USING INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES ...

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USING INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR ENHANCING THE ACCESSIBILITY OF AGRICULTURAL INFORMATION FOR IMPROVED AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION IN TANZANIA Andrew Charles Msungu Wulystan Pius Mtega [email protected] [email protected] Sokoine University of Agriculture Morogoro, Tanzania ABSTRACT The study assessed how ICTs can enhance access to agricultural information needed for fostering agricultural production and agribusiness in Tanzania. Specifically, the study determined the role of specific ICTs in agricultural production and agribusiness and assessed the effectiveness of the commonly used ICTs in the creation and sharing of agricultural knowledge and information services. It further evaluated the factors which limit the effectiveness of ICTs in facilitating agricultural production and agribusiness in Tanzania. The study involved a mixed approach in collecting data, relying on a structured questionnaire, interviews, content analysis and observations during the data collection. Results show that radio, mobile phones, television, computers and internet have potentials to transform the sector if they are used effectively. Findings show further that not all ICTs are suitable for all categories of actors in the agricultural sector. Mobile phones and radio were preferred as communication channel among farmers while researchers and extension staff mentioned to prefer using computers and internet. Moreover, some of the ICT applications such as calls, short messaging services and sim-banking were mentioned to be used often. From these findings it is recommended that internet and mobile service providers should widen their infrastructure and reduce tariffs associated with usage of their services so as to increase the number of users of their services. This can enable more information exchange among agriculture stakeholders and this increase agricultural production and agribusiness. KEYWORDS Information and Communication Technologies; Agricultural Information Needs; Agricultural Knowledge; Tanzania 1.

Information

Services;

INTRODUCTION

Agriculture is the backbone of Tanzanian economy, employing more than 70% of the total population; contributing about 45% to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP); bringing about 66% of the foreign exchange; and providing raw materials for local industries (United Republic of Tanzania (URT), 2008). Unfortunately, the full contribution of agriculture to the economic growth and poverty reduction has not been realized. Low productivity; underutilization of the available land, water and human resources; lack of agricultural support services as well as low incomes and profitability are the key features of agriculture in the country (URT, 2008). Among the factors mentioned to limit the contribution of the sector to poverty eradication is poor network of agricultural information services. Weak linkage among actors in the sector has been mentioned to be one of the limiting factors to the accessibility and usage of agricultural knowledge and information among farmers (Komwihangilo et al, 2010; URT, 2008; Shao, 2007). Inefficient communication and dissemination strategies have

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to a large extent contributed to the inaccessibility of agricultural knowledge among actors in most rural areas (Shao, 2007). 1.1

Background Information

Agricultural activities in Tanzania and elsewhere are known to be sources of livelihoods to many people and accessibility to knowledge and information services can hardly be denied as important in transforming the sector. Information services are known to empower people and help them make informed choices. The value of information services can only be realized when timely accessed, understood and used. 1.1.1 Information and Communication Technologies in the Agricultural Sector Information and communication technologies (ICTs) play an important role in the development process. ICTs have revolutionized life whereby the acquisition and usage of cellular phones by actors in the agricultural sector including farmers is increasing very rapidly. The adoption and use of mobile phones is setting an unprecedented pace despite the poorly developed rural electrification (Sife et al., 2010). Furthermore, some rural areas in Tanzania like in many other developing countries are making use of telecentres to access different information in various formats and or as a meeting place. These constitute the agricultural communication systems which are important because they facilitate sharing of information among stakeholders (Richardson et al., 2000; World Bank, 2007; Saravanan, 2010). Previously the agricultural communication system was dominated by human interaction and paper based information systems which have hailed to create important linkages among actors of the agricultural sector. ICTs used in agriculture include computers, radio, television, internet, CD-ROMs and telecommunication networks (Shetto, 2008). In rural and semi urban areas, telecentres have been enhancing accessibility and usage of ICTs. Telecentres are known to be suitable for communication and knowledge sharing as they can provide multiple services including internet, telephony, radio and print resources. Scholars (Abubakar et al., 2009; Manyozo, 2009; Hassan et al., 2010; Parvizian et al. 2011) describe that access to agricultural information in most developing countries has been provided through radio. Rural radio, which is one of the services offered by telecentres has gained dependence in Tanzania (Lwoga, 2010). Studies (Mtega, 2008; Olaleye et al., 2009; Sife, 2010) conducted in Nigeria and Tanzania indicate dependence on radio is mostly due to the wide coverage of radio frequencies, availability of many radio stations, and the portability nature of most radio. With the current technological convergence it is possible to access radio through mobile phones which are known to be owned and used by almost half of the Tanzanian population. The other ICT gaining dependence currently is television, it is among the ICT–based communication channels which the Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA) report of 2012 mentions to be used by almost 26% of Tanzanians. This is mainly due to the fact that Tanzania has only few television stations with wide enough coverage. This is supported by Kerr et al. (2007) and Sife (2008) who mention that the limited television viewing is mostly due to limited power supply and few number of TV stations in the country. Another dominantly used ICT tool in Tanzania is the mobile phone. An increasing number of people have become dependent on mobile phones from the year 2000 in most developing countries. Through mobile phones market accessibility has improved, investment The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries www.ejisdc.org

