Assessing rice farmers production constraints and variety preferences in areas affected by salinity

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a strategic and priority commodity for food security in Tanzania. The objective of this study was to assess farmers' rice production problems and the preferred traits for improvement in areas affected by salinity in the country. The study was conducted in rice-producing areas of Kilosa, Iringa, and Moshi districts. Farmers were interviewed using structured questionnaires and other participatory rural appraisal (PRA) tools. A total of 206 farmers were involved in the study. Results indicated that farmers perceived soil salinity to be among the main constraints to rice production in the studied districts. The most preferred rice varieties by farmers included SARO 5, Super Shinyanga, Faya dume, and Kalubangala. Furthermore, farmers highly ranked problems were salinity, high costs of fertilizers, drought, poor soil fertility, and pests and diseases. The most preferred agronomic attributes in the new rice varieties include high grain yield, a high number of tillers, salinity tolerance, early maturity, and medium plant height. Moreover, farmers' preferences for grain quality attributes include high milling recovery, long grains, good aroma, and non-sticky. It was therefore concluded that the development of new salt-tolerant cultivars with desirable attributes could significantly contribute towards sustainable rice productivity in the studied districts. Key words: Preferred traits, production constraints, rice varieties, salinity, Tanzania