Abstract:
Obtaining correct and appropriate extension services is an important aspect of maximizing production among farmers. This is a cross sectional study carried out to assess the use of information and communication tools (ICTs) to get extension services among chicken farmers and identifying factors hindering the accessibility and use. The study was conducted using structured questionnaire involving 160 chicken keepers randomly chosen from list of poultry keepers and voluntarily concerted to participate in four wards of Morogoro municipality. Data collected were analyzed for descriptive statistics, comparisons and correlations.
It was identified that majority of farmers used televisions, mobile phones and radio to get extension information while few farmers occasionally use internet, magazines, books, fliers and audio-visual materials like DVDs. 82.5% of the farmers do not get enough information they needed for their projects. High costs, unreliable electricity, poor TV and radio signals and lack of knowledge on the use or modern tools were pointed as major limiting factors. It was however observed that the use of information and communication tools to access extension services strongly correlated with productivity of chicken enterprises. We therefore recommend for more efforts to facilitate and sensitize farmers on the better use of ICTs for their enterprises.
