Assessment of factors influencing smallholder farmers’ utilization of animal draft power: a case study in Bunda district, Mara region
| dc.contributor.author | NGABO,JANE NYANJIGA M | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-02-18T10:07:36Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-02-18T10:07:36Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2011 | |
| dc.description | Thesis | |
| dc.description.abstract | The purpose of the study was to investigate factors influencing smallholder farmers’ utilization of animal draft power (ADP in Bunda District, Mara region. Six villages were purposively selected, and 17 smallholder farmers from each village were randomly selected, seven of them were using ADP, and ten others were not, making a total of 102 smallholder fanners in the study sample. Structured interview schedules were used to collect primary data on ADP users and non-users. The study reveals that the main source of income is crop production while livestock keeping and off-farm activities are secondary sources. The study reveals further that 66.7% of the ADP users and non-users earn incomes of about Tshs. 364,900/= from the sale of field crops. Observations also show that 52% of the ADP users faced, labour shortages during weeding time, high cost of spare parts and prevalent of cattle diseases. Of the 74 respondents who kept cattle, 42% of them reported that tick borne diseases are common diseases in the area. It was also found that the common diseases that affect oxen during the cropping season were foot rots, Foot and mouth disease, worms and tick-borne diseases. Also, the study reveals that most of the respondents do not control cattle parasites because of the high cattle dipping cost charges and the lack of ALEAs. Of all the ADP users, 54.8% indicated to have had learned ADP technologies from their parents (farther). Of all the ADP users, 62% indicated that ploughing using ADP is done by men, for activities such as land preparation and ploughing, while planting, weeding, harvesting, transportation, and processing of field crops are done manually by women and children. The study found that 50% of ADP users reported that DA worked from 5 am to 9 am ploughig, from 9 am to 6 pm grazing, and there no supplementary feeding. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://www.suaire.sua.ac.tz/handle/123456789/6571 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | Sokoine University of Agriculture | |
| dc.subject | Smallholder farmers | |
| dc.subject | Animal draft power | |
| dc.subject | Utilization | |
| dc.title | Assessment of factors influencing smallholder farmers’ utilization of animal draft power: a case study in Bunda district, Mara region | |
| dc.type | Thesis |