Browsing by Author "Rashid, Omari"

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    The impact of crop diversification on food security in Singida, Tanzania a case of rift valley communities in Iramba district, Tanzania
    (University of Dar es Salaam, 2015) Rashid, Omari
    This study investigated the understanding of the impact of crop diversification on food security and established their implications for community livelihoods. Case study villages were Nselembwe and Kibigiri in Iramba District. Household survey (n=70) with a 5% of the sample population, focus group discussion (n=30) and key informant interviews (n=15) were conducted. Transect walk and participatory field observation were also the main techniques used to get data for the study. Quantitative data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and Excel program, while content analysis was used to analyze qualitative data. Results have shown that, 92.0% in Nselembwe and 70.0% in Kibigiri villages are engaged in both crop production and livestock keeping. It was also found that in both villages, maize and sorghum are dominantly cultivated for food, while cotton, groundnuts and sunflower are also produced for commercial purposes. However, factors such as climate change, farming costs as well as market factors have compelled many farmers to undertake crop diversification by 76% in Nselembwe and 85% in Kibigiri villages. It was further noted that, the diversification of sunflower crop was higher as compared to crops such as cotton and groundnuts. To a large extent, crop diversification has positively helped to improve lives of farmers by providing assurance of food security (51%), income (40%), build a modern house (39.5%), pay the health services (27.5%) and access to school for children (25%). Finally, it is recommended that, government as well as NGO’s should ensure farmers’ capacity building of coping and adaptation strategies toward agricultural improvements through education and communication strategies.