Linking smallholders to livestock markets: Combining market and household survey data in Tanzania

Linking farmers to markets is widely viewed as a milestone towards promoting economic growth
and poverty reduction. However, market and institutional imperfections along the supply chain
thwart perfect vertical and spatial price transmission and prevent farmers and market actors from
getting access to information, identifying business opportunities and allocating their resources
efficiently. This acts as a barrier to market-led rural development and poverty reduction. This paper
reviews and analyses household information, and the major livestock market and marketing data
available in Tanzania, in relation to market-led development possibilities. Household-level data
collected by the Tanzania National Bureau of Statistics and market data collected and disseminated
by the Livestock Information and Knowledge System of the Tanzania Ministry of Industry and
Trade are reviewed and utilised together. Both types of data help identify market opportunities for
livestock producers, but only their joint use could provide policy makers with the information
needed to design and implement policies that facilitate access to markets for livestock producers.
Options to promote integration of household-level data and market data are discussed, which would
facilitate the implementation of the Tanzania Statistical Master Plan and contribute to the
implementation of the Global Strategy to Improve Agricultural and Rural Statistics