The study aimed to assess the contribution of ginger farming to smallholder farmers’ income in
Same District Tanzania. A cross sectional research design was adopted; sample sizes of 244
respondents were obtained through purposive and non-purposive sampling techniques. The study
has used both quantitative and qualitative methods approaches. Statistical Package of Social
Sciences (SPSS) and Microsoft Excel (Ms Excel) were used to analyze data. The study used both
quantitative and qualitative methods for data analysis. The data revealed that ginger production is
profitable, with the gross margin of TZS 7,050,0001 per acre/per annum. Returns to labour for ginger
production revealed to be TZS 33,894.23.The data further, revealed that majority of respondents
(71.3%) reported that their income accrued from ginger business were between TZS 1,000,001 to
TZS 5,000,000 per annum whilst others few (1.7%) reported that their income were above TZS
10,000,000 per annum. Finally, the study found that the major problems affecting ginger farming in the district included; Low price fetched (54.5%) and inadequate capital to run the business (27%).
Other factors included poor transportation, drought and unavailability of laborers. The higher returns
to labour observed in ginger farming enterprise could have been contributed to adoption and use of
labour saving technologies such as oxen-plough and use of improved seeds. The profit from ginger
contributes significantly to the household income. Hence, it is important to create public awareness
on the potential for the sector. The study also recommends for farmers to increase land under
cultivation, define a more constructive role for the farmers union and discourage farm gate prices by
establishing selling points which also offer value addition and storage facilities.