Effectiveness Of Collective Action/farmer Organization In Improving Smallholder Producers Access To Capital

Poverty prevalence in Tanzania, especially among smallholder farmers is becoming a threat to food security and sufficiency; thus underscoring the importance of the agricultural sector that contributes up to 85% of Tanzania‟s export earnings. The modest achievements recorded have not been able to keep pace with the rapid rise of consumer demand. As the largest producer and consumer of Rice in East Africa, its cultivation is majorly undertaken by peasants and smallholders with worrisome and limited access to financial services amidst preponderance of rural poverty; across Msalala District of Shiyanga Region. One of the ingenious way-out is Collective Action (CA) approach through Farmers‟ Organization (FO) to improve the livelihood, income and assured food security of members.