Comparison of Farmer’s Agriculture Information Channels and Farming Practice in Tanzania

Abstract

There are mixed empirical evidences on the effectiveness of Farmer Field School (FFS). The evidences on various studies vary because of the setting, evaluation methods and yardstick used. This paper aims to investigate the impact of District Agricultural Sector Investment Project (DASIP) on knowledge and productivity. The study was conducted in the area where (DASIP) operated. This covered five regions namely Kagera, Mwanza, Mara, Simiyu and Kigoma. Within those regions, the study focused on agro-ecological zone where corn was cultivated. The data was collected from 878 farmers out of 971, who were targeted. Among them, 359 were participant and 519 were non-participant farmers. This study employed a five-stage sampling technique. The findings show that the effects of DASIP on participating farmers are very little as they resemble non-participating farmers in terms of knowledge and farming practices. Despite that, non-participating farmers are 8.724 times the odds of corn yield not to increase compared to participating farmers. Based on findings, it may recommended that, agriculture programmes should run smoothly by providing technical and financial commitment to improve the performance of extension officers.