A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Business Administration Corporate Management (MBA-CM) of the Mzumbe University
The study examined the private firms support to smallholder’s farmers on improving farming system in Tanzania. The specific objectives were to assess the roles played by private firms in support of smallholder’s farmers, examining the factors triggering private firm’s decision to support small holder farmers and determining factors hindering private firms support to smallholder famers in Sumbawanga District.
The study employed qualitative and quantitative research approaches in order to investigate private firms support to smallholder’s farmers on improving farming system. The data collected were coded using SPSS version 20.0 and analysed using descriptive statistics, regression analysis and correlation matrix analysis.
The study found that smart farm private organization plays significant roles in supporting smallholder famers in terms dialogue with policy makers related with improvement of smallholders farming system, searching for market information about smallholders farming products and providing training and consultations on better farming system among smallholders farmers in the region.
The study revealed that R-square is 0.632 implying that efforts in fighting against poverty (coefficient 0.307 and t-value 2.925 at p=0.005), policy initiative to support rural farming (coefficient 0.146 and t-value 2.603 at p=0.011), organization focus and functions (coefficient 0.124 and t-value 2.496 at p=0.015) and development agenda in rural areas(coefficient 0.179 and t-value 2.847 at p=0.002) have 63.2% ability in explaining the variation of private firm’s decision on supporting smallholder’s farmers.
The study recommends that private firms in collaborations with the government have to make efforts on improving market for smallholder’s farm products domestically and internationally for improving smallholder farmer in rural areas.