The contribution of farmers’ organizations to smallholder farmers’ well-being: A case study of Kasulu district, Tanzania

Abstract

Farmers’ Organizations’ (FOs) play a significant role as an institutional vehicle for promoting agricultural development through helping farmers solve common problems in relation to agricultural inputs, credit, technical knowledge and marketing of produce. All these services aim at improving farming activities and enabling them to gain economic benefits to sustain their well-being. Based on the above, this paper assessed the contribution of FOs to smallholder farmers’ well-being in Kasulu district. Specifically, the study assessed farmers’ perception towards FOs, identified goods and services accrued by farmers from the organizations, and the contribution of goods and services from the same to farmers’ well-being. A cross-sectional research design was employed whereby data was collected from 160 randomly selected farm households. Primary data was collected using a prestructured questionnaire with both open and close-ended questions. Both quantitative and qualitative information was collected. Observations from the study showed that FOs contributed positively to their members’ well-being. Generally, FO’s members had a relatively higher income compared to the nonmembers, based on t-test analysis; the difference was shown to be statistically significant. Generally, the results indicated that extension services and the use of inorganic fertilizers and pesticides were positively associated with a household’s income and assets ownership. Therefore, it is recommended that, rural farm households be encouraged to form or join farmers’ organizations as these have a great potential of solving their problems.