Browsing by Author "Kassanga, Daniel Joseph"

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    Irrigation schemes and its socio-economic impact on households wellbeing in semi-arid areas; a case of Mwanga District
    (University of Dar es Salaam, 2014) Kassanga, Daniel Joseph
    The improvement of households’ wellbeing has been largely a result of economic growth. The economic growth and the extent of households’ wellbeing improvement in Tanzania are primarily determined by the growth of agriculture because agriculture is the largest component of the economy. One of the major factors behind the weak performance of agriculture in Tanzania is unreliability of rainfall combined with technical problems within the sector. Irrigation development is one of the strategies to address this problem. This study examined the socio-economic impact of irrigation schemes on households’ wellbeing in semi- arid area, a case of Mwanga District in Kilimanjaro Region.A survey of 90 randomly selected households, in depth interview, observation and focus group discussion were undertaken in two wards engaged in irrigation farming. Descriptive statistics was used to assess the impact of irrigation schemes on households’ wellbeing within the study area. Findings from the study revealed that 2990 ha were reserved for irrigation farming within the selected wards of study whereby only 1150 ha were under utilization. Land ownership for the majority farmers ranges from 0.5 to 2 acres. The use of farm inputs and implements remained weak due to high price sold and hired. It was further noted that, irrigation schemes had brought insignificantly positive results in both economic and social benefits.It was concluded that, irrigation schemes in semi-arid areas could bring about sustainable positive results if the schemes infrastructures were improved and the land kept for farming was appropriately used. The study recommends that there is need for improvement of irrigation infrastructure, application of appropriate farm inputs and implements, information on markets and water availability.