Impact of Ginger Farming to Smallholder Farmers’ Income in Tanzania – Case of Same District

Abstract

The study aimed to assess the contribution of ginger farming to smallholder farmers’ income in Same District Tanzania. A cross sectional research design was adopted; sample sizes of 244 respondents were obtained through purposive and non-purposive sampling techniques. The study has used both quantitative and qualitative methods approaches. Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) and Microsoft Excel (Ms Excel) were used to analyze data. The study used both quantitative and qualitative methods for data analysis. The data revealed that ginger production is profitable, with the gross margin of TZS 7,050,000 per acre/per annum. Returns to labour for ginger production revealed to be TZS 33,894.23.The data further, revealed that majority of respondents (71.3%) reported that their income accrued from ginger business were between TZS 1,000,001 to TZS 5,000,000 per annum whilst others few (1.7%) reported that their income were above TZS 10,000,000 per annum. Finally, the study found that the major problems affecting ginger farming in the district included; Low price fetched (54.5%) and inadequate capital to run the business (27%). Other factors included poor transportation, drought and unavailability of laborers. The higher returns to labour observed in ginger farming enterprise could have been contributed to adoption and use of labour saving technologies such as oxen-plough and use of improved seeds. The profit from ginger contributes significantly to the household income. Hence, it is important to create public awareness on the potential for the sector. The study also recommends for farmers to increase land under cultivation, define a more constructive role for the farmers union and discourage farm gate prices by establishing selling points which also offer value addition and storage facilities.