Administration of Rice Input Subsidy Programme on Quality Life of Farming Communities in North B District, Unguja

Abstract

This study investigated the administration of rice input subsidy on the quality life of farmers among farming communities in North B, District, Unguja. Four objectives guided this study which included examining the correlation between rice farming subsidies and the quality of life, examining the impact of seeds subsidies and farmers’ quality life, determining the impact of fertilizers subsidies on farmers’ quality of life as well as to examine the impact of pesticides subsidies on farmers’ quality of life in North B District, Unguja. The study used a cross-sectional survey design where questionnaires were used to collect data from 87 rice farmers of North B, district Unguja through simple random sampling. The study reveals a moderate correlation between rice input subsidies and farmers’ quality life (r = 0.475, p < 0.01). Moreover, a standard multiple regression indicates that the independent variables rice input subsidies (fertilizers, seeds and pesticides) accounted for 25% of the variability in predicting quality life among farming communities in North B district, Unguja (R2 = 0.247). Primarily, pesticide subsidy, has a significant effect or impact on farmers’ quality life (β = 0.352, t = 2.183, p < 0.05). However, the results also indicate that two independent variables that are fertiliser subsidy (β = 0.050, t = 0.201, p > 0.05) and seeds subsidy (β = 0.119, t = 0.470, p > 0.05) do not have any significant impact on farmers’ quality life. With this result, the study recommends that the government support rice farmers by increasing the provision of more rice input subsidies such as fertilizers, pesticides, and seeds to rice farmers of Northern, B District of Unguja timely manner to improve their quality of life.