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Technology for Small Scale Farmers in Tanzania: A Design Science Research Approach
Author(s) -
Misaki Ezra,
Apiola Mikko,
Gaiani Silvia
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
the electronic journal of information systems in developing countries
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.41
H-Index - 18
ISSN - 1681-4835
DOI - 10.1002/j.1681-4835.2016.tb00538.x
Subject(s) - tanzania , likert scale , design science research , agriculture , scale (ratio) , productivity , descriptive statistics , marketing , business , tacit knowledge , agricultural science , information system , knowledge management , environmental economics , agricultural economics , engineering , economics , computer science , statistics , economic growth , mathematics , geography , socioeconomics , environmental science , cartography , archaeology , electrical engineering
Small scale farmers (SSF) in Tanzania are challenged by food insecurity, lack of infrastructure, lack of access to credit and services, and lack of reliable channels for farming information. Despite various initiatives the agriculture sector in Tanzania has remained poor. Unreliable information has been found as one factor that hinders decision‐making and productivity. This study is the first step in a design science research (DSR) approach to address farmers’ challenges directly with technology. This research studied the acute challenges, information channels, and information gaps of SSFs in Chamwino, Tanzania. Based on our previous qualitative results, a structured questionnaire containing 76 items on a Likert scale was administered to 150 small scale farmers in Chamwino, Tanzania. A response rate of 83% ( n =124) was reached. The data was analyzed for descriptive statistics as well as basic measures of statistical association. The results show that farmers rely on tacit knowledge in regards of weather information, market data, plant and disease identification, and business management, and are vulnerable to middlemen frauds and inaccurate decision making. Many of these challenges can potentially be solved by technology. A number of engineering solutions for the basis of future DSR projects are proposed.