Abstract:
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.
