Browsing by Author "Mahonge, C. P."

Now showing 1 - 10 of 10

Capabilities of government co-operative supporting organisations in dissemination of innovations to primary co-operative societies in Tanzania
(International Journal of Knowledge / Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 2019) Njau, L. S.; Massawe, F. A.; Mahonge, C. P.
Purpose: This paper assesses the capabilities of GCSOs in dissemination of innova- tions to primary co-operative societies (PCSos) in Tanzania. Design/Methodology: The study adopted a case study research design whereby five cases were picked. Primary data were collected using key informants (KIs) interviews, focus group discussions (FGDs), documentary review and direct observation. Docu- mented data were analysed using content analysis. The Atlas.ti computer software was used in analysing data from KIs and FGDs. Findings: The study revealed that most GCSOs have important resources but were unutilised for innovation activities. There were also lack of incentives to support inno- vation activities amongst GCSOs executives and personnel and lack of formal and comprehensive systems to reward innovation activities. Moreover, the study estab- lished weak innovations progression from lower node of innovation chains to higher ones. This scenario was coupled with neither institutionalised nor user-oriented ap- proaches regarding innovations dissemination. The study recommends that GCSOs executives should work to mobilise more internal resources to enable more innova- tions dissemination activities. They should also work to strengthen their innovation value chains by ensuring resources commitment and work to ensure deliberate inclu- sive efforts in engaging innovations users (PCSos) at all stages of the innovation chain activities. Limitations: The study covered GCSOs only as they have been receiving direct gov- ernment resources to support among other things innovation activities unlike other member-based and private organisations operating in Tanzania. Similarly, the study captured the GCSOs capabilities aspects within the key innovation value chain pro- cesses only. Originality/value: The paper assessed GCSOs capabilities in innovations dissemina- tion and proposes strategic measures necessary to ensure more innovations dissemina- tion to end-users.
Critical analysis of synergies between Kilimo Kwanza resolution and sustainable Forest Management in Tanzania
(Sokoine University of Agriculture, 2015) Said, I.; Sangeda, A. Z.; Mahonge, C. P.
Like other agricultural development efforts in Tanzania, Kilimo Kwanza which was launched in 2009 that is literary translated as “agriculture first;” recognizes that the role of agriculture is to bring about social and economic development. Pillar number three of this resolution highlights in general terms, mainstreaming environmental conservation in Kilimo Kwanza activities. However, the term ‘environment’ is used broadly. Hence, there is no guarantee that forest conservation, a key component of environmental conservation, is being given due consideration when implementing Kilimo Kwanza activities. Besides, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, which is responsible for forest conservation is not included in the core team for Kilimo Kwanza implementation. It is therefore rational to anticipate possible negative consequences to forests in the operationalisation of the Kilimo Kwanza resolution. Agricultural development and sustainable forest management can hardly be separated, for successful achievement of objectives within the two sectors successfully, which calls for a holistic Kilimo Kwanza. This entails addressing soil and water conservation while adopting intensification and landscape conservation approaches including ecoagriculture. If this is not done, agricultural transformation through Kilimo Kwanza will not be sustainable. Using an intensive review of literature, this paper critically analyzed the synergies between objectives of agricultural transformation, using Kilimo Kwanza as a case study, and those of sustainable forestry management, in order to inform an integrated agricultural policy development in the country.
Heifer In-trust schemes and incomes of smallholder households in the Highland and Semiarid regions of Tanzania
(2015) Msangya, M. L.; Urassa, J. K.; Mahonge, C. P.
Poor household incomes are a major challenge to smallholder farming households’ expenses in most of Tanzania Njombe and Shinyanga regions inclusive. The Heifer In-trust Schemes (HIS) were introduced in these regions purposely to enable vulnerable households to improve their food and income security hence raising such households’ purchasing power. The study’s main objective was to assess the role of the HIS to smallholder households’ major expenditures in the above-mentioned areas. Specifically, the study aimed at exploring the assets and income acquired through the beneficiary household’s involvement in the HIS and at examining their ability to meet children’s educational and households' health costs. The study adopted a cross-sectional design whereby data were collected from 402 randomly selected HIS beneficiaries’ households using a structured questionnaire. In addition, nine focus group discussions involving 135 discussants were conducted to complement information collected through the questionnaire. Children’s education, assets acquisition and food accounted for 36.2, 24.3 and 10.5% of the income accrued from the HIS dairy enterprise. The benefits in Njombe (a highland area) and Shinyanga (a semi-arid area) zones were similar.
Heifer In-trust schemes and incomes of smallholder households in the Highland and Semiarid regions of Tanzania
(2015) Msangya, M. L.; Urassa, J. K.; Mahonge, C. P.
