Browsing by Author "Makingi, Grace"

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Inputs access and paddy productivity: a case of Kilombero District, Tanzania
(Sokoine University of Agriculuture, 2015) Makingi, Grace
The study on inputs access and paddy productivity was carried out in Kilombero District, Tanzania. The study specifically aimed at; identifying agricultural inputs used by paddy farmers in production, determining socio-economic factors influencing use of agricultural inputs, comparing paddy productivity between inputs users and non users and identifying inputs access challenges facing farmers. To address the above, the study adopted a cross-sectional research design whereby data was collected at one point in time. Simple random sampling was used to obtain 120 respondents, 40 from each of the selected villages. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Collected primary data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS), whereby descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages were determined. A logistic regression model was used to determine the association of socio-economic factors and use of agricultural inputs. The results from the logistic regression show that, availability of extension officers, involvement in other economic activities, access to credit cooperative membership, household size, annual income, education level and farm size were significantly associated with the use of agricultural inputs (fertilizers, improved seeds, pesticides and herbicides). The study also found that there was a difference in yields between inputs users and non users based on t-test analysis. However, some challenges such as high inputs prices, poor availability, long distance to agro-inputs centers, lack of knowledge and low-quality inputs were reported by respondents as limiting factors in their paddy production. Therefore, the study recommends that, farmers should be advised and encouraged to join Savings and Credit Cooperative Societies (SACCOs) so as to access affordable loans hence increasing their ability to purchase agricultural inputs. The government should also promote the private sector’s investment in agricultural inputs in the rural areas so as to facilitate timely availability of the inputs.