Application of knowledge management approaches and information and communication technologies to manage indigenous knowledge in the agricultural sector in selected districts of Tanzania.

Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.This study investigated the extent to which knowledge management (KM) approaches and information and communication technologies (ICTs) can be used to manage agricultural indigenous knowledge (IK), and introduce relevant exogenous knowledge in some local communities of Tanzania. The recognition and management of local practices do not only give confidence to farmers that their knowledge and skills are valued, but also leads to the preservation and continued use of their IK. Managing IK within and across communities can help to enhance cross-cultural understanding and promote the cultural dimension of agricultural development in the local communities. The current state of managing agricultural IK and access to relevant exogenous knowledge in the selected local communities in Tanzania was investigated. The study used mixed research methods, where the qualitative approach was the dominant method. Both quantitative and qualitative data were gathered simultaneously during a single phase of data collection. The primary purpose was to gather qualitative data through the semi-structured interviews, focus groups, non-participant observation, and participatory rural appraisal tools (information mapping and linkage diagrams, and problem trees). The secondary purpose was to gather quantitative data through closed questions which were embedded in the same semi-structured interviews. Both qualitative and quantitative data analyses were kept separate, and then they were combined or integrated into the meta-inferences. Some of the qualitative themes were also transformed into counts, and these counts were compared with descriptive quantitative data. The study participants included three categories of respondents: local communities (farmers and village leaders), IK policy makers (institutions that deal with intellectual property policies in Tanzania), and knowledge intermediaries (institutions that deal with agricultural KM activities in the rural areas). The findings indicated that KM approaches can be used to manage IK and appropriately introduce exogenous knowledge in the local communities, and thus the integration of both indigenous and exogenous knowledge can be feasible. The study findings showed that farmers possessed an extensive base of agricultural IK. However, this knowledge was acquired, developed and shared within a small, weak and spontaneous network, and thus knowledge loss was prevalent in the surveyed communities. Formal sources of knowledge mainly focused on disseminating exogenous knowledge in the local communities, which showed the predominance of the exogenous knowledge system over IK in the surveyed local communities. The study found that most of the farmers’ knowledge was tacit and it was created and shared through human interactions, and thus lack of ICTs did not constitute a barrier for KM practices in the rural areas. The study findings showed that radio was the major ICT used to access exogenous and indigenous knowledge in the local communities. There was low use of ICTs to share and preserve agricultural IK in the local communities. Although there was a predominance of the exogenous knowledge system over IK in the local communities, farmers applied IK gained from tacit and explicit sources of knowledge in their farming systems as compared to exogenous knowledge in the surveyed communities. Farmers trusted their own knowledge since it did not challenge their assumptions as would new knowledge from research institutions and universities. Low use of exogenous knowledge on some farming aspects was attributed to the fact that few knowledge intermediaries had identified and prioritized farmers’ knowledge and needs in the local communities. Individual and collective interactions were already used to integrate farmers’ knowledge and exogenous knowledge in the local communities, however, they needed to be strengthened through KM practices. The study findings showed that various factors determined access to knowledge in the communities, which included ICTs, culture of a certain locality, trust, status, context and space. The findings also showed that the lack of IK policy and existence of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) that inadequately recognised and protected IK, limited acquisition, sharing and preservation of IK in the surveyed communities in Tanzania. The study concluded that unless KM approaches are applied, IK will continue to disappear, and the rural farmers will have nothing to rely on, for their farming practices. Since knowledge is the collective expertise of everyone in the communities, this study recommends that KM practices should be embedded in the community, private and public agricultural actors and other government and private institutions as they currently function in the local communities. The government and private agricultural actors should foster the KM practices in the local communities by engaging the community leaders and rural people in the whole process. Since IK is site-specific, it can therefore seldom be scaled up without an adaptation, however it can be used to stimulate experimentation and innovation in other communities. With this view, this study recommends that knowledge should not be separated from the individuals who possess it, instead efforts should be made to enable the communities to manage their own knowledge, and to adapt other knowledge systems to suit their local context for effective KM practices. Indigenous knowledge would be effectively managed and integrated with exogenous knowledge if the government ensures that there are policies and Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) that recognise and protect the existing knowledge in the country. These policies may include sectoral policies that deal with IK, rural development, agriculture, ICTs, education issues and various other issues. These policies should comprise the following: (i) a shared definition of and vision for KM in the country; (ii) the clear goals/strategies for the innovation initiatives to take place in the rural areas; and (iii) guidance with regard to prioritizing, deciding upon, and taking action to institutionalize KM processes in the rural areas with linkages to gender perspectives. Issues related to the capacity building, culture, content, infrastructure, and leadership should be addressed at this level for effective implementation of KM services in the rural areas. This will enable the communities and agricultural actors (such as research, extension, NGOs, libraries) to establish KM practices and a culture that is conducive for KM activities in their localities. Further, the study recommends that public and private institutions, knowledge intermediaries (such as research, extension, NGOs, libraries) and village leaders should be involved in the KM practices in the rural areas, and they should ensure that there is a committed leadership for KM activities, knowledge culture, appropriate ICTs, favourable context and space, and mapping to locate knowledge bearers and knowledge resources in the rural areas. However, the absence of ICTs should not constitute a barrier for KM and knowledge integration processes, since the findings showed that communities are more likely to understand, acquire and use knowledge that is shared through indigenous communication channels which are oral in nature rather than other approaches such as ICTs

