Driving Research Excellence: How Institutional Factors Shape Research Output at Livestock Training Agency (LITA), Tanzania.

Despite the growing emphasis on research as a driver of innovation and development in the agriculture and livestock sectors, limited research output has been produced within technical training institutions. This study, guided by the Organization Support Theory (OST), investigates the specific relationship between key institutional factors: resource, administrative support, and academic workload; and research output among academic staff at the Livestock Training Agency (LITA) in Tanzania. The agency consistently falls short of its research output targets, making it a critical case for study. A mixed-methods approach was employed, using a cross-sectional survey with a simple random sample of 109 academic staff from LITAs eight campuses, and was complemented by qualitative interviews. Quantitative data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results revealed that resources (p<0.05) had a significant positive effect on research output, confirming their critical role in enhancing research output. However, administrative support (p>0.05) and workload (p>0.05) showed no statistically significant effects. Qualitative findings suggested that these two factors still influence research output indirectly through institutional priorities and the absence of a strong research culture. The study concludes that resource availability is the most critical institutional factor driving research output in non-university tertiary institutions. It recommends increasing dedicated research funding and revising institutions' Policies to provide staff with more research time. These measures can help foster a stronger research culture and improve overall academic performance. Therefore, this study provides a foundation for further research on institutional strategies to enhance research output in similar contexts. Keywords: Institution Factor, Research Output, LITA, Tanzania DOI: 10.7176/JESD/16-8-01 Publication date: November 30th 2025