A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of
Master’s in Information and Communication Science and Engineering of the Nelson
Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology
There is a wide collection of invaluable varieties of ornamental plants and flowers available
for sale by vendors in Arusha city contributing to local employment, and food security.
Horticulture in Tanzania is dominated by small scale farmers in Arusha that contribute to about
70% of the produces in the sector. However, there are challenges that need to be addressed
including; inadequate information for the development of the sector and livelihoods of the
vendors. The information on the varied species of ornamental plants and flowers are mainly
undocumented and not digitized. This limits access to the scientific community and the general
public bringing on these varieties in Arusha a growing conservation concern. The other
challenge is that the small-scale vendors have limited visibility to regional markets and
international market places which hinders their business growth.
On this study, a Web portal was developed for inventory, mapping and digitization of the
various species of ornamental plants and flowers as a solution to above challenges. Data
collection was conducted using various data collection techniques such as; Interviews,
observations, Questionnaire (Open Data Kit) and reviewing numerous research papers in seven
wards of Arusha city where the vendors grow and sell a number of species of ornamental plants
and flowers. Both qualitative and quantitative methods mentioned above were deployed to
provide insights on the ornamental plants and flower business operations.
For the survey, 70 varieties of ornamental plants and flowers were gathered and arranged
categorically in terms of taxonomy and usage and uploaded on the portal. The portal developed
indicates the potential to help stakeholders find plants’ and flowers’ varieties information,
images, and sales location online, the vendors will be able to advertise their products on the
portal and conduct business with customers online. In addition, it will also help Arusha City
Representatives with baseline information on the sector to make informed plans and decisions.