5.Status of research on food crops in Tanzania (How needs
for research are identified, who initiates the processes,
where research is conducted).
5.1 How needs for research programs/projects are identified and who initiates the
processes:
There are various ways in which needs for research are identified. These are discussed below:
i. Using the Development of District Agricultural Development Plans
Decentralization and democratization processes in Tanzania have given more autonomy and power to local authorities and
communities. More than before, clients of research and end-users of agricultural technologies are likely to ask for good research
results and want value for the money they invest.
In the Agricultural Sector Development Program, District Agricultural Development Plans (DADPS) are intended to facilitate
communities and districts to plan for agricultural development. The objective is to impart community members with skills on how
to identify agricultural problems, their causes, effects and possible solutions using participatory approaches. Planning starts at the
village level by producing a Village Development Plan (VDP). Village plans are the assembled at the ward level to compile a Ward
Development Plan (WDP). Finally Ward Development Plans are compiled to produce District Agricultural Development Plans
(DADPs). In these plans issues requiring research are also identified and dealt with ARIs. At the research institution level research
is decentralized, stressing client orientation and the effective delivery of productive, profitable and sustainable technologies for
smallholders through the recent introduction of the “Client-Oriented Research and Development Management Approach (CORDEMA)
across the entire Tanzania NARS. CORDEMA finds its roots in the Farming Systems Research and Extension approach (FSR-E). The
overall goal (i.e. general objective) of the CORDEMA is to increase the level of client orientation of agricultural research and
development institutions through improved management and organization. Within the CORDEMA there is a Zonal Information and
Extension Liaison Unit (ZIELU) based at ZARDI to assemble, assimilate and disseminate information and communication materials.
This Unit is supposed also to assemble researchable problems from the Districts and particularly from the District Development
Plans. The ZIELU sends this information to researchers who thereafter develop research programs which are discussed though
various steps and fora and authorized for implementation by various stakeholders.
ii. Addressing regional and international priorities.
Agricultural research involves the participation of regional and international programs and initiatives for the reason of
effectiveness, collaboration and tapping technology experiences from elsewhere. DRD aligns to regional and international
programs/strategies/organizations such as the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) and related CAADP, the Forum
for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), the Association for the Strengthening of Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central
Africa (ASARECA), the East African Community (EAC), the Southern African Development Community’s (SADC) upcoming Center for
Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA) and the international agricultural research
organizations such as the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).
iii. Addressing major outbreaks in the agricultural sector in the country e.g plant disease outbreaks
iv. Addressing national identified priorities.
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DRD has developed national research priorities as follows:
· Priority One: Maize, rice, tomatoes, cassava, beans sorghum, sunflower, groundnuts, sweet potato, banana, and
cashew nuts.
· Priority Two: Cabbage, onions, cotton, mangoes, citrus fruit, indigenous vegetables, pineapple, pigeon pea,
avocado, sesame, cowpea, sugarcane, pearl millet, wheat, apples, spices, passion, Irish potatoes, chick pea,
coconut, sisal, and grapes.
· Priority Three: Pears, carrots, pyrethrum, finger millet, peppers, oil palm, soybean, green gram, mushroom, lab-lab,
cocoa, barley, cucurbits, pawpaw, safflower, yams, and bambara-nut.
· Others which may be of interest but not listed include botanicals for pest control, cut flowers, aloe vera,
rubber, macadamia nuts, litchie, underutilized crops, jojoba and emerging crops for biofuel such as jatropha.
v. Zonal FSR/SE Diagnostic activities:
The Zonal Farming Systems and Socioeconomic units constantly conduct diagnostic activities in priority faming systems
annually. These are done in a participatory manner involving stakeholders in agricultural development. They form a reliable
basis for getting researchable issues.
Research is done in the Zonal ARIs as indicated in table 2 below.
Table 2: Agricultural Research Institutes in MAFC
Zone Regions Research Institutes Cr
