Factors Influencing the Use of Mobile Technologies in Communicating Agricultural Information among Extension Officers in Tanzania: A Case Study of M-Kilimo

International Journal of Education and Development using Information and Communication Technology. University of the West Indies Open Campus, Cavehill, Bridgetown, Barbados, BB11000, West Indies. e-mail: chiefeditor-ijedict@open.uwi.edu; Web site: http://ijedict.dec.uwi.edu/

Y

10

Foreign Countries; Handheld Devices; Information Technology; Agriculture; Computer Mediated Communication; Agricultural Occupations; Employee Attitudes; Motivation; Access to Computers; Internet; Costs

1814-0556

This study was carried out at Mpanda Municipal Council in Katavi Region. The study aimed at assessing the factors influencing the use of M-Kilimo, an interactive mobile agriculture platform in communicating agricultural information among extension workers. The specific objectives were to determine the characteristics of Agricultural Extension Officers in the study area, their perception toward M-Kilimo, their level of use of the M-Kilimo programme and the factors influencing the use of M-Kilimo in the study area. A sample of 21 respondents were interviewed of which 17 were male and 4 were female. Data were collected by interviews and focus group discussion and were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) programme. This study found shortage of tablets, low motivation of some buyers to register and provide market information in the system, high cost of some Internet bundles and low clarity of some features influenced the use of M-Kilimo. However, most extension workers were intrinsically motivated to use the technologies. We recommend on-going training for extension workers and subsidizing the Internet cost. We also recommend a specific campaign to include business actors in the system to offer diversity of the information disseminated.

As Provided

2024

EJ1413350