Impact evaluation of Tanzania farming systems research project

Evaluation is based on evidence gathered in Kilosa and Moshi. In general, farmers showed interest in FSR activities and responded positively to most of the technology packages tested on farms. For example, in Kilosa, farmers adopted an early maturing maize variety (Kito) which had already been produced at TARO"s Ilonga Research Institute but had not yet been disseminated. The variety solved the endemic famine which occurred in Kilosa at the onset of the masika season (the main rainy season). In Moshi, the practice of intercropping maize at optimal density with Lyamungu-85 beans gained acceptance among farmers in the intermediate altitude area. The project"s FSR teams are now better known at the village level than the conventional extension staff. On the negative side, while the project contributed significantly to the development of 19 research buildings at Ilonga, these are rarely used due to a lack of water, laboratory equipment, and furniture. Land development was only implemented at less than half of the target, and only one full and two partial FSR teams were established, compared with the goal of three full teams. These shortcomings were primarily the result of: (1) funding shortfalls due to cutbacks imposed by the Brooke Amendment; (2) weak management by TARO, the main executing agent; (3) transportation problems stemming from a lack of spare parts; (4) the project"s short life span; and (5) limited acceptance of the FSR methodology by commodity researchers and extensionists. Overall, the project demonstrated the effectiveness of FSR in transferring the benefits of research technology to farmers. The success achieved in the project"s two ecological zones has been officially adopted in the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development structure, and plans are underway to expand it to more ecological zones. The project also recognized the major role of women in Tanzanian agriculture, although it never took cognizance of their specific constraints and priorities.