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promoted, risk from disasters are reduced, and are known to contribute to empowerment of societies through enhancing access to information (Scott et al., 2004). The emergency of these technologies have brought about a unique opportunity. They significantly reduce costs associated with communication and information sharing (Aker, 2010; Sife, 2010). Moreover, an increasing number of mobile phone users must impact the accessibility of agricultural information services thus improving agricultural productivity and livelihoods of actors in the agricultural sector in Tanzania. Despite the availability of various communication channels, accessibility of agricultural information services among stakeholders in Tanzania has remained a challenge for many years (URT, 2008). This study intended to investigate the role ICTs play in transforming agricultural production and agribusiness hence livelihood of majority in Tanzania. In particular the study identified specific ICTs used by various stakeholders in the agricultural sector, assessed the effectiveness of selected ICTs in creation, storage and sharing of agricultural knowledge. The study also identified the factors limiting the usage of ICTs in facilitating agricultural production and agribusiness in Tanzania. 2

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

This study was guided by the modified Ospina and Heeks (2012) conceptual framework which shows the role of ICTs in transforming agricultural production and poverty reduction through enhancing access to agricultural information services. The framework guided the study in assessing the roles played by ICTs, the factors influencing the usage of ICTs and the benefits attained through the usage of these technologies.

ICT Purpose -Building local capacities

Agricultural information services

Enablers -Connectivity and network

Actions -Strengthening local productive practices

-Tariffs -Integrating new and traditional knowledge

-Increasing profits from agriculture

-ICT skills -Time of broadcast

-Transforming agricultural livelihoods

Figure 1: ICTs for Improved Agricultural Livelihoods Agricultural information services must be provided to farmers for enhancing farmers make rational decisions concerning agricultural production and post-harvest practices (Mtega and Malekani, 2009). ICTs facilitate the accessibility of agricultural information services thus it is a channel necessary for building local capabilities, integrating new and traditional knowledge and increasing profits from agriculture. For ICTs to be effective it is important to have adequate infrastructure, affordable tariffs, skills necessary for using them and for those The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries www.ejisdc.org

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which provide mass media services then programmes should be broadcast at relevant time (Ospina and Heeks, 2012). If appropriately used, ICTs may strengthen local agricultural productive practices and transform livelihoods of farmers and other actors in the sector. 3

METHODOLOGY

The study involved a combination of approaches whereby both random and non-random sampling techniques were employed in selecting the study area and respondents. 3.1

