Characterization of maize producing households in Manyoni and Chamwino districts in Tanzania

Abstract

Maize is Africa’s most important cereal crop. It is particularly vital for more than 300 million people in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) whose livelihoods are threatened by recurrent droughts responsible for crop failures. Considering the devastating impact of droughts on food security and economic development in SSA, effective solutions are of uttermost importance, especially as the situation is set to worsen as climate change progresses. The Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) initiative aims to address this challenge. It joins the efforts of people, organizations and projects supporting the development and dissemination of drought tolerant maize in 13 countries in SSA. The initiative is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Howard G. Buffett Foundation. For further information about the initiative, visit the project website (http://dtma.cimmyt.org). Developing, distributing and cultivating drought tolerant maize varieties is a highly relevant intervention in SSA to reduce vulnerability, food insecurity and the damage to local markets caused by food aid. However, for this to succeed, it needs to be embedded in the local reality. For this purpose, each of the participating countries was supported to conduct a community assessment and a household survey in the target areas. This report presents the findings of the household survey, which serve as a baseline and characterizes the maize producing households in Chamwino and Manyoni Districts of Tanzania. This country study received financial support from the DTMA project. During the course of the study, the authors benefitted from constructive contributions from Wilfred Mwangi, Roberto la Rovere, Girma Tesfahun Kassie and Olaf Erenstein, among others; and editing by Wandera Ojanji. The authors are responsible for any remaining errors and inferences.