Browsing by Author "Khalil, Hassan Burma Salim"

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    Logistical management challenges and poverty alleviation in cashew nuts marketing in Tandahimba and Newala districts, Mtwara region, Tanzania, Master dissertation, University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam.
    (University of Dar es Salaam, 2017) Khalil, Hassan Burma Salim
    This study assessed the contribution of logistical management challenges in poverty alleviation among the cashew nut farmers in Tandahimba and Newala districts, Mtwara region. The overall hypothesis was that there is no correlation between enhanced logistical management challenges and poverty alleviation among cashew nut farmers in Tandahimba and Newala istricts.Positivism guided this study. Key informant and questionnaire interviews were carried out with key stakeholders like Government officials, financial institutions, local processors, transporters, international buyers and cashew farmers respectively. The logistical management factors that were studied included transportation, farming management husbandry, storage facilities, packaging and standardization, adding value to the products and marketing whereas the poverty (situation) factors included health, education, general living conditions, family income levels and infrastructure. The study found that road network infrastructure in the study area was poor. Presence of crude farming tools was also observed. Poor agro-husbandry practices and management in the study areas were a common existence. Lack of timely supply and affordability of farming inputs was a common feature and lack of access to financial services by the farmers as well.as Transportation of the harvested nuts was costly. Lack of sufficient storage facilities among farmers was also observed. There was a positive relationship between affordability of transportation and estimates of family incomes from the study data. The main logistical challenges facing the cashew nuts farmers in the study areas were infrastructure (poor road networks), transport vessels and facilities which were rudimentary and mostly mechanical and costly for the normal farmer to afford; pesticides were yet another nightmare where most of the farmers import; safety to the farmers with lots of cash during payment time as most of the farmers were paid cash money; poor record keeping by the farmers which makes it difficult to critically assess the level of poverty alleviation brought about by cashew nuts farming; some farmers opt to sell theircashew nuts to the middlemen at lower prices to just earn some cash money to solve their immediate financial difficulties during that time; and disease outbreaks are yet another big challenge. The results have implications to policy, management and practices.