The Study Area

The study was conducted in five of the seven agricultural zones in Tanzania. Zones to be included in the study were randomly selected while regions and districts which were close to agricultural research institutions were involved in the study. The selected zones were the Eastern, Northern, Lake, Southern Highlands and the Southern zone; Morogoro, Arusha, Mwanza, Mbeya and Mtwara regions were purposively selected from the five agricultural zones respectively because each hosted an agricultural research institute. Districts near the agricultural research institutions were involved in the study. For this case, Arusha rural, Kilosa, Mbeya rural, Mikindani, Misungwi and Morogoro rural districts were involved in the study. Among the districts included, Kilosa was purposively included in the study area as it had adequate rural ICT infrastructure including a community telecentre and was used to assess how agricultural researchers, extension staff and farmers interacted in the agricultural knowledge sharing process. 3.2

Study Population and Sampling Techniques

The study involved rural farming communities from Kilosa district, agricultural extension officers and researchers. Agricultural extension staff and researchers were from Arusha rural, Kilosa, Mbeya rural, Mikindani, Misungwi and Morogoro rural districts. This type of setting was chosen because agricultural knowledge generated in one agricultural research institute may be shared among stakeholders throughout the country. Villages from Kilosa district to be included in the study were purposively selected based on the ICT infrastructure including availability of mobile phone networks and coverage of TV and radio waves. For this case five villages including Magomeni, Kimamba B, Madoto, Chanzuru and Ilonga were selected for the study. There were 4,886 people from Kimamba B village, 8,381 people from Magomeni, 4,588 people from Ilonga village, 3,010 people from Chanzuru village and 1,670 people from Madoto village. Decision on how many people from each village to be included in the sample depended much on the village population size and availability of respondents during interviews. For these reasons, 30 respondents were from Kimamba B village and the other 23 from Magomeni. Others 15 were from Ilonga while 16 other respondents came from each of the two villages (Madoto and Chanzuru). The sample had 69 (69%) males and 31 (31%) females. Agricultural researchers and extension staff from the five agricultural zones were conveniently selected. The choice of this sampling technique was based on the fact that agricultural researchers and extension workers were hardly found in their job stations. For this case, a total of 107 agricultural extension staff and researchers were involved in the study. Among them 33 (30.84%) were agricultural extension staff while 74 (69.16%) were agricultural researchers. The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries www.ejisdc.org

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Data Collection

Various techniques were used in data collection; primary data was collected through interviews and questionnaire. Interviews were used to collect data from rural communities in Kilosa district. Questionnaires were used to collect data from agricultural extension staff and researchers from the five agricultural zones. Observation techniques were used to collect data at the telecentre. It was through participatory observation the status (working or not working) of computers at Kilosa telecentre was known. Moreover the observation (turning and listening/watching/dialing) was used determine the coverage of radio/television and mobile phone infrastructure. Documentary review of some previous studies on ICTs and agriculture in Tanzania was done for collecting secondary data. Reports on ICTs in rural areas from Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH), the Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA), Sokoine National Agricultural Library and University of Dar es Salaam Library were thoroughly reviewed. 3.4

Data Analysis

The quantitative data were analysed by the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 18). Descriptive statistical functions were run to evaluate the relationship between the quantified variables. Qualitative analysis through an in-depth analysis of qualitative data was conducted to identify the socially constructed nature of reality. Transcripts were translated from Kiswahili into English. Findings were expressed in-terms of tables, figures and descriptions. 4

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

4.1

Farmer’s Access to Agricultural Information and Related Services

Farmers within the Kilosa district were asked on the types of information they needed. It was found that farmers had various agricultural information needs which ranged from information on inputs, prices and markets, husbandry practices, innovations, credits and others as shown in Figure 2 below. It was also found that farmers had other information needs which were not directly linked with agriculture but in one way or the other influenced farming and their livelihoods. For enhancing access to agricultural information various communication channels are needed. The data collected within the Kilosa district indicate that farmers use several communication channels when accessing agricultural information. As shown in Figure 3 below, farmers in Kilosa district indicate to access information through radio, television, mobile phones, newspaper, library, leaflets/posters, internet, extension staff, face to face communication and researchers.


