Abstract:
Smallholder farmers' involvement in tree farming has been reported to produce different benefits but it is yet
unknown on its effect on reduction of income poverty. This study assessed the contribution of tree farming by
smallholder farmers on household income poverty reduction in Njombe district, Tanzania. Structured
questionnaires and interview guide were used to collect data during household survey and interview respectively.
A sample of 384 households engaged in tree farming was randomly selected from different areas around Njombe
district and 4 key respondents were purposively selected. The study found that, the annual mean income of
Smallholder tree farmers in the study area was far above the international poverty line of $1.25 per person per
day. This implies that, smallholder tree farmers in study area were not poor as per international standards. This
could be due to significant contribution of smallholder tree farming on reducing household income poverty. Also,
the study observed a significant improvement in livelihood assets of smallholder tree farmers after involving
themselves with tree farming. Furthermore, the study found, the main tree farming benefits obtained by
smallholder tree farmers were timber, transmission poles, cooking energy and tree seedlings. Also, land
ownership, level of income, household size, age of respondent and Sex of respondents were found as main factors
influencing tree farming in Njombe district. The study concluded that, smallholder tree farming has contribution
on household income poverty reduction and recommended measures to be taken especially on land ownership
issues and income levels among farmers which are main factors influencing tree farming in order to create a
favorable environment for smallholder tree farmers so as to increase impact of tree farming activities on
household income poverty reduction.
