Rice farming is characterized by various factors including environmental and non-environmental factors. The current paper analyses the influence of households’ characteristics, and perceptions of weather variability on rice yield. Authors used primary data collected from small-scale rice farmers in the Mbeya region of Tanzania. Garret technique and Stata software were used for data analyses. Results confirmed that farmer’s education, marital status, gender, and land ownership have a positive influence on rice yield. Thus, for every 1% increase in each variable increases rice yield by 14%, 98%, 26%, and 21% respectively. Owing to empirical results on farmers’ perceptions, it is confirmed that if the drought period increased by 1%, would on average reduce rice yield by 20%. The majority of farmers (70%) have perceived that drought period reduced their rice yield. In addition, farmers’ used averagely less quantity of rice seeds which have impaired their rice yields. If farmers increased the seed quantity by 1%, rice yields would increase by 17%. Our findings also revealed that the previous market price has positive association with the next seasons’ rice yield. Therefore, our study concluded that among households’ variables and their perceptions have positive implications on rice yield; however, with the empirical analyses other variables were insignificant due to multicollinearity effects. Authors recommended to the government and other responsible organizations to capitalize on irrigation infrastructures, agricultural extension and technological services to restraint the enduring food insecurity coercions in Tanzania.

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Crops production subsector depends on various factors including natural factors as well as non-natural factors. Meanwhile, in vast areas of Tanzania including the Mbeya Region, rice farmers struggle to make their living through rice farming regardless of various challenges with which the subsector is crumbled. This study aimed at assessing the factors influencing the performance of rice farming in the Mbeya Region of Tanzania. Multi-stage sampling technique was applied to obtain representative samples. Data was collected from a field survey of 240 small-scale farmers by the use of questionnaires from January to March 2018. Descriptive statistics method was used to analyze the data and the Ordinary Least Square regression model was used to estimate parameters. The results indicate excess rainfall and droughts events significantly influenced rice production negatively by reducing 3 and 5% for each occurrence, respectively. Marital status and gender significantly influenced positively rice production in the study area. Other influential production factors including market price lag, pest and diseases, and farm size were statistically significant in rice production. The study recommends possible interventions such as increased accessibility to extension services, agricultural financial services, improved seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides to mention a few by government and other responsible institutions which hamper the growth of the rice industry to increase food security to the farming populace.