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Figure 2: Information Needs of Agricultural Stakeholders

Figure 3: Communication Channels Used by Farmers in Rural Areas Among the communication channels used, radio was ranked high. Most people indicate to use radio because there is a wide coverage of radio waves and infrastructure throughout the study area. The other ICT tool, the mobile phone, followed in preference. Respondents stated that the level of ownership and usage increased because of the decreasing prices for its use. Moreover, the widening mobile phone infrastructure and the increasing The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries www.ejisdc.org

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number of services on offer by mobile phone companies was another reason for the increased usage of the tools in knowledge sharing. There were also some TV stations which could be watched in the area; however this channel was used by few as it was not portable, needed electricity and in most case one way in nature. The findings are supported by other studies by Sife el al. (2010) and Oyegbami and Fabusoro (2003) who argue that television access in rural Tanzania has been largely constrained by among other factors, lack of electricity and terrestrial connections. Compared to other channels which carry information, ICTs have the potential to amplify the speed and ease with which information can be accessed. Some ICTs can enable interactive communication hindered by space, volume, medium or time (Unwin, 2009). In rural areas the major benefit of ICTs is obtained through improved agricultural information flows which enhance timely accessibility of needed information thus contributing to improved agricultural practices and rural livelihood. 4.2 ICTs and Information Services for Improved Agricultural Production and Farmers ‘Livelihoods The studies of Sife et al. (2010) and Mtega (2008) describe ICTs as the most suitable tools for the provision of information services. The suitability of ICTs to sharing agricultural information and provision of several services needed for agricultural production is due to the fact that most ICTs allow a two way communication and can provide more than one service simultaneously. The data from Kilosa reveal that most respondents prefer to use radio, television and mobile phones to other channels and sources. Preferences to these channels are attributed to the fact that these ICTs facilitate a two way communication and supported the provision of multiple services. Respondents need different types of information for empowerment, entertainment and for profit making. These ICTs enhanced access to such types of information to farmers. Radio and television provided farmers with agricultural programmes, entertainments and educational sessions. Mobile phones on the other hand were used for communication purposes and for provision of financial services (through mobile banking and money transfer). Currently in Tanzania, mobile money banking and transfer is at its peak. The M-Pesa (for Vodacom), TigoPesa (for Tigo) and the Airtel money (for Airtel) have to a great extent helped rural farming communities as most rural areas in Tanzania do not have banking services (Pesa is a Kiswahili word for money). For example, Elinaza (2012) describes that Vodacom alone transacted about 35 billion Tanzanian shillings a day by October 2012. Mobile phones were mentioned to be used for accessing markets for agricultural produce. They were mentioned to be useful as farmers could be able to make appropriate decisions regarding where to sell their produce. The tools were preferred as they eliminated costs associated with the middlemen. These findings are supported by a study by Myhr and Nordström (2006) who mention that mobile phones empower stakeholders through increased bargaining power, increased control over external events and increased market opportunities. It is commonly agreed that for effective agricultural production a timely availability of knowledge is inevitable; ICTs can enhance access to information services and knowledge for that case. It can enhance transfer of capital for agricultural production and marketing The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries www.ejisdc.org

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services. Generally, ICTs can remove barriers associated with time and distance which for years have limited the accessibility of agricultural information needed for transforming the agricultural sector. 4.3 Using ICTs for Agricultural Knowledge Sharing among Agricultural Researchers and Extension Staff Agricultural researchers involve themselves in the creation of new knowledge which is meant for solving practical problems faced by farmers and other actors in the agricultural sector. Created knowledge may be passed to farmers through agricultural extension staff. The current study intended to identify the types of ICTs used for creation, storage and sharing agricultural knowledge. It was found that most agricultural research institutions had a number of ICTs including computers, CD-ROMs and internet connectivity for creation, storage and dissemination of research outputs. Agricultural extension staff on the other hand worked with farmers in rural areas through bridging agricultural research and practice. It was found that both researchers and agricultural extension staff mentioned to own mobile phones for knowledge sharing. Despite owning mobile phones, it was identified that some types of information can hardly be shared through mobile phones. Furthermore, agricultural researchers and extension staff were asked if they used internet services. Majority of the researchers and extension staff reported to have been using such services (see Table 1 below). Table 1: The Use of the Internet among Agricultural Researchers and Extension Staff Response

