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Agriculture is said to be the backbone of the economy of Tanzania. But when you look at the statistics you see the wide gap between the potential of what agriculture can achieve and that which is realized. Despite the government’s effort to initiate different plans to promote agricultural development time after time, the effort seems unsatisfactory because it has failed to improve the livelihood of the rural people whose major occupation is agriculture. Turning to NGOs for promotion of agricultural and rural development seems to offer a new hope because NGOs seems to be in a better position to perform even than the public sector.
It was in that light that this study intended to assess the role of NGOs in Agricultural development in Tanzania with the specific objectives being to assess the extent of involvement of NGOs towards agricultural development in Tanzania, to determine the challenges facing NGOs participating in agricultural development in Tanzania and to identify various measures to be taken to improve NGOs participation in agricultural development in Tanzania. The study was done at BRAC Tanzania Headquarters in Dar es Salaam. Data was gathered from the primary source using questionnaires, interviews, as well as observation methods. The secondary source of data included Textbooks, journal articles, newspaper articles, seminar and conference papers as well as internet articles and other unpublished materials comprised our literature. The sample size was 50 BRAC Maendeleo members and 10 BRAC staff.
The findings revealed that BRAC Maendeleo, an agricultural development NGO has positively impacted and improved the lives of its members. There have been some challenges during implementation of the programme like poor infrastructures in rural areas, over dependence on the rain fed agriculture and reliance on traditional farming practices. BRAC Maendeleo tries to face these challenges by providing trainings, quality seeds and other technical support to its members. Among the recommendations given so as to improve agricultural development in Tanzania are improving infrastructure in rural areas, provision of technical and financial support to agricultural development NGOs and productive relationship between the government and agricultural development NGOs. |
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