ONLINE VISIBILITY OF PHARMACY RESEARCH IN TANZANIA: A SCIENTOMETRIC STUDY

Objective: This scientometric analysis was carried out to map the online visibility of pharmacy research at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) from 1981 to 2016.Methods: Publish or Perish software was used to collect data for 33 scientists from the School of Pharmacy at MUHAS. We retrieved data on scholars' publications, citation counts, the number of authors per publication, average citations per paper, average citations per year, h-index, g-index, contemporary H-index (Hc index) and the HI-norm index.Results: A total of 499 publications were recorded for all scholars and the most (61; 12.2%) productive was 2013. The whole study period recorded the mean relative growth rate (RGR) and doubling time (Dt) of 1.62 and 0.46 respectively. A great majority (484; 97%) of the publications were multiple-authored with nearly one third (157; 31.5%) of these being jointly contributed by six or more authors. The maximum number of citations received in a single publication was 241. The degree of collaboration among scientists was as high as 0.97. The top ranked pharmacy researchers showed variation in various metrics.Conclusion: The study findings indicate a continuous growth of pharmacy publications at MUHAS since 1981. There is a high level of collaboration among scholars and many publications have made a great impact through citations.Â

Information needs and information-seeking behaviour of small-scale farmers in Tanzania.

This article provides a review of the information needs and information seeking patterns of the rural farmers in selected districts of Tanzania. Focus group data was triangulated with interview data in order to validate, confirm and corroborate quantitative results with qualitative findings. The findings revealed that the information needs and information seeking patterns of farmers were location and gender specific to a certain extent. Farmers relied on interpersonal and face to face communication more than explicit sources of information. Constraints on information access included internal (personal) and external barriers (unavailability of the extension officers, distant locations for consultations with public extension officers, poor responses to information requests from the government and village leaders, lack of awareness of the available information sources, inability of some experts to solve problems, and poor knowledge sharing culture). It is thus important for the government to improve access to extension services, and equip them with necessary skills and adequate information resources. Further, the public and extension services, researchers, educators, information services and other agricultural actors should conduct regular studies on information needs, map communities’ knowledge and information sources, create awareness of information sources, and knowledge culture, and use multiple sources of information (such as print and ICTs) to deliver relevant information in the communities in order to meet the disparate farmers’ needs

Information and knowledge needs, access and use for small-scale farming in Tanzania.