Frequency

Percent

Yes

103

96.3

No

4

3.7

Total

107

100.0

In order to transform the agricultural sector significantly, the information exchange between agricultural researchers and extension staff must be relevant and frequent. Strengthening the linkage can enhance timely accessibility of research outputs to farmers who in turn will use the information to alter their activities and choices in farming. To enhance such linkages, internet access points are needed. Agricultural researchers and extension staff were asked on where and how they accessed internet services. It was found that those who used internet services accessed such services through their laptops installed with modems and others in their offices (see Table 2 below for details).


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Table 2: Internet Access Points among Agricultural Researchers and Extension Staff Internet Access Point

Frequency

Percent

Office

64

59.8

Mobile phone

32

29.9

Internet cafe

58

54.2

Laptop modem

73

68.2

Having access to multiple internet access points could potentially improve the sharing of agricultural knowledge and research outputs between agricultural researchers and extension staff. Ultimately, multiple internet access points can easily enhance the accessibility of agricultural information services among farmers who depend on agricultural extension staff, as such staff will easily get access to new developments in the field. 4.4

Factors Influencing the Usage of ICTs in the Agricultural Sector

Among the enablers for ICT usage are the costs associated with the usage of the services. The usage of radio and television as agricultural communication channels is much limited to power for running them and some costs associated with maintenance. In most cases, a number of dry cells costing around 700 Tanzanian shillings each may be used for a week or two thus being afforded by most rural communities. The usage of television depends on power availability too; limited rural electrification has to a great extent reduced the usefulness of television in rural areas where most farmers are found. This is supported by Kerr et al. (2007) and Sife (2008) who state that the limited television viewing in rural areas is mostly due to limited power supply. The usage of mobile phones depends on the availability of mobile phone infrastructure, power for recharging batteries and tariffs associated with usage mobile phone services. It was found that the mobile phone infrastructure in both rural and urban Tanzania was growing very fast thus providing increasing opportunities to use mobile phone services. In urban areas recharging mobile phone batteries was not difficult as such areas were electrified. This made it easy for researchers who in most cases have stations in outskirts of cities to use mobile phones. In rural areas people used some battery chargers equipped with solar power facilities, others had power generators while few mentioned to visit nearby towns for recharging their mobile phones. Respondents’ usage of mobile phones depend much on tariffs for accessing a service. In Tanzania, the charge for voice calls relates to time while that of text message relies on the number of messages sent (a single text message has a fixed number of characters). It was found that most mobile phone service providers charged an average of 60 Tanzanian shillings per text message. Voice calls charges depend on whether the call is local or international and on whether they were on net (within the same network) or off net (linking different mobile phone service providers) calls. The trend for the both off net, on net, local and international The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries www.ejisdc.org

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tariffs in Tanzania has been decreasing over the past years thus making the majority able to use the services provided through mobile phones (see Table 3 and 4 below for details). Table 3: Average Tariff Trends from 2005 to 2011 (per minute of voice call in Tanzanian shillings) Year

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

On Net Tariffs

219

223

199

212

147

93

59

Off Net Tariffs

292

284

286

284

292

263

187

East Africa Tariffs

499

362

331

332

332

330

319

International Tariffs

1,580

608

465

485

453

468

468

Source: TCRA (2012) As shown by (TCRA, 2012), the falling tariffs is one of the factors for the increased dependency on mobile phone services in the country. This makes mobile phones among the most used ICTs in both rural and urban Tanzania. In the agricultural sector, stakeholders could benefit from the falling tariffs by using more mobile phone services including accessing agricultural information needed for agricultural activities, identifying better markets for agricultural produce, accessing financial services for their day to day activities and for social capital. Table 4: Average Tariff Percentage Changes over Time Year

