Welcome to SUAIRE
Sokoine University of Agriculture Institutional Repository (SUA IR). This repository was built and is maintained by the university library (Sokoine National Agricultural Library-SNAL) , in order to collect, preserve and disseminate scholarly output generated by University research community (staff and students) members.
This repository hosts a variety of openly accessible materials including: scholarly articles and books, theses and dissertations, conference proceedings and technical reports. For assistance about depositing your research output in the repository click here. SUA IR Policy click here or any queries contact us at snal@sua.ac.tz.
Communities in SUAIRE
Select a community to browse its collections.
- The Agroforesty Community is a collaborative network dedicated to advancing sustainable land-use practices that integrate trees, crops, and livestock. It serves as a platform for knowledge exchange, research dissemination, and practical innovations in Agroforestry. By fostering connections among researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and local communities, the Agroforestry Community promotes environmental conservation, enhanced agricultural productivity, and resilient livelihoods.
Recent Submissions
Promoting youth engagement in agriculture through land titling programs: evidence from Tanzania
(Elsevier, 2024) Msangi, Haji Athumani; Waized, Betty; Ndyetabula, Daniel Wilson; Manyong, Victor M.
In many African countries, land access and tenure insecurity pose significant challenges to
agriculture, in particular for the youth. As the farming population ages, young people are ex
pected to take over, but they don’t often show much interest in farming, which could harm the
future of agriculture in Africa, where the population is the youngest. Land reforms and titling
programs are suggested as amongst strategies to make agriculture more attractive to investors and
promote youth involvement. As a result, majority African countries undertook reforms such as
land titling, ownership mapping and market facilitation as policy prescriptions for promoting
youth involvement in agriculture. Nonetheless, the impact of these programs is not well docu
mented in the body of literature thus constraining policy decisions. This study examines the
impact of land titling on youth participation in agriculture in Tanzania, using 2020/2021’s wave
of Tanzania national panel survey data with a sample size of 2725 youth households from 419
enumeration areas. The study finds that land titling is a critical factor in promoting youth
participation in agriculture in Tanzania, with young people who have titled land tending to
allocate more resources (time) to farming activities. The study also identified farm size, educa
tional level, and land dispute experience as significant factors influencing youth participation in
agriculture. Based on these findings, the study recommends interventions to promote youth
participation in agriculture in Tanzania, including investing in land titling programs that spe
cifically target young people and promoting educational programs that equip young people with
foundational skills. The study also highlights the need for tailored interventions that address the
specific needs of different groups of young people. Overall, the study underlines the importance of
promoting youth participation in agriculture in Tanzania and by extension to other African
countries to contribute to food security and rural development.
Transitioning to clean energy and opportunities for developing countries
(Elsevier, 2025) Nassary, Eliakira Kisetu; Magubika, Aneth Japhet; Mwampashi, Lenganji Lackson; Fukah, Francis Kloh; Kahangwa, Caren Anatory; Tryphone, George Muhamba
The shift from fossil-based energy systems to renewable sources like solar, wind, and hydro presents both op
portunities and challenges for developing countries aiming to expand energy access, promote economic growth,
and meet climate goals. This study examines the technological, financial, institutional, and governance aspects of
clean energy transitions, focusing on regional disparities and implications for low- and middle-income econo
mies. A systematic review of literature was carried out using the SPAR-4-SLR methodology across Scopus, Web of
Science, and Google Scholar. Only peer-reviewed studies published in English from 2009 to 2025 were included,
guided by four research questions: (1) technological and resource endowments, (2) capital structuring and
financial market dynamics, (3) institutional and policy frameworks, and (4) decentralized, digital energy
governance. Search terms were tailored for each theme, and studies were classified by topic, region, and
methodology. Results show that decentralized renewable systems—especially solar micro-grids—offer affordable
alternatives to fossil fuels in rural and off-grid areas, enhancing job creation, energy security, and poverty
reduction. Examples from Kenya, India, and Southeast Asia highlight the importance of policy consistency,
financial innovation, and institutional preparedness in promoting clean energy deployment. Still, ongoing
challenges such as high initial costs, infrastructure gaps, and limited technical skills continue to hinder progress
in many regions.
