In general, Tanzania‟s agricultural sector faces a plethora of challenges, among which are the following:
i. Overdependence on rain-fed production;
ii. Poor availability of infrastructure to support production and distribution;
18
iii. Inadequate provision (in terms of numbers, skills and facilities) for extension services;
iv. Erratic use of scientific farming technologies with over 70 percent of farming activities relying on the traditional hand hoe;
v. Lack or inappropriate agricultural financing mechanisms;
vi. Low and erratic farm gate prices;
vii. High cost and poor logistical arrangements for inputs supply, which always translate into untimely input supplies;
viii. Limited investment in R&D, leading to a small proportion of smallholder farmers using improved crop varieties and livestock breeds;
ix. Minimal participation in the agricultural value addition chain;
x. Non-availability of publicly owned land parcels for agricultural development investment promotion;
xi. Poor land use planning, leading to competing use and encroachments of human settlements and urbanisation over arable agricultural land; and
xii. Growing adverse effects of climate change.
Livestock: With 4.6 percent, livestock ranks second within the agricultural sector in terms of its contribution to GDP, followed by forestry (and hunting) with a GDP contribution of about 2.3 percent. Although there has been no other formal livestock census conducted since 1984, livestock population has been increasing over the years. The estimated 2010 official statistical data reveals that, there are 19.2 million cattle; 13.7 million goats and 3.6 million sheep. Other livestock kept in the country include 1.8 million pigs, and 58.1 million chickens, out of which, 23 million are „improved‟ chickens, and 35 million are indigenous poultry. Out of the 23 million „improved‟ chickens, 7 million are layers and 16 million are broilers. These estimates are based on sample censuses conducted in 1994/95, 1998/99 and 2002/03, as well as on the extrapolation of the 2002/03 D
i. Overdependence on rain-fed production;
ii. Poor availability of infrastructure to support production and distribution;
18
iii. Inadequate provision (in terms of numbers, skills and facilities) for extension services;
iv. Erratic use of scientific farming technologies with over 70 percent of farming activities relying on the traditional hand hoe;
v. Lack or inappropriate agricultural financing mechanisms;
vi. Low and erratic farm gate prices;
vii. High cost and poor logistical arrangements for inputs supply, which always translate into untimely input supplies;
viii. Limited investment in R&D, leading to a small proportion of smallholder farmers using improved crop varieties and livestock breeds;
ix. Minimal participation in the agricultural value addition chain;
x. Non-availability of publicly owned land parcels for agricultural development investment promotion;
xi. Poor land use planning, leading to competing use and encroachments of human settlements and urbanisation over arable agricultural land; and
xii. Growing adverse effects of climate change.
Livestock: With 4.6 percent, livestock ranks second within the agricultural sector in terms of its contribution to GDP, followed by forestry (and hunting) with a GDP contribution of about 2.3 percent. Although there has been no other formal livestock census conducted since 1984, livestock population has been increasing over the years. The estimated 2010 official statistical data reveals that, there are 19.2 million cattle; 13.7 million goats and 3.6 million sheep. Other livestock kept in the country include 1.8 million pigs, and 58.1 million chickens, out of which, 23 million are „improved‟ chickens, and 35 million are indigenous poultry. Out of the 23 million „improved‟ chickens, 7 million are layers and 16 million are broilers. These estimates are based on sample censuses conducted in 1994/95, 1998/99 and 2002/03, as well as on the extrapolation of the 2002/03 D
No comments:
Post a Comment