Browsing by Author "Salanga Raymond J."

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Associating the RIPAT approach with ecological agriculture, food security and poverty reduction: a case of RIPAT-SUA Project, Morogoro, Tanzania
(MKUKI NA NYOTA, 2023) Ringo Dominick E.; Malisa Emmanuel T.; Kayunze Kim A.; Salanga Raymond J.
Literature shows that conventional farming has failed to support farmers to meet food security and the agro-chemicals that are used are beneficial for crop yield in terms of quantity, but they contaminate crop products, soils, and water bodies. Ecological farming seeks to improve food crop yields for balanced nutrition, strengthen fair markets for their produce, enhance healthy ecosystems, and build on ancestral knowledge and customs of farming. Projects applying the RIPAT approach promote agricultural technologies with the aim of increasing food and nutrition security and ultimately reduce poverty. Whether the technologies introduced through the RIPAT approach portray the principles of agro- ecology is an area of inquiry dealt with in this chapter, using RIPAT-SUA project as a case study. Primary data were collected through a survey using a questionnaire, focus group discussions, key informant interviews and participatory rural appraisal. Household food insecurity access scale was used to determine food security. Results showed that elements of agro- ecology supported by the RIPAT-SUA project’s basket of technology options include diversity (new crops), efficiency (intercropping cereals with legumes), recycling (incorporation of crop residues in the soil), human and social values (banana vs the environment), synergies (livestock and crop production, intercropping cereals with legumes), culture and food traditions (orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, iron-rich beans and dairy goats), and circular and solidarity economy (high value crops which attract buyers and consumers). Furthermore, through the RIPAT-SUA project, food and nutrition security and income have also improved. Therefore, projects applying the RIPAT approach adhere to agro-ecology, and through supporting farmers to grow well-sorted varieties of crops and livestock and applying technologies from the basket of options generated from a situation analysis, it is possible to improve food and nutrition security, and income, and ultimately reduce poverty. It is recommended that the use of the RIPAT approach should be applied in any agricultural interventions among small scale farmers and agricultural projects should be designed with a lens of food and nutrition security by implementing a wide range of relevant technologies associated with crops and livestock produced under agro- ecology principles.
Determinants of primary school teachers’ health literacy in Morogoro Municipality, Tanzania: a reflection on access to health information
(WILEY Online Library, HINDAWI, 2023) Mshingo David M.; Muhanga Mikidadi I.; Salanga Raymond J.; Ngowi Edwin E.
Background. Teachers have the potential of promoting health knowledge and consequently health-literacy (HL) enhancement. Cognizant of this, interventions geared toward influencing and strengthening school teachers’ HL have remained important. However, for such interventions to be effective, understanding what determines teachers’ HL is inevitable. Purpose. This article analyses the determinants of primary school teachers’ HL by analyzing what prompts their health information-seeking patterns. Methods. A cross-sectional research involving 189 randomly sampled primary school teachers was conducted in 2021 in Morogoro Municipality whereby data were collected through a structured questionnaire survey and analyzed using IBM-SPSS. A score index gauged HL while frequencies and percentages measured other variables. Results. All teachers had high HL with a mean HL (standard deviation) of 8.10062. Only 43.4% searched for HI, 20.1% of those who searched for HI were influenced by healthrelated problems encountered, 12.2% searched for HI to broaden their knowledge on health-related issues, and 7.4% were prompted by health risks around. Also, 3.7% of the teachers acceded that health-seeking information is influenced by an interest in searching HI for self-health management. About 36.0%, 32.3%, and 31.7% of the teachers agree that the provision of health education, interest to read issues related to HL, and addressing issues related to HL influence teachers’ HL. Conclusion. Teachers have been searching for HI due to different concerns, though there is a need to further enhance such efforts. Recommendation. The government, communities, and development partners should enhance HI seeking to promote teachers’ HL for a healthier society.
