Soybean production dynamics in maize-dominated smallholder farming systems, Tanzania

Chair group

Plant Production Systems

Supervision

Dr. Jens Andersson (PPS-WUR) – jens.andersson@wur.nl
Rohit Pawar, PhD Candidate (PPS-WUR) – rohit.pawar@wur.nl

Timeline

MSc thesis start: September (Fieldwork starts in October/November, ideally)

Project summary

Legume-based intensification is often seen as a key agricultural development strategy for maize-dominated smallholder farming systems in Africa, as it can (1) contribute to diverse and nutritious diets, (2) constitute an important source of cash, (3) potentially improve field and farm-level productivity due to nitrogen fixation further 4) reducing the need for fertilizers. In Tanzania, soybean production has rapidly increased in over the last two decades, especially in the Southern Highlands region of the country. Production expansion has been market-driven, but also promoted by government, research and NGOs, as in the Soya ni Pesa and the N2Africa projects (https://magazines.wur.nl/n2africa/). The latter was a collaborative project of PPS and the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA). Currently, PPS works with IITA in the Tanzania Sustainable Soybean Initiative (TSSI) to study, promote and intensify smallholder soybean production.

This student project will focus on understanding soybean production dynamics in the Ruvuma region in the past decade. You will use an agronomic and farming system analysis lens to study changes in smallholder farmers’ crop (area) allocations and their farm management by conducting surveys and interviews. Your project involves the re-visiting of farmers surveyed in 2018 by the N2Africa project to analyse the soya production dynamics. You will also use a farm characterization application to map soya-growing farms and their crop and resource allocation practices.

Requirements

Next to the required courses for doing a thesis project at PPS, you will need:

1. Enthusiasm to stay in Tanzania for an extended period (2-3 months)
2. Strong communication skills and an outgoing attitude to effectively network with a team of extension officers in the study area (Knowing Swahili is not required).
3. Some experience in using R statistics.