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Master's Application: Livestock Value Chain

Rhoda Wassena is applying for a Master's degree in Agricultural Production Value Chain Management with a focus on livestock from Van Hall Larenstein University in the Netherlands. She currently works as a livestock officer for Nzega District Council in Tanzania. In her role, she links farmers to stakeholders, organizes farmer training, and prepares reports. Nzega District depends heavily on agriculture, with over 85% of residents being agro-pastoralists who rely on crops and livestock for income. As the letter explains, women have less power and control over livestock assets like cattle, goats, and sheep. The proposed degree aims to help Rhoda understand challenges women farmers face in keeping and marketing chickens to facilitate solutions

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Hassani
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665 views3 pages

Master's Application: Livestock Value Chain

Rhoda Wassena is applying for a Master's degree in Agricultural Production Value Chain Management with a focus on livestock from Van Hall Larenstein University in the Netherlands. She currently works as a livestock officer for Nzega District Council in Tanzania. In her role, she links farmers to stakeholders, organizes farmer training, and prepares reports. Nzega District depends heavily on agriculture, with over 85% of residents being agro-pastoralists who rely on crops and livestock for income. As the letter explains, women have less power and control over livestock assets like cattle, goats, and sheep. The proposed degree aims to help Rhoda understand challenges women farmers face in keeping and marketing chickens to facilitate solutions

Uploaded by

Hassani
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Rhoda Owaga Wassena

P.o Box 3,
Nzega- Tabora - Tanzania.
Mob: +255(0)752803593,
Email: wassenarhoda19@[Link]

29 TH November, 2019.

Van Hall Larenstein University,


Larensteinselaan 26a, 6882 CT Velp,
Postal address: Postbus 9001, 6880 GB Velp,
The Nethelands.

REF: APPLICATIONS FOR MASTER’S AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION VALUE


CHAIN MANAGEMENT (LIVESTOCK)

I am Rhoda Wassena , a Tanzanian female with 31 years old . I have attended my


Bsc. Applied Agricultural Extension at Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA)
Tanzania and completed in the year 2014. Currently, I am working with local
government in Nzega District Council as a livestock officer.

As a subject master specialist (SMS) extension working with local government,


my main duties includes working as change agent by linking farmers with
different stakeholders, organizing training of farmers and Agricultural extension
field officers, facilitating formation of farmers groups, establishing training
through farmers field school and preparing monthly ,quarter and annual
department reports.

Nzega District council is located in west of Tanzania and its population is about
415,203 whereby 90% of its population depends on agriculture and more than
85% are agro-pastoralist. Therefore, crop cultivation and selling livestock and
livestock products constitute the main sources of household income. The main
crops cultivated are paddy and maize, and the livestock kept include cattle,
goats, sheep and chicken.

As in other parts of the country, patriarchal system is still dominant in Nzega


district council where women have less power in decision and control of
household resources. For instance, of the main livestock kept in the area, cattle,
goat and sheep are still regarded as men’s assets. On the other hand, chickens are
regarded as women’s assets. Although poultry are the livestock which women
rely upon and can contribute to household income, little is known about the
challenges associated with poultry value chains.

In Tanzana livestock industry has a clear development vision, based on the


Tanzania Development Vision 2025 which states that:- By year 2025, there should
be a livestock sector, which to a large extent shall be commercially run, modern
and sustainable, using improved and highly productive livestock to ensure food
security, improved income for the household and the nation while conserving the
environment.”

Government has a task of establishing an environment where opportunities for


higher incomes and employment are created for resource-poor livestock farmers
including the commercial farming sector. To achieve this, three major goals for
policy reform shall be implemented, To encourage the development of
commercially oriented, efficient and internationally competitive livestock
industry; To support the emergence of a more diverse structure of production
with a large, increase in the numbers of successful smallholder livestock
producer enterprises and, To conserve livestock resources and put in place
policies and institutions for sustainable resource development and use. The
overall objective of the National Livestock Policy is to develop a competitive and
more efficient livestock industry that contributes to the improvement of the well-
being of the people whose principal occupation and livelihood is based on
livestock.

I am therefore applying for the master’s degree in Agricultural Production Value


Chain Management with a focus on (livestock) in order to understand the major
challenges that livestock keepers in particular women in Nzega district face,
I believe that this Master degree will equip me with knowledge and skills
required in facilitating alleviation of challenges that face women in their
endeavour of keeping and marketing of chicken and chicken products. As an
extension agent based at the district head quarter, I will share knowledge and
skills with field extension agents at the village and ward levels. In this case,
many women in Nzega district council will benefit from my training through the
training that I will offer to all extension agents under my area of jurisdiction.
It is my sincere hope that my application will be considered positively.

You’re sincerely

Rhoda O. Wassena

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