Comparative Study On Effectiveness Of International Aid On Agriculture In Tanzania

There have been a number of debates on the effectiveness of international aid. Some scholars have argued that aid is good for developing countries while others have termed it as dead aid meaning that it is not good for developing countries. But amid all these debates, the influx of aid to developing countries is unstoppable. A number of justifications for aid have been communicated over the years.The justifications for aid range from humanitarian concerns, commercial curiosities, political philosophies to boosting economic development. The agricultural sector in Tanzania is one of the important sectors in the country receiving a considerable amount of international aid which is believed to improve the overall wellbeing of farmers and the entire rural society. The main objective of the study was to critically examine the effectiveness of international aid on agriculture in Tanzania through a comparison of two donor funded agricultural projects. Agriculture is the largest economic sector in many parts of the world. The findings of this study are hoped to form a resource base for sharing experiences, lessons and best practices that will assist different development stakeholders in creating and managing development aids. The findings will also serve as additional source of valuable information for planners and policy makers in Tanzania and even to the donor countries in aids issues.Recommendations from the study will also help to improve the performance of these agricultural projects (IPRCC - China, in Kilosa District and USAID - US, in Mvomero district) and other sectors donor funded development projects and hence leading to an eventual poverty reduction process and the realization of improved living standards of the intended people.A total of 170 respondents participated in the study. These included 160 small scale farmers who were the primary respondents for the study randomly selected and 10 key informants purposively selected. The methods of data collection included personal interviewing, document review, focus group discussions and observations from which both qualitative and quantitative data was collected. The field research tools included the semi structured questionnaire (on small scale farmers) and interview guides(on key informants). Analysis of qualitative data was through displays of the respondent's direct responses, and statistical analysis was done using a computerized programme SPSS and more manipulations with the use of Ms Excel in drawing graphs. There were some ethical considerations which included seeking permission from relevant authorities and validation of the research tools by the supervisor before data collection. Quality control was given serious consideration at all stages of the study.The findings revealed that there were a number of achievements registered by the two donor agricultural projects on improving the livelihood of small scale farmers. These included training of farmers in improved farming methods, introducing modern farming technologies and improvements in infrastructure which all increased agricultural production and improved the productivity of farmers. The two donor agricultural projects partnered and networked with the different stakeholders in Tanzania such the Ministry of Agriculture, Regional and District officials, village local leaders and universities such as Sokoine University of agriculture. The donor relationship with the different stakeholders including the small scale farmers was good. The barriers that impeded agricultural aid effectiveness for the two agricultural donor projects included lack of market access by the small scale farmers, high cost of fertilizers, lack of credit for farmers, poor cooperation by some stakeholders, lack of irrigation and especially in Kilosa district, insufficient rains and pastoralists invasion. The two donor funded agricultural projects led to the increase in yields of small scale farmers. This was the main indicator on which the study drew it's comparison of the two projects in relation to the strategies to achieve that result. The strategies to increase the yields of small scale farmers were the same for the two donor agricultural projects but how the two projects implemented such strategies provided a basis for understanding the differences between the two projects. There were a number of strategies focused on achieving the result of increase in farmers' yields for the two donor funded agricultural projects. For example, training of farmers in improved farming methods as one strategy to increase farmer's yields;implementation by IPRCC - China in Kilosa District was through use of trained experts both local and international while USAID in Mvomero district adopted the farmer to farmer TOT model on top of using local trained experts.From the analysis of the study findings, this study found that the introduction of new agricultural practices such as field practical demonstrations is very helpful for farmers and especially in equipping them with planting skills. Education of farmers on improved farming practices is important in increasing food availability. Improvements in rural infrastructure such as constructing roads eases farmers movements to and fro the markets. Provision of farming equipments enhances farmers productivity. Accessibility and provision of agricultural loans to farmers enables farmers to invest in agriculture. Networks and partnerships with different stakeholders helps to build a more effective awareness of the project activities and helps the donors to execute the project implementations better.Having a range of different approaches to deal with the different partners is important for understanding their capacities. Following protocol with the different stakeholders helps them to be contented and like the project. Flexibility with local implementation partners enables donors to better meet local needs and therefore bringing about the local relevance of the project implementations. Knowledge exchange through donor - recipient inter-country visits helps to build shared understanding and values and therefore strengthening partnerships. It is always important to ensure a level of local ownership of the project's implementations. Donors' commitments on communicating progress are essential in the projects performance. With a short funding duration, it is sometimes hard to realize impact over a short period of time. Bad donor - partner cooperation impedes proper aid delivery and poor implementation of agricultural policies by recipient governments make donor agricultural interventions crumble and thereby affecting aid effectiveness. The study recommends more involvement of stakeholders especially the private sector and a civil society organisation in the donor project's planning and implementations in order to increase the probability of sustaining the achievements of these donor funded agricultural projects. In conclusion therefore, when assessing aid effectiveness, quality on recipients and relationships between donors and recipients is important. Agricultural aid has been successful in improving agriculture in the project implementation areas by increasing agricultural production and improving agricultural productivity of farmers. Agricultural Aid is a precious resource if it helps to solve important problems of farmers.