Influence of communication channels on sustained adoption of climate-smart agricultural technologies in the West Usambara Mountains, Tanzania
(Sokoine University of Agriculture, 2023-12-26) Mzingula Emmanuel P.; Massawe Fatihiya A.; Salanga Raymond J.
Climate change has been reducing agricultural production, especially cereals, potatoes and vegetables in the West Usambara Mountains. One approach for farmers to increase crop productivity in the West Usambara Mountains is to adopt Climate-Smart Agricultural (CSA) technologies. From 2011 to 2019, the Climate Change Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) project employed different communication channels to promote CSA technologies such as terraces, tree planting, organic fertilizers, improved seeds and weather information services. Understanding the influence of communication channels on the sustained adoption of CSA technologies is essential to decision-makers and extension workers. This study assessed the influence of communication channels on the sustained adoption of CSA technologies. A cross-sectional research design was adopted whereby a sample of 124 households was chosen by using simple random sampling from 140 farming households which participated in the CCAFS project. Data were collected by using household surveys, key informant interviews and focus group discussions. Analysis of quantitative data was conducted by using the Multivariate Probit Model through STATA software version 17 while thematic analysis was done for qualitative data. Results show that mobile phone contacts had a positive significant influence on the sustained adoption of tree planting and terraces. Farmers' meetings had a positive significant influence on the sustained adoption of weather information services, tree planting and terraces. Farmer-extensionist contacts had a positive significant influence on the sustained adoption of weather information services, improved seeds, organic fertilizers and terraces. Farmer-researcher contacts had a positive significant influence on the sustained adoption of improved seeds. Demonstration farms had a positive significant influence on the sustained adoption of weather information services. This study concludes that communication channels are information pathways useful in promoting the sustainable adoption of CSA technologies in the study area. This study recommends that agricultural stakeholders including policymakers and extension workers should incorporate communication channels when promoting post-project adoption of CSA technologies and designing future sustainable CSA interventions since they are important information pathways to farmers.
Influence of perceived climate change-related factors on sustained adoption of climate-smart agricultural technologies in the West Usambara Mountains, Tanzania
(The sub Saharan Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (SJSSH), 2023-08-26) Mzingula Emmanuel P.; Massawe Fatihiya A.; Salanga Raymond J.
In the West Usambara Mountains Tanzania, crop production is highly challenged by climate change and variability due to farmers’ dependence on rainfall and the use of poor technologies. Between 2011 and 2019, the Climate Change Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) was implemented to promote the adoption of Climate-Smart Agricultural (CSA) technologies in the West Usambara Mountains. Understanding farmers’ perceptions of climate change can enhance participation and adoption of sustainability of CSA technologies when the project is phased out. This study assessed the influence of perceived climate change-related factors on the sustained adoption of CSA technologies at the end of the CCAFs project. A cross-sectional research design was conducted by involving 124 households selected by simple random sampling from 140 farming households which received CSA interventions. Primary data were collected through household questionnaire survey, key informant interviews and focus group discussions while secondary data was obtained from the Tanzania Meteorological Authority. Data analysis employed STATA software version 17 to run the Multivariate Probit Regression model for quantitative data while content analysis was employed for qualitative data. Results show that a perceived increase in pests and diseases had a positive significant influence on the sustained adoption of tree planting and weather information. Increased floods had a positive significant influence on the sustained adoption of terraces and tree planting. Unpredictable rainfall had a positive significant influence on the sustained adoption of organic fertilizers and weather information. Increased droughts had a positive significant influence on the sustained adoption of organic fertilizers and improved seeds. The increased temperature had a positive significant influence on the sustained adoption of weather information. It is concluded that farmers’ perceptions of climate change are important to enhance the sustainable adoption of CSA technologies. It is recommended that policymakers and other stakeholders incorporate farmers’ perceptions of climate change when reviewing post-project interventions and designing new projects to enhance participation, sustainability of adoption of CSA technologies and improve crop productivity.