Browsing by Author "Muhanga Mikidadi"

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Determinants of digital literacy among smallholder farmers: a case of Hai and Moshi Districts, Kilimanjaro- Tanzania
(ResearchGate, 2022) Mohamed Hashim; Urassa Justin; Muhanga Mikidadi; Hassani, M. S
Access to agricultural extension services, social media, and training on ICTs in developing countries stand a good chance of impacting significantly small-scale farmers' livelihoods and therefore, the digital literacy level of smallholder farmers is highly influential. The extent to which an opportunity for farmers to use information communication technologies (ICT) to access agricultural information for the transformation of their subsistence farming has been tapped by smallholder farmers requires empirical investigation. Therefore, the current study determined smallholder farmers’ digital literacy and the factors associated with the same. The study adopted a cross-sectional research design whereby data were collected using a structured questionnaire from 200 purposefully selected smallholder farmers through a multistage sampling procedure. In addition, four focus group discussions and five key informant interviews were used to collect complementary data. An index score and Likert scale gauged digital literacy. Data were analysed by using IBM- SPSS (Version 20) while STATA software was used for binary logistic regression analysis to determine factors associated with smallholder farmers’ digital literacy. Study findings show that 74.5% (95% CI: 0.68 to 0.81), 0% (95% CI: 0 to 0) and 25.5% (95% CI: 0.19 to 0.32) of the farmers fall under the category of low, moderate and high digital literacy levels respectively. Study findings show further that one’s sex (p=0.068), training on ICTs (p=0.013), access to social media (p=0.001), extension services (p=0.006), and support from NGOs (p=0.000) were significantly associated with farmers’ digital literacy. It is concluded the smallholder farmers had a low level of digital literacy due to a lack of training and skills to make good use of ICT. Therefore, it is recommended that the agricultural and ICT departments in Hai and Moshi Districts and other interested stakeholders should collaborate and conduct awareness campaigns and training in rural areas to enhance digital literacy among smallholder farmers to enable farmers to use ICT and transform their agricultural production.
Evidence-based evaluation of RIPAT approach towards execution of national development programmes and plans: a case of RIPAT-SUA Project in Morogoro, Tanzania
(AJOL, SUA, 2023) Muhanga Mikidadi; Malisa Emmanuel T.; Ringo Dominick E.
Successful implementation of a project, among others, relies on the approach employed towards the execution of such a project. Non-adherence to national programmes, and local specific economic and social aspects in connection to a project has been reported among the factors leading to the failure of innumerable projects, agriculture-related projects inclusive. Cognizant of that, the Rural Initiatives for Participatory Agricultural Transformation (RIPAT) approach was initiated as one of the extension approaches for reinforcing agricultural extension services in Tanzania. While this approach has been considered to be useful, there is a lack of adequate basis for evidence-based advocacy of the approach. It is against this background that this article documents an evaluation of the RIPAT approach to justify its validity as an extension approach which unleashes national development plans while addressing local specific economic and social aspects in connection to a project. Field visits involving a team of 20 staff from SUA and RECODA were conducted in Morogoro Municipal Council and Mvomero District in Morogoro Region with the intention of further testing and validating the RIPAT approach to generate a sound basis for evidence-based advocacy of the approach. Participatory approaches enabled the participants to observe, discuss and learn from existing RIPAT projects and stakeholders (including project beneficiaries, lead farmers and extension officers). Household surveys, field visits, brainstorming, group discussions, key informant interviews with RIPAT project staff and beneficiaries, presentations and plenary discussions were employed to generate information to test and validate the RIPAT approach. It was found that RIPAT projects, from their design, consider national programmes and specific economic and social aspects of the community where a particular project is implemented. An evaluation of the RIPAT-SUA project showed that the project contributed to improvement in households’ food security, nutrition and income. These findings demonstrate a clear alignment and contribution to the attainment of the Agricultural Sector Development Programme (ASDP) and accordingly the Tanzania Development Vision (TDV) 2025. It was further observed from the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis that projects employing the RIPAT approach have higher chances of sustainability and that the benefits accruing from or promised by the RIPAT approach outweigh the weaknesses and threats. It is concluded that the RIPAT approach has the potential to unleash national programmes/plans and guarantee project success, given the presence of other factors. Up-scaling of the RIPAT approach and incorporation of the same in the government extension system is crucial.
