Exploring Mobile Phone Usage for Agricultural Inputs Access among Smallholder Farmers in Mpwapwa District, Tanzania: Demographic Factors, Access Methods, and Challenges

Juma Masoud Mchiro; Mercy Mlay Komba; Tandi Edda Lwoga

doi:10.51867/ajernet.5.4.148

Auteurs

Juma Masoud Mchiro Head of ICT Unit, The National Water Fund, Dodoma, Tanzania https://orcid.org/0009-0002-8941-2812
Mercy Mlay Komba Mzumbe University, Morogoro, Tanzania https://orcid.org/0009-0005-6957-9334
Tandi Edda Lwoga College of Business Education, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3254-8770

DOI :

https://doi.org/10.51867/ajernet.5.4.148

Mots-clés :

Input Information, ICT Interventions, Mobile Phone Usage, Technology Adoption, Smallholder Farmers

Résumé

This study investigates how smallholder farmers in Mpwapwa District, Tanzania, utilize mobile phones to access crucial agricultural input information. The study was grounded on theory of reasoned action (TRA) and gratification theory (UGT). Utilizing a case study design with a quantitative approach, data were collected from 384 participants through structured surveys. The data collected were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS).The findings reveal significant demographic influences on mobile phone usage, particularly highlighting the active participation of the 19–39 age groups in seeking agricultural information. Various methods employed by farmers to access farm input information were assessed, demonstrating a reliance on mobile technology despite existing challenges. These challenges include knowledge gaps, financial constraints, and limited technical skills, which impede effective usage. The study emphasizes the importance of targeted interventions to enhance mobile technology adoption among farmers. Recommendations are provided to optimize mobile phone use, aiming to improve farmers' access to essential agricultural inputs and ultimately enhance productivity.

Téléchargements

Les données relatives au téléchargement ne sont pas encore disponibles.

Références

Ajzen, I., & Fishbein, M. M. (1980). Understanding attitudes and predicting social behavior. Eaglewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall.

Astatike, A. A., & Gazuma, E. G. (2019). The impact of off-farm activities on rural household income in Wolaita Zone, Southern Ethiopia. Journal of World Economic Research, 8(1), 8-16. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jwer.20190801.12 DOI: https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jwer.20190801.12

Balkrishna, B. B., & Deshmukh, A. A. (2017). A study on the role of social media in agriculture marketing and its scope. International Journal of Management, IT and Engineering, 7(4), 416-423.

Barau, A. A., & Afrad, M. S. I. (2017). An overview of social media use in agricultural extension service delivery. Journal of Agricultural Informatics, 8(3). https://doi.org/10.17700/jai.2017.8.3.395 DOI: https://doi.org/10.17700/jai.2017.8.3.395

BenYishay, A., & Mobarak, A. M. (2019). Social learning and incentives for experimentation and communication. The Review of Economic Studies, 86(3), 976-1009. https://doi.org/10.1093/restud/rdy039 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/restud/rdy039

Campa, R. (2020). Fourth industrial revolution and emotional intelligence: A conceptual and scientometric analysis. Changing Societies & Personalities, 4(1), 8-30. https://doi.org/10.15826/csp.2020.4.1.087 DOI: https://doi.org/10.15826/csp.2020.4.1.087

Emeana, E. M., Trenchard, L., & Dehnen-Schmutz, K. (2020). The revolution of mobile phone-enabled services for agricultural development (m-Agri services) in Africa: The challenges for sustainability. Sustainability, 12(2), 485. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12020485 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su12020485

Garzón Delvaux, P., Riesgo, L., & Gomez y Paloma, S. (2020). Sustainable agricultural practices and their adoption in sub-Saharan Africa: A selected review. Publications Office. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2760/360761

Ireri, D. M., Awuor, M., Ogalo, J., & Nzuki, D. (2021). Role of ICT in the dissemination and access of agricultural information by smallholder farmers in South Eastern Kenya. Acta Inform Malaysia, 5, 31-41. https://doi.org/10.26480/aim.01.2021.31.41 DOI: https://doi.org/10.26480/aim.01.2021.31.41

Karanja, L., Gakuo, S., Kansiime, M., Romney, D., Mibei, H., Watiti, J., & Karanja, D. (2020). Impacts and challenges of ICT based scale-up campaigns: Lessons learnt from the use of SMS to support maize farmers in the UPTAKE project, Tanzania. Data Science Journal, 19, 7-7.

https://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2020-007 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2020-007

Katz, E., Blumler, J. G., & Gurevitch, M. (1973). Uses and gratifications research. The Public Opinion Quarterly, 37(4), 509-523.

https://doi.org/10.1086/268109 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/268109

Klärner, A., & Knabe, A. (2019). Social networks and coping with poverty in rural areas. Sociologia Ruralis, 59(3), 447-473.

