ACCESS and USE of POULTRY MANAGEMENT INFORMATION in SELECTED RURAL AREAS of TANZANIA by GRACE E. P. MSOFFE (STUDENT No. 4809-110
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ACCESS AND USE OF POULTRY MANAGEMENT INFORMATION IN SELECTED RURAL AREAS OF TANZANIA BY GRACE E. P. MSOFFE (STUDENT No. 4809-110-3) submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF LITERATURE AND PHILOSOPHY in the subject INFORMATION SCIENCE at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA PROMOTER: PROF. PATRICK NGULUBE 2015 ABSTRACT Access and use of information facilitate the improvement of agriculture in rural areas. It is therefore important to ensure that adequate and appropriate information flows to the rural areas, and that farmers are able to utilise it. This study investigated the access and use of poultry management information in three rural districts of Tanzania, namely Iringa Rural, Morogoro Rural and Mvomero. The survey method, supplemented by methodological triangulation, was used to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 360 poultry farmers in the selected rural communities. Sixteen focus group discussions were conducted, in which 160 farmers participated. Twenty-two information providers were interviewed. The SPSS® software was used to analyse quantitative data, while qualitative data was analysed using content analysis. The findings indicated that poultry farmers needed information on poultry disease control, poultry protection, shelter for poultry and poultry production. There was very low identification and prioritisation of farmers’ information needs by the information providers. Farmers accessed information that had a direct impact and was deemed relevant to their farming activities. It was revealed that farmers accessed information mainly from interpersonal sources. Likewise, farmers preferred interpersonal and informal sources to formal sources of information. The extension officers were considered to be the most effective information source, followed by family, friends, and neighbours. Various factors, such as lack of awareness, unavailability of extension officers and poor infrastructure, influenced access and use of poultry management information. It was concluded that most of the information providers were not aware of the farmers’ information needs, and as a result they were not in a position to disseminate relevant information. In addition, farmers were used to an oral culture, which means that they would probably continue to depend on interpersonal sources of information, regardless of the availability of formal channels and modern sources. The study recommended several measures, including the use of multiple sources of information and delivery of information in a variety of formats, in order to accommodate various categories of farmers. The study also suggested some areas for further research. Furthermore, a model for effective dissemination of poultry management information in rural areas was proposed. iii KEYWORDS Tanzania; information access; information use; information needs; information seeking behaviours; information sources; information sources preference; rural areas; poultry; rural farmers; poultry management; farmers’ satisfaction; information dissemination. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I thank God for guiding me throughout the long journey of my PhD studies. To God be the glory. This study was able to be completed because of the support received from many individuals and institutions. I acknowledge the contributions of everybody who, in one way or another, played a role in the successful accomplishment of this thesis. I am sincerely grateful to my supervisor, Professor Patrick Ngulube, for his guidance, mentorship, encouragement and support throughout this study. The completion of this study would not have been possible without his invaluable supervision. Special thanks go to my lovely husband, Peter Msoffe, for his love, support and encouragement. I also thank my parents, Mr and Mrs Mnzava, for their support throughout my studies. I sincerely thank all the respondents who participated in this study. This research would not have been successful without their valuable contributions. My sincere appreciation goes to the village leaders and district officers in Iringa, Morogoro and Mvomero for their cooperation during the data collection phase. I acknowledge the research assistance I received from Mrs Enesa Mlay, Ms. Judith Dekayz, Dr. Gaspar Chiwanga, Mr. Ezekiel Amos, Mr. Matokeo Msavange, and Mr. Andrew Malekani. I would also like to thank my employer, Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), for granting me study leave, which enabled me to concentrate on this study. I also thank SUA for granting me a five-month scholarship to the University of Life Sciences in Norway. This gave me an opportunity to experience a different type of academic environment and concentrate on the writing up of my thesis. Lastly, I acknowledge the financial support received from the University of South Africa (UNISA). I also extend my gratitude to the Newcastle Disease-Avian Flu Control Project for supporting this research. Without their financial support, this study would not have been possible. v DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to the closest and most loving people in my life. The completion of this thesis is because of the love and support from my husband, Peter Msoffe, and the warmth and love from my children, Gloria, Pascal and Peace. In loving memory of my mother, Etwinka Mnzava, whose unconditional love made me who I am today. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION ............................................................................................................................ ii ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................... iii KEYWORDS ................................................................................................................................. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................ v DEDICATION ............................................................................................................................... vi TABLE OF CONTENTS .............................................................................................................. vii LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................................... xiv LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................... xv LIST OF APPENDICES .............................................................................................................. xvi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ................................................................... xvii CHAPTER ONE: BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY ................................................................. 1 1.1 Introduction and background to the study ............................................................................ 1 1.2 Definitions of key terms and concepts .................................................................................. 4 1.2.1 Information .................................................................................................................... 4 1.2.2 Access to information .................................................................................................... 4 1.2.3 Information use .............................................................................................................. 5 1.2.4 Information need ............................................................................................................ 6 1.2.5 Information seeking ....................................................................................................... 6 1.2.6 Information seeking behaviour ...................................................................................... 7 1.2.7 Rural areas ..................................................................................................................... 7 1.2.8 Poultry ............................................................................................................................ 7 1.2.9 Poultry management information .................................................................................. 8 1.2.10 Information and communication technologies ............................................................. 8 1.3 Background to the statement of the problem ........................................................................ 9 1.4 Statement of the problem .................................................................................................... 11 1.5 Purpose of the study ............................................................................................................ 12 1.5.1 Objectives of the study ................................................................................................. 12 1.6 Originality of the study ....................................................................................................... 12 1.7 Significance and contribution of the study ......................................................................... 13 1.8 Assumptions of the study .................................................................................................... 13 vii 1.9 Theoretical framework ........................................................................................................ 13 1.10 Methodology ....................................................................................................................