Masters Dissertation
The main objective of this study was to determine the impact of village saving loans (VSL) in improving maize productivity. Specific objectives of the research were to i) Determine the extent of using VSL in accessing agricultural inputs ii) Assess the impact of VSL in productivity of maize at household level iii) Examining the challenges facing the implementation of VSL. The study was conducted in the southern side of the Uluguru Mountains specifically in Kolero, Kassanga, Temekelo and Lubasazi villages. A cross sectional design was adopted. A representative sample of 120 respondents was randomly drawn comprising members and non-members of VSL. Both qualitative and quantitative methodologies were used The methods used under qualitative methodology were Focus Group Discussion and observation .Under quantitative methodology, a questionnaire with closed and open ended questions was used to collect data. The Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) was used for data analysis. The results show that VSL has not been successful in increasing agricultural productivity of its members. However, the program has an overall positive impact on various indicators of household and individual welfare, including asset expenditure levels, the development of income-generating activities (IGAs), education expenses, and access to health services, nutritional levels and quality of housing. It is further recommended that for the groups to be successful the leadership of the groups should be improved and also more education should be provided to the members and non-members to increase group’s sustainability, membership rate and the number of groups. The government on the other hand should improve the land ownership policy to enable larger number of farmers to own land and improvement of rural network system to enable expansion of agricultural markets.