Agricultural and indigenous agro-biodiversity information and knowledge sources, channels and sharing strategies among local community farmers in selected districts in Tanzania

Abstract

The aim of the first part of this research was to investigate the agricultural information sources and strategies for disseminating agricultural research findings to farmers in Iringa District, Tanzania. The second part reports on management aspects related to indigenous agro-biodiversity practices, focusing on sources, acquisitions, sharing and constraints in managing indigenous knowledge related to agro biodiversity practices among local communities in Masasi and Nachingwea districts in Tanzania. A total of 90 farmers were interviewed in Iringa district and 230 heads of households using self-administered questionnaire, 16 key informants (village leaders), 4 indigenous knowledge intermediaries (extension and forest officers) and 80 participants from Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) in Masasi and Nachingwea districts. The statistical Package for Service Solutions (SPSS) software and Spreadsheet were used as instruments to analyse the findings. Results from the first part of the study indicate that radios, church leaders, village leaders and seminars are the main channels of information used by extension officers to disseminate agricultural information to farmers. With regard to strategies the study revealed that, the use of religious leaders and government officials; use of primary school teachers and pupils; non-political interference; repackaging and packaging of technical information reports; deployment of extension officers in rural areas; use of community-based organisations and the establishment of agricultural information boards were the main effective strategies for disseminating agricultural research information to farmers. It is therefore, concluded from the first part of the study, that radio, church leaders, seminars, Newspapers, brochures and fliers should be intensively used to disseminate agricultural information among farmers so as to raise productivity in their farms. The study suggests that, there is a need to use other disseminators such as influential people, religious leaders, political leaders, primary school teachers and pupils to disseminate such information in addition to repackaging of agricultural research findings to tailor it to the farmers’ needs. Results from the second part of the study indicates that farmers rely heavily on tacit knowledge as opposed to recorded knowledge. The study concluded that farmers create new knowledge through face-to-face and group interactions, folklore, carvings and initiation rites and that IK is largely transferred through oral tradition and demonstrations and is preserved in human minds. The study recommends that KM practices on management of agro-biodiversity should be the responsibility of communities, village authorities, public and private sectors and that the government and private agro-biodiversity actors should foster KM practices on management of agro-biodiversity by engaging communities in the identification, mapping, dissemination and preservation of IK and should conduct user studies to determine For Personal Use 2 areas for intervention. These will help local communities to sustain their farming systems and hence ensure their livelihoods.