revealed by Double Hurdle model indicated that the choice and extent of adoption were influenced by education, off-farm income, farm size, extension contacts, group affiliation, and credit access. Furthermore, cashew tree age, gender, asset endowment, and location influenced only the adoption decision of cashew production technologies. Therefore, the study urges for the inclusive policy agenda that will escalate land allocated for cashew production and off-farm earnings to enhance the adoption and intensity of enhanced cashew technologies. Moreover, results suggest the requirement for policy mediations that will accentuate the extension support and input credit services to heighten espousal of enhanced cashew technology in Tanzania.

This study aimed to estimate the Technical Efficiency (TE) of youth crop farmers in Njombe Region of Tanzania, and analyze the determinants of technical inefficiency for crops produced. Data were collected from 572 youths in 16 villages of Njombe Region by using a random sampling technique. The Stochastic Production Function (SPF) model analysed technical efficiency among the youth crop farmers. Results show that youth crop farmers in the study region exhibited decreasing returns to scale, as confirmed by the Returns to Scale of 0.275. The mean TE of crops produced was 19.32%, implying that youth farmers still have room to improve their farming efficiency by 80.68% using the same land resources. Most youth farmers had technical efficiency scores from 18.5% to 20.5%. In addition, the estimated SPF model and inefficiency parameters showed that age, land ownership, and extension contact are factors which reduced technical inefficiency in the study region. Thus, more emphasis might focus on enhancing the accessibility of youth farmers to extension services, land ownership, and efficient use of farm inputs might improve the TE of youth crop farmers in Tanzania and the world as a whole.

The Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure was used as a universal diagnostic inventory to assess the educational environment of Agricultural Degree Programme of the selected institutions. A logistic regression model, which assumes the probability of respondents' preference for the choice of Agribusiness as a career, was deployed to achieve some objectives of the study. Multiple Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) and T-Test were also used. The study revealed that majority of the students were trapped below the poverty threshold, with only 27% willing to pursue agribusiness as a career. Although there was evidence of more positive than negative perceptions about their educational environment (50%–87.4%), there were indications that all the indicators captured in the subscales need a lot of improvement (

This study examined the determinants and impacts of mobile money (MM) usage on maize productivity and poverty likelihood (i.e., the probability of a household falling below the international poverty line at USD 1.9 per capita per day) in the Mbeya Region, Tanzania. The analysis was conducted using the endogenous switching regression (ESR) model on data from a random sample of 1310 households selected from seven districts in the region. Results of the ESR estimation show that MM usage is strongly and positively associated with the education level of the household head, asset ownership, credit access, input access, and social networks. MM usage is also significantly associated with increased maize productivity and a reduced poverty likelihood. Farmers who chose to use MM services increased their maize productivity by about 124 kg/acre and reduced their poverty likelihood by nearly 25 percentage points, as measured by the progress out of poverty index. These findings call for a targeted approach to reaching and supporting MM usage among households with constrained access to formal financial services to increase maize productivity and reduce poverty likelihood.

A relatively large body of literature has documented the welfare effects of smallholder farmers' participation in single-commodity output markets. However, limited empirical evidence is available when smallholder farmers participate in multiple-commodities output markets. We tried to fill this gap in the literature by estimating the impacts of smallholder farmers' contemporaneous participation in both maize and legume markets vis-à-vis in only maize or legume markets using household-level data from Tanzania. Applying a multinomial endogenous switching regression model that allows controlling for observed and unobserved heterogeneity associated with market participation in single-commodity and multiple-commodity markets, results showed that smallholder farmers' participation in both single-and multiple-commodity markets was positively and significantly associated with household income and food security. Moreover, the greatest benefits were obtained when farmers participated in multiple-commodity markets, suggesting the importance of policies promoting diversification in crop income sources to increase welfare and food security. Our findings also signal the complementary-rather than substitute-nature of accessing multiple-commodity markets for enhancing household livelihoods under a specialization strategy. Finally, important policy implications are suggested, from promoting and supporting public infrastructure investments to expanding road networks to reduce transportation costs, especially in remote communities, to enhance smallholder farmer access to profitable maize and legume markets in Tanzania.

