Economic Analysis of the Production of Root-vegetables by Small-Scale Farmers in Mbulu District

Abstract

The production of vegetables supports farmer’s food security and income generation. This
paper seeks to analyse the production of root-vegetables by small-scale farmers in Mbulu
District, Tanzania. The paper applied a cross-section design and a two-stage sampling to
obtain 120 farmers producing either carrots or Irish potatoes. Results from the CobbDouglas production function showed that farm area and inputs cost were significant
factors that influenced production of carrots; while farm area, labour, inputs cost, and
equipment cost were significant factors that influenced the production of potatoes.
Furthermore, results from multiple regression showed that income of root-vegetables
growers decreased significantly with the production of potatoes compared to carrots; but
increased significantly with farm area. The findings highlight the need for the Ministry
responsible for Agriculture to offer agricultural extension services regarding optimal
production of root-vegetables for sustainable increased returns to scale in the long-run.
JEL Classification: D24, C30