Effectiveness of communication channels and smallholder farmers’ adoption of improved legume technologies: A case of Morogoro region, Tanzania
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Date
2017
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Sokoine University of Agriculture
Abstract
Legume crops play important roles economically, socially and environmentally by
providing jobs, being a cheap source of protein, improving health and nutrition, improving
soil fertility, weed suppression and nitrogen fixation. However, it is yet to be clearly
determined as to which approach or a combination of approaches that are effective in
ensuring legume technologies are disseminated across the various farming groups. The
current study aimed at assessing the effectiveness of awareness creation approaches on
level of knowledge, adoption and willingness of smallholder farmers to pay for improved
legume technologies and explore other factors associated with adoption and willingness to
pay for the technologies in Gairo and Mvomero districts. The study adopted a cross
sectional research design whereby data were collected once from Gairo and Mvomero
Districts, Morogoro, Tanzania. The districts were purposively selected due to a number of
multimedia approaches and other extension methods that had been used to raise farmers’
awareness of improved legume technologies. A total of 400 respondents participated in
this study of whom about two thirds were from the area of intervention and a third were
from the area with no intervention. Primary data was collected through a questionnaire,
key informant interviews and focus group discussions. Data was analysed using SPSS
whereby descriptive and inferential statistics were determined. Results show that
smallholder farmers were aware of all the technologies assessed and the level of awareness
differed across the treatments. Factors significantly associated with smallholder farmers
awareness were availability of legume technology intervention (P<0.01) and total revenue
from income generating activities (P<0.05). In addition, the results also show that less than
a quarter of respondents adopted/cultivated improved common bean seeds. Generally,
factors significantly (P<0.05) associated with adoption of improved common bean seeds
were availability of legume technology intervention, total area cultivated, total income from other income generating activities (IGA), borrowing money from any financial
source, visit by extension officer and household size. On the other hand, results show that
overall, more than two thirds of the farmers were willing and ready to pay for at least one
technology out of the six technologies assessed. Results also show that factors positively
and significantly (P<0.05) associated with smallholder farmers willingness to pay for the
technologies included availability of legume technology intervention, total revenue from
IGA, being a member of a farmers' association and visit by extension officer. It can
generally be concluded that, the surveyed farmers had moderate uptake for improved bean
technologies which farmers’ pinned to lack of knowledge on how to use the inputs and
lack of capital or prevailing high input prices. Therefore, the study recommends that,
awareness creation should continue and target those farmers who have not adopted
improved bean technologies. In order to increase farmers’ knowledge, adoption and
willingness to pay for improved legume technologies there is a need for reduction of
technology prices or provision of subsidies.
Description
A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN RURAL
DEVELOPMENT OF SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE.
MOROGORO, TANZANIA. 2017
Keywords
Effectiveness communication channels, Smallholder farmers, Improved legume technologies, Morogoro Region, Tanzania, Legume crops, Soil fertilit