2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08

2008-09

2009-10

2010-11

On Net Tariffs

3%

2%

-11%

6%

-31%

-36%

-37%

Off Net Tariffs

0%

-3%

1%

-1%

3%

-10%

-29%

East Africa Tariffs

5%

-27%

-9%

0%

0%

0%

-3%

International Tariffs 9%

-62%

-24%

4%

-7%

3%

0%

Source: TCRA (2012) The usefulness of some ICTs including radio and television depend on time when a programme was broadcast. This is because rural communities involved themselves in agricultural activities during certain hours of day. A study by Sife (2010) identifies at which time of the day rural communities prefer to watch television and listen to radio. Sife (2010) describes that majority of rural farmers prefer to listen and watch radio and TV programmes respectively during the evening to early morning (see Table 5 below for details). Preference to such time is because of the farming activities which usually take place from morning to late afternoon. The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries www.ejisdc.org

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Table 5: Preferred Time for Listening to Radio Programmes among Farmers in Tanzania Time

Frequency

Evening (6.00 pm – 8.00 pm)

229 (77.1%)

Night (9.00 pm – 12.00 midnight)

196 (66.4%)

Early morning (4.00 am - 7.00 am)

193 (65.0%)

Afternoon (12.00 noon - 5.00 pm)

136 (45.8%)

Source: Sife (2010) Agricultural information broadcast outside the specified time in most case miss most of the intended audience. A study by Shetto (2008) describes that most agricultural related programmes are broadcast when farmers are on farms or other agricultural related activities. This makes most of the agricultural information broadcast useless as very few farmers have access to such information when broadcast. Another factor which according to respondents influences the usage of ICTs in provision of agricultural services is the distance from where an on station service is available to farmer’s residential areas. The usage of mobile phones among non-owners may be affected by the distance to a phone shop/kiosk. Farmers living near to the phone shop are likely to use phone services more often than those living away from the shop. These findings are supported by Mtega and Malekani (2009) who found that fewer rural people living far away from the telecentre used the services provided by the Kilosa Community telecentres while most of those living around such centres used the same services more. Table 6: Distance from the Information Centers to the Users at Kilosa Telecentre Distance from the telecentres (in Frequency distribution of users and non-users of the telecentre Km) Users

Non users

1 -7

53 (98.13%)

1 (1.85%)

8 – 18

14 (46.7%)

16 (53.3%)

Above 18

11 (68.8%)

5 (31.2%)

Source: Mtega and Malekani (2009)


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Telecentres in Kilosa district provide internet, computers, fax, printing, mobile phones, photocopier and scanning services. It is thus important to have such services within a reach of most rural communities that the services may be useful for transforming agricultural production and rural livelihoods. 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This study intended to investigate the role ICTs play in transforming agricultural production and agribusiness hence livelihood of majority in Tanzania. Findings show that ICTs facilitate access to information, enhance agricultural markets availability and provide financial services. Due to a fast growing ICT infrastructure in rural area in Tanzania, it was expected that access to and usage of agricultural information could be improved. However, the increasing use of ICTs has not benefited the agricultural sector. Actors in the sector are still using the tools to meet their traditional communication needs. Moreover, not all ICT tools used by stakeholders are suitable for the provision of each agricultural information service and sometimes for communication across all categories of actors. Furthermore, the respondents in our study considered some ICTs more useful than others. This is mostly due to the number of services they offered, their portability, infrastructural coverage and that they are affordable. For these reasons, mobile phones, radio and television can be very suitable for the provision and dissemination of agricultural information among farmers while computers, mobile phones and internet can be more suitable for knowledge sharing among agricultural researchers and extension staff. To foster the agricultural production in Tanzania timely access to agricultural information is considered important. It is therefore recommended that suitable ICTs should be used for facilitating agricultural information accessibility and exchange among stakeholders. Agricultural training institutions should incorporate ICTs and knowledge sharing related courses in their curricula as some of the agricultural researchers and extension staff were unable to use some simple ICTs for knowledge sharing. Internet and mobile phone service providers should increase the coverage of their services and reduce the tariffs associated with usage that more agricultural stakeholders may afford them and be empowered thus transforming livelihood of agricultural communities in the country. 6.

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