Abstract Technical approaches to food production are important to the food security of growing populations in developing countries. However, strategic investments in research and farm‐level adoption require greater coherence in agricultural, societal, and local policies. The Agricultural Innovation System (AIS) and formation of the Cassava Innovation Platform (CIP) in Uganda were designed to stimulate interactions between researchers and farmers, leading to the development of improved cassava varieties through participatory plant breeding (PPB) and participatory variety selection (PVS). Moreover, the establishment of a community‐based commercialized seed system called Cassava Seed Entrepreneurship (CSE) has made an important contribution to the rapid multiplication and dissemination of clean planting materials in Uganda. The impact of CIP participation on rural household welfare was measured by household consumption expenditure per capita. The Endogenous Switching Regression (ESR) model was applied to data from a formal household survey conducted in the eastern, northern, and mid‐western regions of Uganda. The education, farm size, livestock size, access to credit, cost of cassava planting materials, access to extension service, access to training, and social group membership are significantly associated with CIP participation. CIP participation resulted in a 47.4% increase in household consumption expenditure. This important evidence highlights the need to promote agricultural innovation platform for improving rural livelihoods. Moreover, CIP participation has impact heterogeneity within the participant group that is conditional on household characteristics such as the gender of the household head, pointing to the need to tailor specific interventions and target specific groups within farm households.

Abstract This article evaluates the impact of cowpea market participation on household food security and income in northern Nigeria. Using household survey data from a representative sample of over 1,500 farm households and applying a combination of instrumental variable techniques and dose–response functions, we found that cowpea market participation had a statistically significant positive impact on household food security and income. Cowpea market participation increased food expenditure by 1.6% and household income by 0.7% with a 10 unit increase in the quantity of cowpea sold. These results underscore the importance of cowpea market participation for household food security and income improvement. We also found that selling cowpea to rural and urban traders significantly increased household income, food expenditure, and food security. Results show that selling cowpea to rural and urban traders increased household income by 17% and 13%, respectively. The results point to the need for an enabling policy environment and public infrastructure to enhance market participation of farmers and traders. Public infrastructure investments in the form of feeder road construction and maintenance in the distant villages are encouraged, which in the long run can translate into improved cowpea productivity and welfare of smallholder farmers.

Abstract This study evaluated the poverty reduction impact of the adoption of cropping system intensification (CSI) technologies using the endogenous switching regression (ESR) model in the Great Lakes region of Africa that comprises Burundi, eastern DR Congo, and Rwanda. The study data came from a household survey of 1,495 sample households interviewed between October and December 2014. Results indicated that the adoption of the CSI technologies had increased crop yield, crop income, and per capita consumption expenditure in the region, resulting in poverty reduction. Among the three countries, eastern DR Congo witnessed the highest poverty reduction (13% points) followed by Rwanda (6% points) and Burundi (2% points). Considering the adoption rate and size of the target population in each country at baseline, an estimated 180 thousand poor individuals had escaped poverty due to the adoption of the CSI technologies. This presents important evidence in favor of promoting CSI technologies as part of poverty reduction strategy. Given the large population size that remains poor even after adoption, we suggest that research‐based poverty reduction strategies such as the CSI technologies should be complemented with development interventions.

The purpose of this article is to determine the effect of Information and communications technology (ICT) tools’ attributes in accessing technical, market and financial information among youthful dairy agripreneurs in Arumeru District, Tanzania. Data were collected through a standardized questionnaire from 347 farming households. Descriptive statistics and multivariate probit regression were used to analyze the data. The results of the study show that utilization of the various ICT tools (mobile phone, television (TV) and radio) is interrelated, whereas several factors, including extension contacts, installation of electricity, level of buyer trust, availability of market information and receiving of remittances, are found to affect the probability of ICT use. Findings also reveal that complementarity, accessibility, relevance and timeliness had a positive effect on ICT use, while the feedback attribute had a negative influence on ICT use. This finding underscores the need to consider ICT tools’ attributes when designing a sustainable ICT-based information delivery model for dairy youth agripreneurs. An understanding of actual users’ preference for ICT attributes can provide a blueprint for the ongoing ICT-based public- and private-sector initiatives that target youth-users more effectively.