A review of plant characterization: First step towards sustainable forage production in challenging environments
(African Journal of Plant Science, 2020) Lutatenekwa, Dorice Leonard; Mtengeti, Ephraim Joseph; Msalya, George Mutani
his review paper attempts to give account of how plant characterization assists the availability of
information on desirable plant traits, to enhance selective breeding for environmental stresses and thus
attain sustainable forage production. Plant characterization is referred to as an account for heritable
characters varying from agronomical, morphological to molecular markers. It simplifies grouping of
accessions, development of core collections, identification of gaps and retrieval of valuable germplasm
for breeding programmes resulting in better insight about the composition of the collection and its
genetic diversity. Plant characterization by morphological, physiological and agronomic traits has long
been used in selective breeding. Advancement of characterization to the use of molecular markers
speed up the process and permits optimal utilization of the adaptive traits harboured in all breeds for
stressful environments. In countries like Tanzania, where agro-climatic conditions are challenging,
technological progress is slow and market institutions are poorly developed, selecting highly adaptive
local varieties is important. Knowledge from characterization of local varieties could be used to breed
adaptive and resilient varieties. This will help the farmers to produce enough forage in the fast
changing and stressful environmental condition
The joint effects of information and financing constraints on technology adoption: evidence from a field experiment in rural Tanzania
(Elsevier, 2021-10-04) Harou, Aurélie P.; Madajewicz, Malgosia; Michelson, Hope; Palm, Cheryl A.; Amuri, Nyambilila; Magomba, Christopher; Semoka, Johnson M.; Tschirhart, Kevin; Weil, Ray
Low investment in profitable technologies contributes to persistent poverty. Many farmers in developing coun-
tries invest too little in fertilizer despite evidence that fertilizer is profitable. This field experiment investigates
a two-part explanation: (1) farmers are reluctant to invest without farm-specific evidence of profitability,
possibly because of heterogeneous returns, and (2) information is not sufficient to increase investment because
of financing constraints. Farmers in one arm of the experiment receive fertilizer recommendations based on
tests of their soils, others receive recommendations paired with an input subsidy, and others receive only the
input subsidy. Only farmers who receive recommendations and the subsidy increase fertilizer application and
yields relative to the control group. The financing constraint may explain limited response to heterogeneous
fertilizer recommendations. The approximate net benefit of increased yields, accounting for the full cost of
inputs and soil tests, is equivalent to average wages for seven days of work.
Gut and blood microbiota of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) reared with lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and challenged with Escherichia coli and Vibrio cholerae in aquaponic system
(Elsevier, 2026-02-17) Jossefa, Angélica Adiação; Viagem,bLeonildo dos Anjo; Cerozi, Brunno da Silva; Chenyambuga, Sebastian Wilson
Aquaponics, a bio-integrated system that combines fish farming and vegetable cultivation, has gained significant
attention due to its rapid expansion and potential for sustainable food production. In aquaponics, along with
plants and fish, both beneficial and harmful microorganisms are also present. This study was conducted to assess
the microbiota diversity of Nile tilapia reared with lettuce in aquaponic systems, with a focus on food safety
implications. A total of 144 Nile tilapia juveniles with an average initial weight of 30.7 ± 0.03 g were randomly
stocked and allocated to three treatments, each with three replicates. In treatment one, the fish were not chal
lenged with any pathogenic bacteria, while in treatments two and three, they were challenged with Escherichia
coli (ATCC 8739) and Vibrio cholerae (ATCC 9458), respectively. Faecal and blood samples were collected before
and after challenging Nile tilapia. The diversity of microbial communities was assessed by sequencing the V1-V3
regions of the 16S rRNA gene using Illumina NextSeq2000. In total, 216 amplicon sequence variants were
identified in faecal samples and 162 in blood samples, all belonging to the bacteria kingdom. Taxonomic analysis
demonstrates that multiple detected genera encompass species with known pathogenicity to humans and
documented association with foodborne illnesses and mortality. These included Agrobacterium, Streptococcus,
Klebsiella, Clostridium, Brucella, Plesiomanas, Edwardsiella, Aeromonas, and Bacillus. The findings highlight the
importance of incorporating public health considerations within an aquaponic system in which vegetables are
grown together with fish, in order to reduce the risks of contamination and enhance food safety.