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
What drives the integration of lead farmers into public extension systems? unpacking institutional, policy, and operational factors in Tanzania’s Kagera Region
(The sub Saharan Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2026-03-23) Baraka Louis J.; Malisa Emmanuel T.; Mhando David G.
Integrating community-based intermediaries into public agricultural extension systems is increasingly
recognized as a strategy to address chronic service delivery gaps in sub-Saharan Africa. However, the systemic factors that
enable or constrain such integration remain poorly understood. This study investigates the institutional, policy, and
operational conditions influencing the integration of Lead Farmers (LFs) into Tanzania’s government-led agricultural
extension system, using the Kagera Region as a case study. Despite LFs being widely promoted by non-governmental and
donor-funded projects to facilitate peer learning and improve agronomic practices, their formal alignment with public
extension structures is limited, uncoordinated, and lacks long-term institutional backing. A cross-sectional, mixed-methods
design was employed, combining a household survey of 95 smallholder farmers with 18 key informant interviews and four
focus group discussions involving extension officers, NGO representatives, researchers, and local leaders. The findings reveal
that while LFs are highly valued for their accessibility, credibility, and complementary role in extension delivery; with over
80% of surveyed farmers acknowledging their positive contribution to productivity; their effective integration is severely
constrained by a lack of political commitment, the absence of coherent policy frameworks, weak institutional coordination,
and inadequate administrative and financial preparedness. The study contributes to policy and practice by moving beyond
project-level assessments to provide a systems-level analysis of the structural determinants of LF integration. It highlights
that without deliberate efforts to embed LFs within formal planning, budgeting, and accountability mechanisms, their role
remains informal and unsustainable. The study concludes that leveraging the potential of LFs requires a fundamental shift
from project-based engagement to institutionalized integration. It recommends the formulation of a national policy guideline
to standardize LF roles, the mainstreaming of LFs into district agricultural plans and budgets, the establishment of multistakeholder coordination platforms, and the provision of structured, ongoing training through public institutions
Upgrading trajectories in domestic value chains: experience from non-industrial private forestry in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania
(Mkuki na Nyota Publishers Ltd., 2025) Martin Respikius; Friis-Hansen Esbern; Larsen Marianne Nylandsted; Mhando David Gongwe
For many years, investing in the agricultural sector has been regarded as
a key to poverty alleviation in developing countries. In Tanzania, a!er
independence and until Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP), the
investment focused on cash crop production (i.e. sugar, co"ee, sisal, tea
and cotton) for export (Gibbon, 2011) giving little attention to forestry
production by smallholder farmers. However, timber production by
smallholders (referred to as non-industrial private forestry in this paper)
is gaining economic importance in di"erent parts of Africa (Arvola
et al., 2019). In Tanzania, this timber production is largely occurring
in the Southern highlands. In fact, some studies (for example, Asiad,
2016; Pedersen, 2017; Lusasi et al., 2019) suggest that the forest area
under smallholder tree growers in the Southern highlands in Tanzania
has surpassed the industrial forestry which is owned and managed by the government and corporate companies. In addition, as observed by
Harrison et al. (2004) and Malkamäki et al. (2018), issues of indigenous
land rights and land claims also constrain expansion of the industrial
forestry in developing countries, including Tanzania. Empirical evidence
shows that the current consumption of wood in Tanzania exceeds
the supply, leading to a de#cit of 19.5 million m3 and this situation is
expected to persist for many years to come (MNRT, 2015). $is needed
timber, we argue, will depend to a large extent on the supply from nonindustrial private forestry, implying that there is a huge potential for
smallholder tree growers to expand their woodlots and hence improve
their household income.
Transforming smallholder orange farming in Tanzania: institutional constraints and sustainability pathways in Muheza District
(Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group, 2026) Mhando David Gongwe
This study examines sustainability constraints facing smallholder orange farmers in
Muheza District, Tanzania, and identifies institutional and value-chain pathways for
strengthening resilience. Using a mixed-methods design, household survey data were
integrated with focus group discussions and key informant interviews conducted
between January and March 2024. Descriptive statistics characterized household and
production conditions, while thematic analysis captured institutional and market
dynamics. A binary logistic regression model assessed factors associated with the
adoption of at least one sustainable/climate-smart practice (e.g. mulching, water
harvesting, intercropping). Results indicate that limited extension services, insecure land
tenure, and demographic aging reduce adaptive capacity, while weak institutional
support, especially exclusion from credit and limited extension coverage reinforces
low-input production. Marketing is dominated by brokers and local spot markets,
exposing farmers to seasonal price volatility and constraining bargaining power.
