Agricultural Information Dissemination in Rural Areas of Developing Countries: A Proposed Model for Tanzania

Abstract

This article is based on the findings of a study on access and use of poultry management information in rural Tanzania. It highlights the connection between the information system, rural farmers and information providers; and how those linkages can impact information access, usage and farmers' satisfaction. The study findings suggest that rural information dissemination in Tanzania is planned without consulting the rural farmers, resulting in limited access and underutilisation of information. Based on the study findings and drawing on the information systems success model and quadratic usage framework, a model for agricultural information dissemination in the context of rural Tanzania is proposed. The proposed model addresses the need to understand the target community before embarking on information dissemination. It places more emphasis on understanding farmers' community, rather than focusing on the information per se.