Improved income of youth tourist porters and guides through papaya production in Moshi district, Kilimanjaro region

Abstract

This report presents information on participatory assessment research conducted in Moshi Municipal Council in Kilimanjaro region targeting youth tourists crews (guides and porters). This enabled the establishment of a project that provided youth with an alternative income generating activity (IGA) after the collapse of tourism opportunities due to global COVID-19 pandemic. The CNA objectives aimed at establishing actual youth tourist crews needs. Specifically, the CNA identified the major community needs of youth tourist crews, assess community alternative income generating opportunities and obstacles and identifying possible interventions for the identified community needs. Participatory methodology mainly pairwise ranking matrix was used. The findings showed that the community has many problems, but the main one was low youth income. As a result youth identified engaging in papaya production project as alternative IGA. The project was identified through community needs prioritisation exercise involving pair wise ranking matrix technique in ranking and picking youth desired project. The project managed to mobilise 22 youth to engage in papaya farming. It also mobilised youth engagement in the project and increased youth income from nil to at least TZS 2000 per day. It is concluded that youth are ready to venture into alternative IGA once are capacitated to do so. It is recommended that more efforts are needed by various stakeholders to facilitate youth establish productive linkages, adaptive and switching mechanisms between sectors.