Factors Affecting Poverty Reduction among Tobacco Growers in Tabora Region: A Case of Tobacco Growers in Urambo District

The purpose of this study was to investigate factors affecting poverty reduction among tobacco growers in Tabora region, a case of tobacco growers in Urambo District. The study employed a descriptive research design whereas a sample size of 131 respondents that include 119 tobacco growers and 12 TTB staffs selected in this study. Questionnaires, interviews and documentary reviews used as tools of data collection. Qualitative data analyzed by content analysis and quantitative data were analyzed by descriptive statistics. The study found that the economic factors affecting poverty reduction among tobacco growers included shortage of inputs and late application of inputs (89.6%), prices of farm inputs is usually high (89.6%), poor classification of farmers? tobacco process (89.2%), and late payment of members returns (71.5%); social factors were conviction of tobacco growers (61.3%) fear of witchcraft (76.9%) and self - centeredness (64%). The environmental factors were climate change (58.8%) and deforestations (58%). The study recommended that current cooperative society laws and regulations, governing the tobacco growers reviewed. Tobacco growers should consider the cultivation of alternative marketable cash crops, grown simultaneously with tobacco in order to diversify the sources of income for the farmers, and tobacco traders in collaboration with the union and the government extension staff, should improve the extension services on best practices, which will promote production and profitability instead of focusing more on data collection.