Linking farmers to markets

Agricultural market information services help to link farmers to markets so they can make better business choices and improve their bargaining powe

Access and use of agricultural market information by smallholder farmers: Measuring informational capabilities

A research article was submitted to Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries Volume86, Issue6 November 2020While farmers sell their crops, middlemen provide a linkage between them, markets and buyers. Middlemen have good knowledge of working conditions of markets and have access to agricultural market information. Due to poor access to markets and agricultural market information by smallholders, there is a feeling that middlemen benefit more while farmers sell their crops. Good access to markets and market information may help farmers bypass middlemen while selling crops and thus benefit more. Thus, it is best to improve the informational capabilities (ICs) of farmers in agricultural marketing. Thus, this research measured ICs of farmers accessing market information, through a program NINAYO, while selling their crops. The research utilized the informational, psychological, social, and economic dimensions of the empowerment framework in identifying capability indicators to formulate survey questions. Data were collected from smallholders in six regions in Tanzania. The analysis utilized measures of life satisfaction and results showed that about half of the variation in the dependent variable, satisfaction with capabilities, was explained by the model. Backward elimination analysis confirmed that life satisfaction is multidimensional. Robustness test confirmed a positive relationship between satisfaction and capabilities. Overall, results confirmed ICs are multidimensions, their improvement empowers farmers in agricultural marketing

A framework for enhancing sustainable access and use of agricultural market information by small-scale farmers in Tanzania

A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Information and Communication Science and Engineering of the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and TechnologyAgriculture in African developing countries employs majorities and contributes greatly to both human development and national economies. Despite its significance, the sector is dominated by small scale farmers living in rural areas and practising subsistence farming. Among the challenges confronting farmers include poor access to markets for their farm produce and lack of market information while selling their produce. The challenges have led to low prices of produce which also leads to low investments in agriculture, low productivity due to practising traditional farming methods, poor motivation to others to invest in agriculture, some quitting agriculture for other preferred jobs, and emergence of middlemen in the agricultural supply chain. Adequate market access and market information use can help farmers make important decision (e.g. plan what crops to plant, when to plant, and when and where to sell their farm produce). With regards to market access and use of market information, farmers in Tanzania are challenged with unreliable and underdeveloped markets, lack of market information, poor or no infrastructure (e.g. rural roads, transporting means, and electricity), illiteracy, poor knowledge on agricultural marketing, and presence of middlemen. Based on the Capability Approach and Concepts, a framework for linking farmers to markets while providing them with market information was developed. The essence is to develop their (farmers) capabilities to become active market actors. Using a case study of farmers accessing agricultural market information from the NINAYO program, information capabilities of small scale farmers was measured. Methods employed by the study include extensive literature review, data collection through field visits and surveys, interviews and observations, and by using questionnaires. Analyses of data were done using descriptive statistics, and regression analysis. To develop a framework, identified challenges in market access and market information use were mapped into various components of Livelihood Framework and the Empowerment Framework. Thus, to improve access to markets and enhance use of market information by farmers, different actors (public and private) need to be involved. Different resources (education, financial, cultural, social and informational) of farmers need to be improved. The overall is to ensure farmers gain and benefit from their agricultural activities, their lives and economies improve, rural lives and economies improve and the national economies, at large, improve

Agricultural Market Information Services in Developing Countries: A Review

Research Article published by Advances in Computer Science: an International Journal, Vol. 3, Issue 3, No.9, May 2014Access to agricultural markets and marketing information are essential factors in promoting competitive markets and improving agricultural sector development. The agricultural sector employs majorities in developing countries and it contributes greatly to the development of these countries. Unluckily, majorities of the farmers are smallholders living in isolated rural areas and thus lack appropriate access to markets for their products and also they are deprived of agricultural market information. As a lack of these, smallholder farmers are exploited by greedy traders and receive low prices for their agricultural produce. This study has explored the use of agricultural market information services in linking smallholder farmers to markets, especially in sub-Sahara developing countries. Origin of, the needs for, and the current status of agricultural market information services in developing countries are clearly presented. Lastly, the study explored the limitation of the success of most agricultural market information services in sub-Sahara developing countries

Access to Agricultural Market Information by Rural Farmers in Tanzania

Research Article published by the International Journal of Information and Communication Technology Research Volume 4 No. 7, July 2014Access to agricultural markets and agricultural market information is essential for participating in agricultural markets. A skilled and well-equipped participant benefits more in the agricultural marketing chain. Due to poor access to agricultural markets, rural farmers have for so long depended on subsistence farming living other participants (traders, consumers, intermediaries) benefiting more. Poor access to markets by these rural farmers is attributed by poor road infrastructure, lack of transporting means, and broadly by lack of agricultural market information. Due to lack of market information such as price of produce at the markets, quality and quantity of produces required at the markets, rural farmers negotiate on prices of their produce based on the information provided by traders. These factors significantly reduce the bargaining power of rural farmers and thus promote development of uncompetitive markets. It is envisaged that if rural farmers get a fair share of their produce, they can shift from subsistence farming and consider agriculture as their main economic activity. Dependence on radio programs and mobile phone calls to get agricultural market information has not well benefited remote rural farmers. This study proposes to establish a platform of framework where agricultural market participants can share market information. With this platform, real-time market information can be made available to market participants. The overall goal is to ensure farmers are assisted to get a fair share of their produce

Website Development: The Case of Agricultural Extension Providers in Tanzania

       This study examined current practice in websites development among organizations in Tanzania that provide agricultural extension services to smallholder farmers. Google search was used to get a list of respondent organizations. A questionnaire, interviews, and a review of the websites owned by organizations under study were used to collect data. Other than websites, it was found that organizations use manual documents, physical visits, radios, SMSs, TVs, and social networks to disseminate information to smallholder farmers. Websites development was either done in-house or outsourced and the focus was to have websites that cater to the information needs of different stakeholders including smallholder farmers. Information on websites included contacts, announcements, specific information for farmers, with some of the information not directly relating to smallholder farmers. This led websites to contain lots of information which might affect the usability of those websites by smallholder farmers hence not benefiting from the information contained. This was the case for all websites. Also, the involvement of smallholder farmers during website development was low. Websites for agricultural extension providers were developed either in-house or outsourced. The government-owned agency (e-GA), commercial companies, and staff were among developers for the websites. Communication between stakeholders during the development process was easier for in-house development as compared to when websites were developed outside. Websites developed were either internally maintained or maintained outside organizations, with internal maintenance being cheaper compared to when maintenances were done outside organizations. To develop quality websites from smallholder farmers’ point of view their involvement should be high and the websites and the contained information should be easier to access with minimal information. Also, websites should be professionally designed and developed to focus more on the provision of agricultural extension services