Poor household incomes are a major challenge to smallholder farming households’ expenses in most of Tanzania Njombe and Shinyanga regions inclusive. The Heifer In-trust Schemes (HIS) were introduced in these regions purposely to enable vulnerable households to improve their food and income security hence raising such households’ purchasing power. The study’s main objective was to assess the role of the HIS to smallholder households’ major expenditures in the above-mentioned areas. Specifically, the study aimed at exploring the assets and income acquired through the beneficiary household’s involvement in the HIS and at examining their ability to meet children’s educational and households' health costs. The study adopted a cross-sectional design whereby data were collected from 402 randomly selected HIS beneficiaries’ households using a structured questionnaire. In addition, nine focus group discussions involving 135 discussants were conducted to complement information collected through the questionnaire. Children’s education, assets acquisition and food accounted for 36.2, 24.3 and 10.5% of the income accrued from the HIS dairy enterprise. The benefits in Njombe (a highland area) and Shinyanga (a semi-arid area) zones were similar.
The impact of in-migrant pastoralists on livelihood outcomes of the natives in Rufiji district, Tanzania
(Journal of Co-operative and Business Studies (JCBS), 2019) Komba, C. K.; Mahonge, C. P.
The concept of livelihood is about individuals, households or groups making a living or attempting to meet their various consumption and economic necessities. Livelihood in many rural areas of the world is complex, dynamic and poses a lot of human life outcomes. Perhaps it is only the dayto-day uncertainty of survival that remains to be constant. In this paper we examine the natives’ livelihood challenges as caused by in-migrant pastoralists in Rufiji District, Tanzania. Data were collected using a questionnaire which was administered to 200 respondents in five villages. Data analysis involved generation of descriptive statistics for quantitative data and use of content analysis for qualitative data. Multiple linear regression was used to determine the impact of inmigrant pastoralists’ characteristics and natives’ livelihood outcomes. The findings showed that 69.5% of the respondents reported that there were livelihood challenges which had resulted from the arrival of pastoralists in the study area. Further, from the model, out of the eight factors analysed, four of them were found to have statistically significant impact (p< 0.05) in affecting natives’ livelihood outcomes. The four factors were: newly introduced economic activities (p < 0.05), presence of investors (p < 0.05), new agricultural systems and techniques introduced after the arrival of pastoralists (p < 0.001) and change in land uses (p < 0.05). Among these, only land use change had negative influence on the livelihood of the native communities while the remaining three showed positive influence. The study concludes that the livelihood outcomes of the natives have been affected by the coming of the pastoralists. The study recommends that there is a need for relevant stakeholders, working as inter-sector teams, to strengthen the identified positive livelihood effects and take all negative effects as challenges for improvement.
Innovation value chain status of government co-operative supporting organisations in Tanzania
(College of Social Sciences and Humanities, Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), 2019-10-22) Njau, L. S.; Massawe, F. A.; Mahonge, C. P.
Managing innovation processes is a crucial facet to organisations. Contemporary global competition has necessitated organisations aiming at becoming and remaining vibrant to invest in innovation as a key competitive tool for their survival and growth. For innovation outputs to be realised, organisations need to establish and maintain effective innovation chains or processes by generating ideas, converting and disseminating them to targeted users. The paper assesses the innovation value chain status of government co-operative supporting organisations (GCSOs) in Tanzania. The study adopted a case study research design whereby five cases were picked. Primary data were collected using focus group discussions (FGDs), key informants’ interviews (KIs), documentary review and non-participant observation. Data were analysed using content analysis. The Atlas.ti computer software facilitated the analysis of data from FGDs and KIs. Findings show that the innovation value chains of most of the studied GCSOs were weak. Moreover, the innovation value chains of most organisations were poorly linked towards disseminating innovations to primary co- operative societies (PCSOs). It is concluded that given the weak and poorly linked innovation value chains amongst most of the studied GCSOs, few innovations are likely to be disseminated from such organisations to end-users. Therefore, it is recommended that GCSOs need to strengthen the innovation value chains through genuine allocation and prioritisation of resources. Deliberate efforts such as setting innovation units to enhance innovation activities within GCSOs are also recommended.
Innovations dissemination approaches among government co-operative supporting organisations in Tanzania
(Conscientia Beam., 2019) Njau, L. S.; Mahonge, C. P.; Massawe, F. A.
