Small-Scale Farmers’ Awareness of e-Agriculture: A Pathway for Livelihood Development in Mkuranga, Tanzania

Abstract

True agricultural development heavily relies on the promptness and relevance of the information accessed by small-scale farmers. In this regard, the application of e- Agriculture has a huge potential and pathway for agricultural development. e-Agriculture facilitates the exchange of farming information, ideas, and resources that if practiced can improve productivity and livelihood. Information exchanged improves small-scale farmers' decision-making in the agricultural value chain and hence pathway in welfare development. Despite this potentiality of e-Agriculture, the literature on the assessment of the level of farmers’ awareness of the technology in Mkuranga is scanty. Therefore, using a quantitative survey design to 63 small-scale farmers, focusing on the dimensions attitude, impact, social-cultural inhibitions of using mobile technology and competence in using mobile technologies, this study found out that 81.0 and 87.3 per cent of the respondents were unaware of the existence of e-Agriculture and information and communication technology projects in the study area. Further, 76.2 per cent of small-scale farmers studied opined that such projects could enhance agriculture in future if well established. The study also found that information and communication technologies such as M-Pesa, Tigo-Pesa, and AirTel money services positively impacted the farming business. The study also found out that the social-cultural aspect was not inhibiting the scaling up of technology usage in the rural sector. Moreover, it was found that the competencies of farmers were low, indicating the low awareness of the technology. Thus, the study's findings provide insights on enhancing the use of e-Agriculture in the farming business and policy formulation in the agricultural sector.