id21 viewpoints

The importance of rice for reducing poverty in Tanzania

Abiud Kaswamila, at the College of African Wildlife Management in Tanzania, demonstrates the importance of selling rice as a cash crop in a poor region of Tanzania.

More than a third of the rice produced in Tanzania comes from Sukumaland, a semi-arid region in the north-west of the country. Rice from the region is exported as a cash crop, generating income for farmers in the region. How important is rice for reducing poverty, compared to other cash crops such as cotton and maize?

Agriculture in the Sukumaland, Tanzania is constantly changing. Important factors include climate change, changing market forces (both inside and outside of Tanzania) and the need to eradicate threats to livestock, such as disease and drought. In recent years, the need for the farmers with few resources to reduce poverty has become increasingly important.

Research by the Mlingano Agricultural Research Institute, Tanzania, considers the economic importance of rice production for farmers in three villages in Sukumaland: Shishiyu, Mwanhegele and Bukangilija. Data was collected using formal interviews, village meetings, informal discussions and by visiting the fields under cultivation. Formal interviews were also carried out with extension workers in the three villages.

The researchers also studied social effects of rice production in the villages. This was measured using indicators such as spending patterns, land use patterns, food security and investment in other economic activities.

Major findings include:

• Rice is much more profitable than cotton or maize for farmers in Sukumaland.
• Over 80 percent of respondents ranked rice as their most important cash crop, compared to cotton, maize, sorghum, groundnuts and sweet potatoes.
• The income generated from rice is sufficient to comfortably pay a minimum wage of 55,000 Tanzanian shillings each month for each family member for over four months. These earnings can be even higher when rice is sold during times of higher demand.
• The largest proportion of revenue from rice sales is spent on school fees and family welfare.
• Producing rice also improves household food security.

The importance of rice production for reducing poverty is likely to continue as long as cotton prices keep falling. However, if no efforts are made to make cotton production more profitable, farmers will become increasingly dependent on rice cultivation.

To maintain and improve the profits from rice, the research recommends to: 

• introduce high-yield rice varieties to the region
• encourage the use of drought-tolerant and water-efficient rice varieties
• encourage farmers to prioritise the control of weeds, which occur especially when organic fertilisers are used
• introduce efficient irrigation methods and water-storage systems to minimise water loss.

Abiud Kaswamila

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Further Information
Abiud Kaswamila
College of African Wildlife Management
Mweka
P.O. Box 3031
Moshi
Tanzania
kaswamila@hotmail.com

College of African Wildlife Management

See also
Rice Production in Maswa District, Tanzania and its Contribution to Poverty Alleviation, Mkuku na Nyota: Dar es Salaam, by J A Ngailo, A L Kaswamila and C J Senkoro, 2007

Useful links
Less water, more rice – increasing the productivity of irrigation systems in China

Maintaining rice diversity in Nepal: what can farmers do?

Balancing food security and sustainability: the challenges of rice production

April 2008

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