https://doi.org/10.1111/soru.12250 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/soru.12250

Krell, N. T., Giroux, S. A., Guido, Z., Hannah, C., Lopus, S. E., Caylor, K. K., & Evans, T. P. (2021). Smallholder farmers' use of mobile phone services in central Kenya. Climate and Development, 13(3), 215-227. https://doi.org/10.1080/17565529.2020.1748847 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17565529.2020.1748847

Krone, M., & Dannenberg, P. (2018). A spatial perspective on access to knowledge and mobile phone use. Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, 109(5), 613-628. https://doi.org/10.1111/tesg.12322 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/tesg.12322

Krone, M., Schumacher, K. P., & Dannenberg, P. (2014). The impact of mobile phones on knowledge access and transfer of small-scale horticultural farmers in Tanzania. DIE ERDE-Journal of the Geographical Society of Berlin, 145(3), 158-161.

Levi, C. (2015). Effectiveness of information communication technologies in dissemination of agricultural information to smallholder farmers in Kilosa District, Tanzania (Master's thesis, Makerere University).

Martin, B. L., & Abbott, E. (2011). Mobile phones and rural livelihoods: Diffusion, uses, and perceived impacts among farmers in rural Uganda. Information Technologies & International Development, 7(4), 17.

Masuki, K. F., Tukahirwa, J., Kamugisha, R., Mowo, J., Tanui, J., Mogoi, J., & Adera, E. O. (2010). Mobile phones in agricultural information delivery for rural development in Eastern Africa: Lessons from Western Uganda. World Agroforestry Centre.

Mgendi, G., Mao, S., & Qiao, F. (2021). Is a training program sufficient to improve smallholder farmers' productivity in Africa? Empirical evidence from a Chinese agricultural technology demonstration center in Tanzania. Sustainability, 13(3), 1527. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13031527 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su13031527

Misaki, E., Apiola, M., Gaiani, S., & Tedre, M. (2018). Challenges facing sub-Saharan small‐scale farmers in accessing farming information through mobile phones: A systematic literature review. The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries, 84(4), e12034.

https://doi.org/10.1002/isd2.12034 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/isd2.12034

Muhanguzi, D., & Ngubiri, J. (2022). Challenges smallholder farmers face in extracting value from agricultural information. The African Journal of Information Systems, 14(1), 1.

Munda, M., & Legrand, C. (2014). Adjusting for centre heterogeneity in multicentre clinical trials with a time-to-event outcome. Pharmaceutical Statistics, 13(2), 145-152. https://doi.org/10.1002/pst.1612 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/pst.1612

Mupambwa, H. A., Nciizah, A. D., Nyambo, P., Muchara, B., & Gabriel, N. N. (Eds.). (2022). Food security for African smallholder farmers. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-6771-8 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-6771-8

Nan, W., Zhu, X., & Lynne Markus, M. (2021). What we know and don't know about the socioeconomic impacts of mobile money in Sub‐Saharan Africa: A systematic literature review. The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries, 87(2), e12155.

https://doi.org/10.1002/isd2.12155 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/isd2.12155

Nassanga, G. L., Manyozo, L., & Lopes, C. (2013). ICTs and radio in Africa: How the uptake of ICT has influenced the newsroom culture among community radio journalists. Telematics and Informatics, 30(3), 258-266. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2012.04.005 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2012.04.005

Nwokoye, E. S., Oyim, A., Dimnwobi, S. K., & Ekesiobi, C. S. (2019). Socioeconomic determinants of information and communication technology adoption among rice farmers in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Nigerian Journal of Economic and Social Studies, 61(3), 1-20.

Nyamba, S. Y. (2017). The use of mobile phones in communicating agricultural information in Tanzania: The roles of different stakeholders (Doctoral dissertation, Sokoine University of Agriculture).

Quandt, A., Salerno, J. D., Neff, J. C., Baird, T. D., Herrick, J. E., McCabe, J. T., & Hartter, J. (2020). Mobile phone use is associated with higher smallholder agricultural productivity in Tanzania, East Africa. PloS One, 15(8), e0237337. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237337 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237337

Raza, M. H., Khan, G. A., Shahbaz, B., & Saleem, M. F. (2020). Effectiveness of information and communication technologies as information source among farmers in Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 57(1).

Skaalsveen, K., Ingram, J., & Urquhart, J. (2020). The role of farmers' social networks in the implementation of no-till farming practices. Agricultural Systems, 181, 102824. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2020.102824 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2020.102824

Wordofa, M. G., Hassen, J. Y., Endris, G. S., Aweke, C. S., Moges, D. K., & Rorisa, D. T. (2021). Adoption of improved agricultural technology and its impact on household income: A propensity score matching estimation in eastern Ethiopia. Agriculture & Food Security, 10, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40066-020-00278-2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40066-020-00278-2