Improving the Competitiveness of the Tanzanian Pulses Sector

The production of pulses in Tanzania – pigeon pea, chickpea, cow pea, green gram, and common beans – are an important subsistence and cash crop for the mainly small-scale farmers. The pulses sector in Tanzania is a potentially profitable value chain for all actors, but development is constrained by price volatility, insecure supply, weakly organized small-scale producers, and a poor service delivery.

Assignment

In order to look for opportunities to enhance the governance of the sector, VECO East Africa asked Aidenvironment to conduct a sector diagnostic. Enhanced governance should result in a more effective production base, service sector and market system and therefore, improve the performance of the sector as a whole.

Results

During a two-week field visit to interview supply chain actors, producers, public sector representatives, researchers, and service providers, we used methods based on previous work by Aidenvironment with IIED, Sustainable Food Lab, and New Foresight. The key findings and strategic recommendations were used by TPN members to identify clear next steps to improve sector governance.