Efficient governments do encourage, support and promote innovations. Such realisation has necessitated some governments to establish strategic organisations to facilitate some of its innovation mandates. Some innovations have been developed by government co-operative supporting organisations (GCSOs) in Tanzania but only a few have been disseminated to end users. This has prompted questioning of the appropriateness of the innovations dissemination approaches used by such GCSOs. Research Method: The case study research design was used whereby five cases were picked. Primary data were collected using key informants‟ (KIs) interviews, focus groups discussion (FGDs) and documentary review. A qualitative research approach was adopted. Data were analysed using content analysis. The Atlas.ti computer software facilitated analysis of the data. The results show that albeit the existence of several innovations dissemination approaches, there were no mechanisms to institutionalise the effective ones. Concurrently, the approaches applied largely left out the primary co-operative societies (PCSos) treating them as submissive receivers of innovations. Moreover, numerous setbacks including perceived unwillingness by GCSOs executives to prioritise and allocate available resources for innovations, inadequate incentives and resources deficit were constraining inclusive innovations dissemination efforts. The study covered GCSOs only as they have been receiving direct government resources to support among other things innovation activities unlike other member-based and private organisations operating in Tanzania.
Obstacles to low quality water irrigation of food crops in Morogoro, Tanzania
(Canadian Center of Science and Education, 2017-03-02) Samson, S.; Mdegela, R. H.; Permin, A.; Mlangwa, J.; Mahonge, C. P.
Knowledge on users’ and regulators’ views regarding obstacles on the use of low quality water forms the basis for the improvement of water reuse in food crops irrigation. A qualitative study was conducted to assess the obstacles to the use of low quality water for irrigation of food crops in urban and peri-urban areas in Tanzania. The study considered Morogoro urban and peri-urban areas as a case study due to the existence of paddy and vegetable production using the effluent from the waste stabilisation ponds. Both primary and secondary data were used. Primary data were collected through in-depth interviews with 22 key informants, and 4 focus group discussions with farmers. Content analysis was used in this study. Findings show that domestic wastewater was poorly disposed, waste stabilisation ponds as treatment facilities had limited management, and quality monitoring of effluent from the waste stabilisation ponds was limited to permit safe use of the effluent in food crops irrigation. The government officials were of the view that the effluent from the waste stabilisation ponds should not be used for leafy vegetables irrigation while farmers viewed vegetables farming as a quick source of income and livelihood strategy for many years. The study therefore suggests that the relevant agencies should improve the treatment of wastewater and quality monitoring of the effluent for safe use of low quality water for food crops irrigation in urban and peri-urban areas.
Resources capability of government co-operative supporting organizations for innovations dissemination to primary co-operative societies in Tanzania
(Journal of Innovation Management, 2019) Njau, L. S.; Mahonge, C. P.; Massawe, F. A.
This study assessed resources capability of government co-operative supporting organizations (GCSOs) in innovations dissemination to primary co-operative societies (PCSos) in Tanzania. Case study research design using multiple cases was used involving five cases. Primary data were collected using key informant interviews, focus groups discussions (FGDs), documentary reviews and personal observations. Data were analysed using content analysis. The Atlas.ti computer software assisted in analyzing data solicited from key informants and FGDs. Findings indicate that most GCSOs in Tanzania were poor in terms of resources to disseminate innovations to PCSos. Most GCSOs were also not determined at prioritizing and utilizing available resources for dissemination of innovations to PCSos. Furthermore, some external factors e.g. inadequate government resources commitment, employment freezing and others have been adversely affecting GCSOs resources capability to disseminate innovations to PCSos. Moreover, there were no formal and comprehensive incentive systems to reward innovation dissemination activities in most of the GCSOs. It is recommended that GCSOs executives should mobilise more internal resources and ensure sufficient innovation resources prioritisation and utilization to adequately facilitate innovations dissemination to PCSos. The GCSOs executives should also establish clear incentive systems to reward innovation dissemination activities.
Testing of decision making tools for village land use planning and natural resources management in Kilimanjaro region
(Scientific Research, 2014) Sangeda, A. Z.; Kahimba, F. C.; Kashaga, R. A.; Semu, E.; Mahonge, C. P.; Mkanda, F. X.
This paper focuses on participatory testing of decision making tools (DMTs) at village level to assist in development of land use plans (LUPs) for sustainable land management (SLM) in Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania. Data were collected using conditional surveys through key informant interviews with the project’s district stakeholders in each district, focused group discussions with selected villagers and participatory mapping of natural resources. Soil health, land degradation, carbon stock, and hydrological conditions were assessed in the seven pilot villages in all seven districts using DMTs as part of testing and validation. Results indicated soils of poor to medium health, and land degradation as portrayed by gullies and wind erosion in lowlands and better in uplands. Carbon and forest disturbance status could not be assessed using one-year data but hydrological analysis revealed that water resources were relatively good in uplands and poor in the lowlands. Challenges with regard to land use include increased gully erosion, decreased stream flow, reduced vegetation cover due to shifting from coffee with tree sheds to annual crops farming, cultivation near water sources, and overgrazing. Empowering the community with decision making tools at village level is essential to ensure that village land uses are planned in a participatory manner for sustainable land and natural resources management in Kilimanjaro and other regions in Tanzania.