Regression results show that education, land size, access to credit, access to extension
services, and cooperative membership significantly increase the likelihood of adopting
sustainable practices. The study concludes that vulnerabilities are interlocking: deficits
in household livelihood capitals interact with structural asymmetries in value chain
governance. By integrating the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework and Global Value
Chain perspectives, the paper advances an analytically transferable approach for
diagnosing sustainability constraints in perennial crop systems. Transferability is
expected in settings characterized by constrained livelihood assets, limited credit and
extension access, and broker-dominated spot markets with weak collective organization.
The paper proposes policy options centered on tailored finance, strengthened extension,
cooperative revitalization, and governance reforms that improve market access and
incentives for sustainable practice adoption.
The role of social relations on sustainable agricultural practices and innovation adoption among smallholder orange farmers in Muheza District, Tanzania
(Canadian Center of Science and Education, 2026-05-28) Mhando David Gongwe
This study aimed to examine the role of social relations in influencing sustainable agricultural practices, innovation
adoption, and market participation among smallholder orange farmers in Mkuzi Village, Muheza District, Tanzania.
Specifically, the study investigated: first how trust, cooperation, and networks shape productivity and innovation
uptake; second, the barriers posed by mistrust and weak social ties; and third, the institutional and social
interventions that can support sustainable farming outcomes. A mixed-methods design was employed, integrating
both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Data were collected through household surveys (n = 60), semistructured interviews, focus group discussions, and participant observation. Quantitative data were analysed using
descriptive statistics and regression analysis via SPSS Version 25, while qualitative data were thematically coded
using NVivo 12. Findings reveal that strong social relations, characterized by trust, cooperation, and active group
membership, were associated with higher adoption of improved inputs, greater market access, and increased
resilience. Conversely, weak social networks, insecure land tenure, and theft undermined innovation and
investment, particularly among smallholder farmers. The implications of these results underscore the need to
strengthen local institutions, promote inclusive cooperatives, improve land tenure systems, and rebuild community
trust. The study recommends that policymakers and development practitioners integrate social capital
considerations into agricultural programs to enhance sustainability, innovation uptake, and rural livelihoods.
Comparative analysis of the use of pattern drafting and free hand cutting methods among tailors and apprentices in Kenya and Ghana
(Cari Journals, 2021) Bakker-Edoh, Dymphna; Kassah, Johnson Kofi; Kereth, Gudila Ancelm; Oigo, Elizabeth B.; Mburugu, Keren G.
Purpose: The study aimed at evaluating comparative analysis of the use of pattern drafting and
free hand cutting methods among tailors and apprentices in Kenya and Ghana.
Methodology: For this research, the study used a cross-sectional descriptive design. The target
population was tailors in Githurai, Kenya and Dwa Kitiwam, Koforidua, Ghana. A sample was
drawn randomly from this sampling frame which comprised of 30 tailors, with 15 being from
Githurai, Kenya and 15 from Dwa Kitiwam, Koforidua, Ghana. This study further used
questionnaires to collect primary data. Data obtained from the field was coded and filtered and
systematically sorted according to the questionnaire objects using frequency distributions and
proportions. With the aid of the Social Science Statistical Package (SPSS) version 26, the
researchers used both descriptive and inferential statistics to analyze the results.
Results: Ghana is more inclined to pattern drafting than free hand cutting compared to Kenyan
tailors who are inclined to free hand cutting as much as pattern drafting. Proving that the
individuals vary in their views on free-hand cutting and pattern drafting revealed that the
tendency of dressmakers and tailors for free-hand cutting was affected by the technique with
which they were educated and the simplicity associated with free-hand cutting processes.
Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: Instructors should cultivate the utilization
of pattern drawing to acquire a deeper understanding of the skills of pattern drafting.