Assessment Of Farmers’ Use Of Mobile Phones In Communicating Agricultural Information In Magharibi A District, Zanzibar

ABSTRACT

Agriculture remains an important economic sector for contributing to food self-sufficiency and incomes in Zanzibar. However, its performance is limited by poor access to extension services on improved technologies to increase production and productivity due to shortage of Block Extension Officers in Shehia. Currently, mobile phones are among the reliable media to communicate agricultural information in sub-sahara Africa, which can be used to provide better linkage between farmers and agricultural experts. This study determined the extent to which farmers used mobile phones to communicate agricultural information in Magharibi A District. Specifically, the study examined farmers’ socio-economic factors influencing the use of mobile phones; identified crop-and livestock-related information that farmers communicated using mobile phones; determined mobile phone modes that farmers used to communicate agricultural information; determined institutional support mechanisms influencing farmers’ use of mobile phones for communicating agricultural information and challenges affecting farmers use of mobile phones. A cross-sectional research design was employed and a total of 383 randomly selected respondents were sampled. Data were collected using interview schedules, checklists and interview guides. Quantitative data was analyzed using the SPSS version 21 and qualitative data was analyzed using content analysis. The study results indicate that socio-economic determinants of mobile phone use were farmers’ household size, average monthly income, type of farming practices, farming experiences, and membership in SACCOS. Furthermore, the results show that mobile phones were used to communicate production-, market- and weather-related information on cassava, plantain, chicken and dairy cattle; and the most preferable modes of communication was voice calls and SMSs. Similarly, the results indicate that farmers received support from different institutions to enable their effective use of mobile phones. However, higher call tariffs, network infrastructure, unavailability of electricity, policies and regulations were found to limit the use of mobile phones. The study recommends that Magharibi A District should support farmers in using mobile phones for communicating agricultural information. Also, Magharibi A District should educate farmers on appropriate use of mobile phones. The Government should create enabling policies and regulatory environment and ensure availability of electricity at affordable cost to encourage more farmers to use mobile phones.