Use of Radio by Smallholder Farmers in Accessing Agricultural Information in Ikolo Ward, Kyela District, Tanzania

Kenneth Nzilano; Siweli Nyamba; Innocent Busindeli

doi:10.37284/eajab.8.2.3379

Kenneth Nzilano Sokoine University of Agriculture
Siweli Nyamba Sokoine University of Agriculture
Innocent Busindeli Sokoine University of Agriculture

DOI: https://doi.org/10.37284/eajab.8.2.3379

Keywords: Radio Use, Agricultural Information Needs, Information Accessibility, Smallholder Farmers

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Abstract

Smallholder farmers rely on radio for agricultural information to improve their farming decisions, but its use is largely shaped by their personal characteristics and specific information needs. The study focused on radio as a tool. This study investigated the use of radio by smallholder farmers to get agricultural information. A cross-sectional research design was employed, and data were collected from 232 randomly selected farmers in Ikolo Ward. Data collection methods included semi-structured interviews, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Chi-square tests assessed the association between personal characteristics variables and radio use, with significance set at p < 0.05. Findings revealed that among the communication media, radio was most commonly used by smallholder farmers to access agricultural Information, and they preferred night-time listening. In addition, personal characteristics such as sex, education, and marital status significantly influenced the use of radio for agricultural information, with males and individuals with higher education levels reporting greater use. The binary logistic regression analysis showed that the need for agricultural information on weather updates, fertiliser use, and market price updates had a positive and statistically significant influence on smallholder farmers’ radio use. Radio helps farmers to plan their activities by offering timely and useful weather and market information. The study recommends developing agricultural gender sensitive radio programs focusing on smallholder farmers’ needs, and farmer training on the use of radio to access agricultural information

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