Can subsistence farmers commercialize? Evidence from the southern highlands of Tanzania
Improving rural livelihoods remains a challenge due to subsistence production. This study uses 206 surveys to assess whether smallholders can go commercial. We conducted the surveys in eight villages of the southern highlands of Tanzania, which we prioritized based on market access (low, high) and i...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2023-07-01
|
| Series: | Farming System |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949911923000229 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1846160272956325888 |
|---|---|
| author | Hosea Mpogole Boniface Kauki Baltazar Namwata Emma Ngilangwa Christina Mandara Emmanuel Hauli |
| author_facet | Hosea Mpogole Boniface Kauki Baltazar Namwata Emma Ngilangwa Christina Mandara Emmanuel Hauli |
| author_sort | Hosea Mpogole |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Improving rural livelihoods remains a challenge due to subsistence production. This study uses 206 surveys to assess whether smallholders can go commercial. We conducted the surveys in eight villages of the southern highlands of Tanzania, which we prioritized based on market access (low, high) and integration into commercial food systems (low, high). In addition, we included eight focus group discussions and six key informant interviews to supplement the survey data. We analyzed survey data using descriptive statistics and the general linear model with robust standard errors. Significant findings are fivefold. First, men dominate crops perceived as commercial, and women are less likely to be commercial. Second, youth are more likely to be commercial than adults. Third, smallholders are willing to quit farming over employment. Fourth, over half of surveyed smallholders perceived themselves as commercially oriented to a small extent, moderate, or great extent. Fifth, factors such as the sex of smallholders, age, land ownership, access to extension services, household size of the smallholder, and ownership of assets influenced the commercial orientation of smallholders. The study concludes that smallholders can indeed and gradually go commercial, albeit on a small scale and within the existing farming systems. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9bd5a4fd8b084ecca29655c7284ee64f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2949-9119 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Farming System |
| spelling | doaj-art-9bd5a4fd8b084ecca29655c7284ee64f2024-11-22T07:40:45ZengElsevierFarming System2949-91192023-07-0112100022Can subsistence farmers commercialize? Evidence from the southern highlands of TanzaniaHosea Mpogole0Boniface Kauki1Baltazar Namwata2Emma Ngilangwa3Christina Mandara4Emmanuel Hauli5Institute of Rural Development Planning, Dodoma, Tanzania; Corresponding author.Institute of Rural Development Planning, Dodoma, TanzaniaMoshi Cooperative University, Moshi, TanzaniaInstitute of Rural Development Planning, Dodoma, TanzaniaInstitute of Rural Development Planning, Dodoma, TanzaniaInstitute of Rural Development Planning, Dodoma, TanzaniaImproving rural livelihoods remains a challenge due to subsistence production. This study uses 206 surveys to assess whether smallholders can go commercial. We conducted the surveys in eight villages of the southern highlands of Tanzania, which we prioritized based on market access (low, high) and integration into commercial food systems (low, high). In addition, we included eight focus group discussions and six key informant interviews to supplement the survey data. We analyzed survey data using descriptive statistics and the general linear model with robust standard errors. Significant findings are fivefold. First, men dominate crops perceived as commercial, and women are less likely to be commercial. Second, youth are more likely to be commercial than adults. Third, smallholders are willing to quit farming over employment. Fourth, over half of surveyed smallholders perceived themselves as commercially oriented to a small extent, moderate, or great extent. Fifth, factors such as the sex of smallholders, age, land ownership, access to extension services, household size of the smallholder, and ownership of assets influenced the commercial orientation of smallholders. The study concludes that smallholders can indeed and gradually go commercial, albeit on a small scale and within the existing farming systems.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949911923000229Subsistence productionCommercializationPeasant farmerSelf-employmentProductivity |
| spellingShingle | Hosea Mpogole Boniface Kauki Baltazar Namwata Emma Ngilangwa Christina Mandara Emmanuel Hauli Can subsistence farmers commercialize? Evidence from the southern highlands of Tanzania Farming System Subsistence production Commercialization Peasant farmer Self-employment Productivity |
| title | Can subsistence farmers commercialize? Evidence from the southern highlands of Tanzania |
| title_full | Can subsistence farmers commercialize? Evidence from the southern highlands of Tanzania |
| title_fullStr | Can subsistence farmers commercialize? Evidence from the southern highlands of Tanzania |
| title_full_unstemmed | Can subsistence farmers commercialize? Evidence from the southern highlands of Tanzania |
| title_short | Can subsistence farmers commercialize? Evidence from the southern highlands of Tanzania |
| title_sort | can subsistence farmers commercialize evidence from the southern highlands of tanzania |
| topic | Subsistence production Commercialization Peasant farmer Self-employment Productivity |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949911923000229 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT hoseampogole cansubsistencefarmerscommercializeevidencefromthesouthernhighlandsoftanzania AT bonifacekauki cansubsistencefarmerscommercializeevidencefromthesouthernhighlandsoftanzania AT baltazarnamwata cansubsistencefarmerscommercializeevidencefromthesouthernhighlandsoftanzania AT emmangilangwa cansubsistencefarmerscommercializeevidencefromthesouthernhighlandsoftanzania AT christinamandara cansubsistencefarmerscommercializeevidencefromthesouthernhighlandsoftanzania AT emmanuelhauli cansubsistencefarmerscommercializeevidencefromthesouthernhighlandsoftanzania |