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Yields of the Major Food Crops: Implications to Food Security and Policy in Tanzania’s Semi-Arid Agro-Ecological Zone

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  • Msafiri Y. Mkonda

    (Centre of Excellence for Soil Biology, College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
    Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Solomon Mahlangu College of Science and Education, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro 3038, Tanzania)

  • Xinhua He

    (Centre of Excellence for Soil Biology, College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
    School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley 6009, Australia)

Abstract

While Tanzania has been facing food shortage for some decades, little efforts have been made to elicit optimal crop yields. To limit this problem, there is a need for a robust agricultural policy that aims at stabilizing agricultural production and socio-economic entitlement among the farmers. The present study analyses the production trend of maize, sorghum and millet (i.e., staple food crops) under rain fed agriculture in Kongwa District, the semi-arid agro-ecological zone of Central Tanzania, and envisage their implications to food security and policy. We collected a set of crop data (1980–2015) from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries. In addition, 400 respondents were sampled randomly in the study area during household survey while a series of interviews and discussions were conducted mostly basing on the expertise. The Mann-Kendall Test and Microsoft excel (window 13) and theme content methods were employed for data analyses. The results showed that the production trends for maize, sorghum and millet yields have been decreasing at R 2 = 0.40, 0.35 and 0.11 respectively and this trend was supported by 80% of the respondents. This decrease was greatly influenced by the temporal decrease in the mean annual rainfall (R 2 = 0.21). The diminishing production trend has already decreased food security for 30% in the area. Since agricultural policy can be among the main sources of this poor yields, an explicit and sound agricultural policy should be the central aspect in planning and implementing agricultural activities.

Suggested Citation

  • Msafiri Y. Mkonda & Xinhua He, 2017. "Yields of the Major Food Crops: Implications to Food Security and Policy in Tanzania’s Semi-Arid Agro-Ecological Zone," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(8), pages 1-16, August.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:9:y:2017:i:8:p:1490-:d:109316
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Zhang Hong & Msafiri Y. Mkonda & Xinhua He, 2018. "Conservation Agriculture for Environmental Sustainability in A Semiarid Agroecological Zone under Climate Change Scenarios," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-19, May.
    3. Balengayabo, Jonas G. & Kassenga, Gabriel R. & Mgana, Shaaban M. & Salukele, Fredrick, 2024. "Impact of recurring irrigation with treated domestic wastewater on heavy metal accumulation in the soil," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 297(C).
    4. Selya, Noel Yared & Dimoso, Provident & Mgale, Yohana James, 2023. "Exploring the Adoption and Impact of Conservation Agriculture among Smallholder Farmers in Semi-Arid Areas: Evidence from Chamwino District, Tanzania," Research on World Agricultural Economy, Nan Yang Academy of Sciences Pte Ltd (NASS), vol. 4(2), June.
    5. Charles Peter Mgeni & Klaus Müller & Stefan Sieber, 2018. "Sunflower Value Chain Enhancements for the Rural Economy in Tanzania: A Village Computable General Equilibrium-CGE Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-22, December.
    6. Srijna Jha & Harald Kaechele & Marcos Lana & T.S Amjath-Babu & Stefan Sieber, 2020. "Exploring Farmers’ Perceptions of Agricultural Technologies: A Case Study from Tanzania," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-21, January.

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