The use of mobile phones in communicating agricultural information in Tanzania: the roles of different stakeholders

PhD THESIS

The study on which this thesis is based sought to investigate roles of different stakeholders influencing the use of mobile phones in communicating agricultural information in Tanzania. The study arose from the fact that, while information is becoming an important ingredient in agriculture, farmers in Tanzania lack access to agricultural information something which greatly constrains efforts to improve agricultural development. One good thing is that, mobile phone technology which is ubiquitously being subscribed to in Tanzania is believed to have the potential to address information irregularities in various business setups including in agriculture. Therefore, the study aimed to assess roles that different stakeholders could play in order to facilitate the use of mobile phones in communicating agricultural information. Specifically, the study aimed to: understand whether or not farmers’ socio-economic characteristics influence the use of mobile phones in communicating agricultural information, examine types of agricultural information that farmers require including their sources, determine roles of different stakeholders influencing the use of mobile phones to communicate agricultural information, assess existing mobile phone based interactions among stakeholders relating to communication of agricultural information, and determine institutional factors underlying actions of different stakeholders on use of mobile phones to communicate agricultural information. The study was conducted in Kilolo and Kilosa Districts in Tanzania. A cross-sectional research design was adapted; data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire, a guide for focus group discussions and a check list for key informant interviews. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed. Regression analysis results indicated that socio-demographic characteristics significantly influenced the use of mobile phone to communicate agricultural information at 0.059, 0.012, 0.038, 0.265 and 0.043 coefficients for age, literacy levels, farm sizes, distance from market and type of agricultural information needed, respectively. Similarly, the results indicated that support from other stakeholders and interactions among stakeholders affected the dependent variable at t = 1.362, ρ = 0.009 and t=1.362, ρ = 0.012, respectively. Consequently, it is recommended that planners should consider aspects like farmers’ socio-economic characteristics, nature of information, interaction among stakeholders and type of support needed in order to perfectly address the use of mobile phones in communicating agricultural information.