Department of Agricultural Extension and Community Development

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Attitude of crop farmers towards public agricultural extension services: implication for extension programming in Tanzania
(College of Social Sciences and Humanities, Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), Morogoro-Tanzania, 2021) Shausi, Gosbert Lukenku; Ahmad, Athman Kyaruzi
Overtime, effectiveness of extension service has been the focus of many studies. However, most of these studies have paid more attention on the service itself neglecting the service users’ attitude about that service. It is envisaged that a positive attitude is a key requirement for service utilization. Therefore, this study assessed crop farmers’ attitudes towards agricultural extension services (AESs) in Mpwapwa and Mvomero districts. The study was conducted from December 2017 to February 2018 and used questionnaire and focus group discussions to collect data from 292 participants who were randomly selected. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency counts, mean, and percentages), and content analysis. The study found that although AESs were provided in the study area 40.1% of farmers were never visited by extension agents in a month before the study. It was further revealed that 73.5% of the respondents had a favourable attitude towards AESs that are provided in the study area. It was concluded that overall farmers have positive attitude towards public extension service although the service seems not to perform better in areas of marketing, value addition and access to loans and credits. The study recommends that efforts should be made to make sure that all farmers are visited by extension agents. Additionally, extension service should increase emphasis on linking farmers with markets, loans and credits, and capacity building on crop value addition.
Factors determining crop farmers’ willingness to pay for agricultural extension services in Tanzania: a case of Mpwapwa and Mvomero Districts
(Academic Journals, 2019-10) Shausi, Gosbert Lukenku; Ahmad, Athman Kyaruzi; Abdallah, Jumanne Mushi
This study assessed crop farmers’ willingness to pay for AESs and identified factors influencing their willingness to pay for AESs. Data were collected from 292 randomly selected crop farmers’ households between December 2017 and February 2018 using a questionnaire through face-to-face interviews. Data were analyzed using frequency counts, percentages and Tobit regression model. The study found that 92% of the respondents are willing to pay for AESs. It was also found that farmer’s age, education attainment, farming experience, distance from farm to the nearest important road, income (both farm and nonfarm) and attitude towards AESs are significant determinants of farmers willingness to pay for AESs. The study recommends that these variables be given proper policy consideration by the government and other stakeholders in the design and the implementation of a workable fashion of privatizing extension services for the expected impact of improving extension services and farmers’ productivity hence improved quality of life
Maize farmers’ knowledge and perception of improved postharvest storage technologies in Kilolo District, Tanzania
(Journal of Stored Products and Postharvest Research, 2020) Ahmad, Athman Kyaruzi; Shausi, Gosbert Lukenku
This study assessed small-scale maize farmers’ knowledge and perception on the use of improved postharvest storage technologies in Kilolo District, Tanzania. The participants of the study include 260 farmers who were randomly selected from four villages. Data were collected by using interview schedule, questionnaire, Focus Group Discussions (FGD) and personal observation. Descriptive statistics such as means, frequencies, and percentages were computed. The study found that majority of respondents had low knowledge on the use of improved postharvest storage technologies. However, majority of the respondents had positive attitudes towards the use of improved postharvest technologies. It is recommended that Kilolo District Council and other development partners should promote the use of improved post-harvest technologies to reduce maize post-harvest losses; develop training programs on capacity building of extension officers and farmers on postharvest handling of maize and ensure that maize postharvest storage technologies are made available to farmers at a subsidized price.
Participatory action research for engaging schools and Communities to enhance relevant learning: the use of'farm' as A pedagogical resource in Tanzanian rural primary schools
(Sokoine University of Agriculture, 2016) Ahmad, Athman Kyaruzi
This participatory action research study, founded on Nycrcre’s idea of education for self-reliance (ESR) and my lived experience with education and community development practices, aimed at developing solutions for enhanced relevant learning at primary education level. Specifically the study strived to facilitate local processes oriented towards larger integration of everyday experiences in learning, using farm as a pedagogical resource. In an attempt to achieve the above, 1 solidly mapped the school practice and contextual realities and negotiated the desired future of school and community development practices. This I did in collaboration with a research team, consisting of university based members, and actors from the field, such as teachers, parents, community development officers, administrators and local policy makers. This mapping informed the process of development and implementation of an action plan to realize the envisioned future in Tanzania rural settings. We used Nyandira primary school and community as a case. We approached the study from an interdisciplinary perspective embedded in cooperation, participation and democratic values. The thesis includes three articles corresponding to the main project phases: planning, acting, observing and reflecting. The first article draws from the planning phase of the project and aims to identify theoretical approaches that can support sustainable revitalization of ESR in Tanzania. The article has two parts; the first part advances arguments for revitalization of ESR philosophy to guide primary education in rural areas as an effort to improve learning outcomes both cognitively and affectively. The second part outlines the first phase of the project processes and the significance of democratic and extensive initial consultation with the community. The second article draws from both the planning and acting phases. Based on comprehensive preparation leading up to a two-day dialogue conference, facilitation and observation of the conference and reflections during and after the conference, we discuss the potential and function of dialogue conferences as a democratic platform for empowering local participants to take responsibility and ownership of change processes. The study reveals that dialogue conferences as a PAR method has immanent potential for uniting cooperative learning, research, and thus opening up opportunities for self-empowerment. However, throughout the processes, we realize that facilitating dialogue conferences requires familiarity with and sensitivity to the contextual and socio-cultural characteristics of the participants and their experiences. The third article mostly draws from the phases of actions and evaluation. The article discusses the implementation of the collaboratively developed action plan. Central themes covered arc the extent to which stakeholders honored commitments made during planning and the degree to which the stakeholders found proposed solutions appropriate in the actual implementation process. Reflecting on the overall project processes, the article highlights the successes recorded, challenges encountered and their mitigation. Overall, PAR well facilitated, can have an integrating function that prompts social connections and establishing of structures for meaningful engagement and bottom up generation of practical knowledge and interventions. In the process, self-empowerment among the participants become possible. We suggest that the use of farm as a pedagogical resource in Tanzanian rural contexts might be a promising strategy for strengthening school-community linkages. Strong links with immediate communities are likely to make schools more effective and relevant. Relevant primary education is an essential condition for development of sustainable livelihoods.

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