Tanzania Journal of Community Development

Foreword from the chief editors

Rasel M. Madaha — 2025-02-27

No abstract.

Determinants of choices of the income generating activities among youths beneficiaries of Youth Development Fund in Morogoro Municipality and Mvomero District in Tanzania

Regina John — 2025-02-27

Being guided by the theory of reasoned action, this study sought to investigate factors that determined the choices of incomegenerating activities among youth beneficiaries of Youth Development Fund in Morogoro Municipality and Mvomero District Councils. The study employed cross-section designs where 200 respondents were involved. Multistage sampling techniques and simple random techniques were used to select the respondents involved in the study. Data were collected through questionnaires and interview schedules, and they were analysed through descriptive statistics and the Multinomial regression model. The findings show that factors that have influenced the choice of youth income generating activities among the youth include: attitudes, family, and friends support, customers and market availability, availability of skilled labour, low competition from a similar business, skills possession, and cooperation from others. However, these findings show that the factors did not influence all categories of choices and therefore the study recommends that the ministry responsible for youth should ensure that there is enough awareness created for youth on how the Community Development Department can make their business perform better. This should include training on how youth can have a proper choice by considering factors such as attitude, significant others, and skills possession.

The potential of the National Ageing Policy in enabling social protection of the elderly in Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania

Regina C. Malima — 2025-02-27

Although substantial progress has been made in adopting National Ageing Policy (NAP) of 2003 in Tanzania, lack of enforceable laws to ensure successfully implementation of the policy on elderly social protection remain a major challenge. This paper examined the NAP of 2003 on the elderly social protection in Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania. The issues covered the policy environment of the NAP on provision of basic needs to the elderly, institutional arrangements in relation to the elderly’s social protection and factors affecting the implementation of NAP. A cross-sectional design was used and data were collected through FGDs and key informant interviews. Data were analysed by using content analysis. The study found that while Tanzania has taken some elderly’s social protection initiatives including the adoption of the NAP, the measures have not been adequately implemented in achieving effective and sustainable welfare of the elderly due to absence of legislation that backup the implementation of the NAP. The study concludes that; in the absence of elderly’s legal framework and effective institutional arrangements, successful interventions to support the elderly will not be achieved. Therefore, it is recommended that the Government through the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children need to review the NAP and come up with effective legal and regulatory framework measures that will guide and control the elderly social protection services delivery. Such measures include the enactment of the elderly law(s), establishment of effective institutional arrangements with coherent systems, enforcement and coordination engagements in order to guide social protection design and implementation processes that promote effective elderly’s social protection in Tanzania.

Drought risk reduction strategies in rural Zimbabwe: Opinions of Mhondoro-Ngezi District communities

Farai Ngwaru — 2025-02-27

This paper highlights the perceptions of Mhondoro-Ngezi rural communities regarding drought risk reduction strategies. The study was motivated by personal experience as a minister of religion deployed in Mhondoro-Ngezi District. The researcher witnessed the area becoming increasingly prone to drought leading local people to reduced livelihoods both at household and community levels. Set in a rural community of Zimbabwe, Mhondoro-Ngezi District has a population of about 102 342 (Zimbabwe National Statistical Agency, 2016). A purposive sample of 8 key informants was selected for interviews. In addition, four Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) from 32 respondents were purposively selected. Data was analysed qualitatively according to emerging themes. Results showed that drought was really a cause for concern for rural communities in Mhondoro-Ngezi District. Hence, local knowledge regarding mitigating the effects of drought was considered important and sustainable. The study recommends that the central government of Zimbabwe should help rural communities develop mechanisms for water harvesting so that people have safe and sufficient water for domestic and agricultural use. It should also support their effort to grow drought tolerant crops by providing short season seed, agricultural equipment as well as food processing technologies. The study would generate new insights into drought risk reduction strategies, thereby contributing to the growing body of literature in drought management issues. As a result, scholars and scientific researchers in related areas of study can access such theoretical and empirical information and enrich their understanding of drought risk reduction practices in rural African communities

An exploration of the factors that determine the gendered adaptation to climate variability in Kilosa District, Tanzania

Rachel Zakayo — 2025-02-27

Adaptation is reflected as a suitable response to climate variability, particularly for smallholder farmers. Yet, adaptation by women and men farmers may be influenced by different factors that are not well understood. That is, there is a gender dimension to the choice of an adaptation strategy to climate variability. The study employed a qualitative research design to explore the factors that determine the adaptation to climate variability by women and men. The study findings indicate that climate variability adaptation of men and women depends on farm size, access to credit, financial resources, access to information, and access to extension services and training. However, the factors vary significantly between women and women. Although women predominate in the provision of agriculture labour force, men dominate the decision making in allocating labour as well choosing what crop to grow and sell.

The causes and detrimental effects associated with the use of 'fake' inputs and seeds to the smallholder farmers in Tanzania

Jackson Bulili Machibya — 2025-02-27

This paper attempts to study the causes and detrimental effects of using fake agro-inputs and seeds by using primary survey data collected from four regions of Tanzania. The study employed mixed methods of data collection entailing secondary review of the relevant documents in the seed input sector. It involved an intensive field survey using structured questionnaire tool as well as consultative interviews/meeting with all key informants across the entire agroinputs and seeds value chain in Mbeya, Morogoro, Njombe and Arusha regions. The achieved sample size of this study were total of 495 people from selected different categories including famers, input dealers, research institutions, seed producers and Apex bodies- regulators in the country. The study applied sampling procedures of both random and systematic sampling throughout the entire seed value chain. The data collected were descriptively analyzed by the help of the computer program known as Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). The causes that are accelerating the existence of fake agro-inputs and seeds in the markets include the shortage of improved certified seeds in the market whereby the businessmen take advantage of this situation to falsify brands and sell these to unsuspecting farmers at exorbitant prices thus masking the inferior quality perception; also, farmers perceive the cost of certified seeds/inputs to be high, they do not understand the value proposition for buying improved seeds ending up buying fake seeds sold at low prices. Besides, there are a number of detrimental effects including social effects such as household food insecurities; failed marriages attributed to crop failures. The economic effects were decreased income of up to 60 percent and in some instances, up to 90% due to crop failures; reduced individual and household purchasing power; most households depend on the sale of crops to smoothen their cash flows. The environmental effects include; decreased soil fertility leading to reduced productivity and loss of biodiversity. Therefore, the study recommends the creation of supportive business environments for investment in production of various seed varieties production to increase supply as well as strengthening the regulatory authority bodies for enforcement of the laws and regulations that will regulate the agro-inputs and seeds markets in the country.