Disseminated Cashew-Nut Production Technologies And Their Effect To Cashew-Nut Productivity In Mkinga District, Tanzania

ABSTRACT

Disseminated agricultural production technologies in cashew-nut crop are essential to help farmers ensure cashew-nuts productivity. To ascertain this, a study to establish the extent to which disseminated cashew-nut technologies improved cashew productivity in Mkinga. Specific objectives of the study were:- To examine the input providers and type of extension services that was provided to cashew-nut growers, to identify and analyses challenges faced by farmers in integrating the disseminated cashew-nut production technologies and practices into cashew nut production and to establish the current levels of productivity as result of the adopted cashew-nut production technologies and practices. District was conducted. Eighty cashew-nut producing farmers at Mahandakini and Mavovo villages were interviewed. Descriptive statistics and Mann Whitney test were used to analyze data especially comparing cashew productivity and technologies/practiced used. Results indicated that few farmers (below 50%) accessed improved cashew-nut technologies and extension services from production stages to marketing. Most extension workers were public employees. The main reason for poor accessibility and utilization of production technologies was lack of extension services. The big challenge to farmers among others was lack of training. The mean average of cashew-nut productivity in Mkinga District was found to be 0.38 Tons/hectare which according to CBT report (2013) is very small compared to national cashew-nut productivity which was at 0.8Tons/hectare. It was thus recommended to strengthened cashew nut improvement programme through trainings. The study concluded that there were few extension officers to meet the village needs and recommended employing more extension agents to teach farmers.