Farmers' access to poultry management information in selected rural areas of Tanzania

- Access to poultry management information in three rural districts of Tanzania is explored.
- