Drivers of Quality Declared Seed Use in Tanzania: Evidence from Kilombero District (Published)
This paper examines the drivers of rice Quality Declared Seed (QDS) use in Tanzania using data gathered through farmers survey from randomly selected villages in Kilombero District, Tanzania. A cross-sectional research design was used to collect information from 100 randomly selected rice farmers. In addition, focus group discussions and key informant interviews were also conducted to complement and allow triangulation of data. Qualitative data was analyzed using content analysis. The results showed that farmers had access to rice QDS but were faced with some challenges such as lack of awareness on rice QDS and lack of capital to purchase rice QDS. Moreover, the number of farmers presently using rice QDS seeds in the study area was still below half of the farmers’ population. The study therefore concludes that there is a viable opportunity to enhance more farmers to adopt and use rice QDS in the study area through proper information dissemination and provision of support and training needed by the farmers to maximize their use of rice QDS.
Keywords: Drivers, Rice, Technology, adoptions, kilombero, quality declared seed, recycled seed