“One health approach” towards effective health services delivery in sixty years of independent Tanzania
(PanAfrican Journal of Governance and Development (PJGD), 2023-11) Muhanga Mikidadi; Ngowi Edwin Estomii
The year different phases of development and attempted innumerable interventions, including a series of "development alternatives" to fight poverty, hunger, and infectious diseases. These efforts towards effective health services provision treated humans, animals, and environmental health separately. Due to the increase in human, livestock, wildlife, and environment interactions, the efforts did not result in the anticipated health outcomes. This prompted the government to search for an alternative approach. Cognizant of this, the government introduced the "One Health Approach (OHA)", which recognizes health as one, without a dividing line between humans, animals, and environmental health. This paper, therefore, analyzes (i) the debates for advancing effective health services delivery sixty years after independence; (ii) an emerging approach for interdisciplinary collaboration for human, animal, and environmental health, which is considered to have the potential for effective delivery of health services; and, (iii) the relevance of the OHA towards minimizing the undesirable impacts of human, livestock, and wildlife interactions on health. A documentary analysis (documentary research method) was employed to gather the information for the study. OHA is at its infancy stage, though this initiative signifies an essential landmark towards dealing with health-related challenges reflected at the convergence of humans, animals, and the environment. The milestone is outstanding as it leads to building fundamental capacities concerning public health, particularly regarding preparedness and response as per International Health Regulations. The OHA underscores the need for collaborative working efforts involving human, livestock, wildlife, and environmental health professionals for optimal human, animal, and environmental health attainment. There is a need to upscale the OHA and further understand the consequences of the interactions for optimum human, animal, and environmental health. Therefore, it conveys the idea that it is necessary to expand and enhance the OHA and the importance of comprehending the implications of the interactions for the well-being of humans, animals, and the environment.
Pre and post economic reforms in the governance of mineral resources: a review of mining policies and laws since independence in Tanzania
(ResearchGate, 2022-05-23) Muhanga Mikidadi
For any country to substantially benefit from its natural resources, minerals inclusive, efforts should be directed on how decisions in connection to such resources are made or not; also, how such decisions are implemented or not. Tanzania is fourth in Africa in terms of natural resource endowment. Incognizant of that, various laws and policies were enacted since independence in 1961 to govern the sector. This article analyses the mining industry in Tanzania during the sixty years of independence. It specifically discusses the mining policies and legislations in Tanzania before and in the context of Tanzania’s reforms economy. The article further analyses the pre- and post-economic reforms environment and its impacts on the governance of mineral resources. A documentary research method was employed to collect information related to mining activities, policies and legislations from 1961. The search strategy included a review of published and grey literature from research reports and other secondary evidence. The search query involved keywords such as ‘mineral sector reforms’, ‘mining sector’, ‘reforms in the governance of mineral resources in Tanzania’, ‘Tanzania’s mining policies’, ‘mining legislation in Tanzania’, ‘mining laws in Tanzania’ and ‘pre and post-economic reforms’. The review has identified various issues established by the legislations, regulations and policies employed in the mining industry since 1961. The legislation and policies enacted have impacted the governance of the sector. It has been observed that the government of Tanzania has been putting a lot of efforts to enable the public to benefit from the resource by establishing policies and laws. Despite establishing these governance structures and aspects the country needs extra initiatives for the public to further and significantly benefit from the sector. The sad thing is that Tanzania though endowed with natural resources remains on the list of poor countries sixty years after independence.
Resilience and sustainability of tobacco co-operatives in Southern Africa: an eye into contract farming in Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Malawi
(ResearchGate, 2021-09) Muhanga Mikidadi; Katundu Mangasini
Farmers in Africa, in their quest to walk away from poverty, have been observed to work jointly through agricultural and marketing co-operatives societies (AMCOS). Despite these efforts, the situation on the ground is not that rosy. Innumerable factors have been reported to haunt, weaken and fail co-operative movements in Africa, tobacco co-operatives inclusive. The states have of recently been less involving themselves if not disengaging from providing inputs, credit, extension services, and price supports for several reasons. This seems to have left a room to fill, where private firms have been considered to have the potential to take up similar roles, and in a more efficient manner. In such mishaps, be it climate- related, economic or political, and social, understanding the way (how) people and institutions could become much more resilient becomes vital towards the promotion of well-being. Resilience building supports people and institutions in dealing with changes and adapting to some new circumstances hence achieving sustainability. Contract farming (CF) is an approach that has the potential whereby the private sector has been expected to create win-win arrangements with smallholder farmers. Tobacco farmers have been observed to be involved in CF arrangement through AMCOS which is expected to lead to resilience and sustainability. While it has been anticipated that contract farming carries the potential which can substitute the state in the wake of the agrarian sector reforms, very little empirical evidence exists on how resilient and sustainable the Tobacco Co-operatives in Southern Africa are in the face of CF. It is against this background that this article analyses the resilience and sustainability of Tobacco Co-operatives in the tobacco sub-sector in Tanzania, Malawi, and Zimbabwe using A documentary research method (documentary analysis). In this article, resilience has been analysed based on networks, innovation, and the role of the state.