Factors Influencing Change of Smallholder Organic Horticultural Farmer Organisations under Nongovernmental Organisations in Two Selected Regions in Tanzania

Abstract

There has been the persistent failure of organic horticultural production to meet its full potential in various aspects including productivity, technological and marketing areas in various Sub Saharan countries in Africa including Tanzania. Thus, this study intended to determine whether a change of Small-holder Organic Horticultural Farmer Organisations (SOHFOs) under the lo-cal umbrella Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs)with the mandate to work within the country in coordinating SOHFOs is influenced by relational factors (their networks with other Organic Horticultural Value Chain Actors (OHVCAs)) or non-relational (other) factors. The study was conducted in Morogoro and Kilimanjaro regions in Tanzania. A study included a total of one hundred fifty nine organizations (159) that were represented with three hundred fifty one (351) respondents. From one hundred and forty nine (149) SOHFOs under local umbrella NGOs selected by simple random sampling technique and further proportionate random sampling, quantitative data were collected from two hundred and eighty nine (289) respondents and qualitative data were collected from forty four (44) SOHFOs participants. Moreover, from ten (10) managing organisations represented by eighteen (18) Key Informants qualitative data were collected. Quantitative data (relational data) were analysed using the social network analysis approach using Ghephi 0.9.2 software. For non-relational data, Statistical Packages for Social Science (SPSS) version 21 was used whereby desc riptive statistics such as