Transformation of Smallholder Livestock Keeping into Commercial Livestock Keeping in Rukwa Region South Western Tanzania

Konga, Dennis (2014) Transformation of Smallholder Livestock Keeping into Commercial Livestock Keeping in Rukwa Region South Western Tanzania. Masters thesis, The Open University of Tanzania.

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Abstract

Smallholder livestock keeping in Tanzania accounts for about 80% of households that keep livestock. Smallholder livestock keeping holds an upper hand in poverty reduction as well as increasing food security within families and the nation at large. Smallholder livestock keeping has become the key area for the realization of poverty reduction and has promising contribution to the economic development of the country. The general objective of the study was to find why the majority of the smallholder livestock keepers are not changing the traditional system from just keeping livestock to commercialization similar to a few. To analyze livestock keeping systems of the people of Nkasi and Sumbawanga districts as well as determine the influence of culture in the transformation of livestock farming. The final objective was to determine best practices adopted by smallholder livestock farmers when participating in livestock production. The study was conducted in Sumbawanga and Nkasi Districts using the cross sectional research design. Quantitative and qualitative data was collected using both open and closed-ended questionnaire whereby 250 smallholder livestock keepers were involved. Observation method was also used in order to understand the smallholder livestock keeping but also to supplement things that were not covered in other methods. Interviews with key informants, individual in-depth and focus group discussion (FGD) were also used during the study. The analysis of collected data was done using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Since smallholder livestock keeping offer a wide range of economic opportunities, this thesis recommends that the government recognize the contribution of smallholder livestock producers to the nation economy.

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