Association between Household Socio-Demographic Factors and Postharvest Management Technologies Use for Grains in Dodoma Region, Tanzania

Purpose: Postharvest management technologies for grains have received inadequate attention as part of food security programmes, and there are has been scant literature detailing their association with socio-demographic factors. This paper assesses the association between socio-demographic factors and postharvest management technologies used for grains in Dodoma Region, Tanzania, focusing on socio-demographic factors of maize and sorghum farmers, postharvest management technologies used for maize and sorghum, and associations between the socio-demographic factors and the technologies. Methodology: The study employed a cross-sectional research design whereby proportionate stratified random sampling was used to select 384 households from eight villages. Data were collected using a questionnaire, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews. Quantitative data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics software Version 20 whereas thematic analysis was used to analyze qualitative data. Findings: Results showed that small-scale farming households in Dodoma Region used three main types of postharvest management technologies for grains: Improved technologies which include metal silos, airtight containers, and Purdue Improved Crop Storage Bags (PICS); semi-improved technologies, mostly polypropylene bags; and local technologies, particularly granaries. Chi-square analysis tests showed that household size, household head’s sex, age, marital status, and education level were significantly associated with the types of postharvest management technologies used (p < 0.05). Unique Contributions to Theory, Practice, and Policy: This study offers a comprehensive understanding of the ways in which household sociodemographic characteristics are associated with adoption of postharvest management technologies. Its contributions include policy ideas for promoting postharvest technologies for grains in Tanzania, based on socio-demographic factors.