Browsing by Author "Mwakalobo, Adam"

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Knowledge Gain and Adoption among Farm Women through Interactive Multimedia in Kilosa and Sengerema Districts, Tanzania
(2021) Ngowi, Edwin; Mwakalobo, Adam; Mathew, Coletha
This paper examines knowledge gain and adoption among farm women with access to information and improved communication. This is because access to information and improved communication is a crucial requirement for agricultural development. In rural areas, group approach, “self-help groups (SHGs),” have been initiated among farm women using Interactive Multimedia Compact Disc (IMCD). The IMCD emerged as a potential learning tool to train farmers about a particular agricultural-knowledge. A theoretical and conceptual framework for an adoption pathway is reviewed in which farmers move from knowledge gain to adoption over time. This study was conducted in Sengerema and Kilosa districts with telecentres that train farm women in SHGs using IMCD. A total of 180 farm women were randomly and equally selected. Simple correlation and multiple regressions were used to assess association and influence of socioeconomic characteristics on knowledge gain and adoption. It was established that education status and mass media exposure exhibited a positive and significant relationship. Age and farm statuses showed negative association with knowledge gain. Farm status and innovativeness showed significant and positive relationship with knowledge adoption. Farming experience exhibited negative and significant relationship with knowledge adoption. Thus, while preparing IMCD, one should take care these variables for knowledge gain and adoption. The inferences on knowledge gain and adoption imply that longer periods will be required for majority of farm women to use the technology and to have the decision leading to adoption
Knowledge gain and adoption among farm women through interactive multimedia in Kilosa and Sengerema districts, Tanzania
(Tanzania Journal of Development Studies, 2021) Ngowi, Edwin; Mathew, Coletha; Mwakalobo, Adam
This paper examines knowledge gain and adoption among farm women with access to information and improved communication. This is because access to information and improved communication is a crucial requirement for agricultural development. In rural areas, group approach, “self-help groups (SHGs),” have been initiated among farm women using Interactive Multimedia Compact Disc (IMCD). The IMCD emerged as a potential learning tool to train farmers about a particular agricultural-knowledge. A theoretical and conceptual framework for an adoption pathway is reviewed in which farmers move from knowledge gain to adoption over time. This study was conducted in Sengerema and Kilosa districts with telecentres that train farm women in SHGs using IMCD. A total of 180 farm women were randomly and equally selected. Simple correlation and multiple regressions were used to assess association and influence of socioeconomic characteristics on knowledge gain and adoption. It was established that education status and mass media exposure exhibited a positive and significant relationship. Age and farm statuses showed negative association with knowledge gain. Farm status and innovativeness showed significant and positive relationship with knowledge adoption. Farming experience exhibited negative and significant relationship with knowledge adoption. Thus, while preparing IMCD, one should take care these variables for knowledge gain and adoption. The inferences on knowledge gain and adoption imply that longer periods will be required for majority of farm women to use the technology and to have the decision leading to adoption.
Making ICTs work for agro-pastoral livelihood: using the telecentre as learning tool for agro-pastoralists communities in Tanzania
(Journal of Sustainable Development, 2015) Ngowi, Edwin; Mwakalobo, Adam; Mwamfupe, Davis
Traditional agricultural extension services intended to serve agro-pastoralists in Tanzania and Sub-Saharan Africa at large have failed to make significant impacts, due partly to the lack of knowledge-sharing practices to disseminate timely agricultural and livestock-keeping information. A key problem has been inadequate access to information due to weak linkages and interactions between agricultural and livestock research institutions; including, the lack of knowledge and information articulating best practices; and deficiency of relevant research information presented in easy to understand ways and localized to the needs of agro-pastoralists. However, in recent years, there has been growing attention devoted to the implementation of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in agriculture and livestock-keeping development. The growing ubiquity of mobile phones presents an excellent opportunity to put timely agricultural and livestock-keeping information into the hands of agro-pastoralists through direct linkages with the telecentres services in rural areas. The evidence has linked ICTs to an increase in gross domestic product; it has prompted dedication to the research of the socio-economic benefits and policy implications of ICTs consumption in Africa. Consisting of field case studies and implementation frameworks for telecentres, this paper provides a Tanzanian rural perspective and understanding of the developments in ICTs services for sustainable agro-pastoral livelihood. Therefore, the field results indicates that, the extent of the interaction between the telecentre services and agro-pastoralists in terms of ICTs access as a learning tool shows that more than half, 43.7% (178) and 23.6% (96) out of 407 respondents were interacting; whereby agro-pastoralists access the services provided by the telecentres to improve agro-pastoral livelihood. We conclude that the interaction between the telecentre services and agro-pastoralists has to be transformed; since the potential of ICTs services in rural areas as yet remains untapped and urgent measures are required to derive maximum benefits for sustainable agro-pastoral livelihood.