Information and Communication Technology for Rural Farmers Market Access in Tanzania

Abstract

This paper discusses the impact of information and communication technology (ICT) for rural farmers’ market information access in Tanzania with the case study of Rungwe District. Two hundred farmers were selected randomly to provide information about ICT use for accessing agricultural market information. A structured questionnaire was used to gather information at household level. There were also consultations with key informants, service providers and government officials. Findings show that market information sources are still dominated by the farmers themselves, relatives and traders. Nevertheless, a considerable number of farmers (23%) used ICT to access market information. The use of ICT by farmers was significantly related to the quantity produced (P<1%), income level (P<1%), type of crop marketed (P<5%) and gender (P<5%). Farmers who used ICT obtained higher prices (P<1%) than farmers who did not use ICT for accessing market information. The use of ICT is constrained by costs, accessibility and reliability.