545
• Existence of extension services. More support and institutional strengthening is
fundamental for ensuring extension services to all the smallholder farmers.
• Existence of market opportunities. Farmers should be helped to market their
crops by building their capacities, also value adding should be considered as a
way forward towards improving farmers’ income and poverty eradication. Crops
like tomatoes (perishable crop) fail to fetch good market when the supply
becomes higher than the demand, causing farmers to sell at very low prices.
Furthermore, smallholder agriculture is projected to be economically sustainable
in the future because of expanding urban centres, rapid economic growth in most
of the case study countries and the accompanying demand for more diversified
products, mainly fruits and vegetables.
• Investment Opportunities. The potential of agriculture and smallholder farming
can be illustrated by the enhanced income generation in several Tanzanian agricultural export sub-sectors.
• Existence of local manufacturer of manual pumps. Examples of these include the
local NGOs like Water for the Third World (W3W), which is engaged in manufacturing of Concrete Pedal Pump. This pump has been widely disseminated and
is relatively affordable by smallholder farmers. The cost of the pump, including
accessories, amounts to about US$150. There also exist other manual pumps
such as treadle pump.
5 Conclusions
The study has examined current practices of smallholder farmers, including the
challenges and available opportunities towards realization of sustainable smallholder farming. It has been revealed that the area cultivated varies considerably,
depending on the technologies used to lift water, as well as the financial capability.
Few people were found using motor pumps, and this could be attributable to the
substantial amount of capital required to purchase them, as well as the skills to operate them. Manual pumps comprising of treadle pumps, concrete pedal pumps and
buckets were found to be used by a good number of people, because of affordability
and ease of operation. The crops grown were found to differ significantly across
‘water control classes’ and largely determined by the type of water sources and
means of water access. The manual pump irrigator, under both surface and groundwater, and the motor pump irrigation using surface water were found to be comparatively profitable. The high profitability could be due to the ability of pump irrigators
to take control of water and risk mitigation resulting from water scarcity. Reliance
on rain-fed farming poses considerable production risks, following unreliability and
uncertainties of water supply. Alongside the other constraints such as land availability and tenure, inadequate working capital and poor marketing of produce have
been identified. The available opportunities that are presented in this research can
go a long way in helping to overcome the constraints.
Smallholder Farming in Mara and Iringa Regions, Tanzania: Current Practices…
• Existence of extension services. More support and institutional strengthening is
fundamental for ensuring extension services to all the smallholder farmers.
• Existence of market opportunities. Farmers should be helped to market their
crops by building their capacities, also value adding should be considered as a
way forward towards improving farmers’ income and poverty eradication. Crops
like tomatoes (perishable crop) fail to fetch good market when the supply
becomes higher than the demand, causing farmers to sell at very low prices.
Furthermore, smallholder agriculture is projected to be economically sustainable
in the future because of expanding urban centres, rapid economic growth in most
of the case study countries and the accompanying demand for more diversified
products, mainly fruits and vegetables.
• Investment Opportunities. The potential of agriculture and smallholder farming
can be illustrated by the enhanced income generation in several Tanzanian agricultural export sub-sectors.
• Existence of local manufacturer of manual pumps. Examples of these include the
local NGOs like Water for the Third World (W3W), which is engaged in manufacturing of Concrete Pedal Pump. This pump has been widely disseminated and
is relatively affordable by smallholder farmers. The cost of the pump, including
accessories, amounts to about US$150. There also exist other manual pumps
such as treadle pump.
5 Conclusions
The study has examined current practices of smallholder farmers, including the
challenges and available opportunities towards realization of sustainable smallholder farming. It has been revealed that the area cultivated varies considerably,
depending on the technologies used to lift water, as well as the financial capability.
Few people were found using motor pumps, and this could be attributable to the
substantial amount of capital required to purchase them, as well as the skills to operate them. Manual pumps comprising of treadle pumps, concrete pedal pumps and
buckets were found to be used by a good number of people, because of affordability
and ease of operation. The crops grown were found to differ significantly across
‘water control classes’ and largely determined by the type of water sources and
means of water access. The manual pump irrigator, under both surface and groundwater, and the motor pump irrigation using surface water were found to be comparatively profitable. The high profitability could be due to the ability of pump irrigators
to take control of water and risk mitigation resulting from water scarcity. Reliance
on rain-fed farming poses considerable production risks, following unreliability and
uncertainties of water supply. Alongside the other constraints such as land availability and tenure, inadequate working capital and poor marketing of produce have
been identified. The available opportunities that are presented in this research can
go a long way in helping to overcome the constraints.
Smallholder Farming in Mara and Iringa Regions, Tanzania: Current Practices…