This article assesses information and knowledge needs, access and use for agricultural development in the rural areas of developing countries, with a specific focus on Tanzania. Data from focus groups and information mapping and linkage diagrams were used to triangulate with the interview data in order to bring together the strength of all data sets to validate, confirm and corroborate findings from various sources. The findings revealed that the information seeking patterns of farmers were location specific. The major sources of information for farmers were predominantly local. Most respondents indicated public extension as an important source of agricultural information. Private extension services, village meetings and farmer groups were significant sources of information in some regions. Printed information had low use. The role of information and communication technologies in providing access to agricultural knowledge and information, and the application of information and knowledge on farming systems in the rural areas of Tanzania are also presented. The article concludes with recommendations for improved access to agricultural knowledge and information in the rural areas of Tanzania

Antecedents for the Utilisation of Web 2.0 Tools for Knowledge Management Practices in Academic Libraries of Tanzania

This research article published by Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal), 2019The purpose of this paper was to investigate the antecedents for the utilisation of Web 2.0 tools to enhance Knowledge Management (KM) practices in academic libraries of Tanzania. Eight out of the twelve academic libraries were selected. Data gathered through questionnaires distributed to library staff (n= 278), with a response rate of 91.36%. The study used the DeLone and McLean Information System (IS) Success Model to come up with KMS Success Model. Thus, the KMS Success Model was empirically via a Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) approach to examine the antecedents for the utilisation of Web 2.0 tools for the KM practices in academic libraries. The findings reveal that service quality increases user satisfaction and intention to use Web 2.0 tools. Knowledge quality and system quality increase the intention to use and net benefits of using Web 2.0 tools. Further, user satisfaction increases intention to use and net benefits, whereas intention to use increases the net benefits of using Web 2.0 tools to enhance KM practices in academic libraries. This study was conducted to introduce new direction of KM practices through the application of Web 2.0 tools. DeLone and McLean IS Model was used to develop KMS success model which was tested and proved positive significant in KM practices and in facilitating libraries services

Faculty perceptions and practices in health sciences information literacy instruction in Tanzania

This study assessed the information literacy (IL) instruction perceptions and practices of faculty at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences in Tanzania. An online survey was distributed to all faculty members in five schools and one institute at MUHAS (235 in total) from 2011 to 2012, with a response rate of (34.5 percent). The study findings show a general support for IL development, and its importance in enabling students to do library-based research. To a large extent, faculty believed that the IL competencies of students, including their ability to find, use and evaluate information, was average at the lower levels (first and second year students), and improved at the upper levels (third year undergraduates, and all postgraduates). Although faculty usually asked their students to conduct library research for their course assignments, students did not make sufficient use of library due to inadequate IL skills. Although faculty did not often collaborate with librarians in teaching IL, faculty believed that IL should be an independent, mandatory and credit earning course, and it should be taught by either a librarian only or undertaken collaboratively by both instructors and librarians. Faculty also indicated having seen some impact on the improvement in their students’ research process after receiving library instruction. Based on the survey results, the study recommends the following: Universities should embed IL programmes into institutions, and librarians should include IL in professional development courses for teaching IL to faculty, use more proactive and interpersonal marketing strategy to promote IL, conduct regular IL needs assessment, use a flexible pedagogical approach and participative, student-centred methods in teaching and developing IL curricula, and expand the sources in which IL articles are published

Mapping Information Literacy Outcomes and Learning Experiences of Health Sciences Undergraduate Students

This study assessed whether first year undergraduate students are applying the research skills taught in an information literacy (IL) module in course IT 100 to their work in other classes and for anything unrelated to classes at the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) in Tanzania. A total of 275 students took part in a printed questionnaire survey which was distributed to all second year undergraduate students at MUHAS, a return rate of 77.2 percent. The study demonstrated that students continue to use the skills gained during the IL course both in other classes and for purposes unrelated to the class. However, there was low use of scholarly databases and the library catalogue for academic and non-academic activities. These findings show a need to address some issues concerning the information literacy module (IT 100.2), such as an increased emphasis on teaching topics related to search strategies, information sources, and evaluation of resources as a practical and useful skill. The study findings further showed that issues related to facilities (internet connectivity and electrical power) will also need to be addressed. This study is based on self-reports by first year undergraduate students, which may not be a precise predictor of their actual health information competencies and their actual use of skills in courses other than IL and for anything unrelated to the class. Further research is needed to validate differences between students' self-reports of their IL competence with their actual competence as measured by a strenuous post-test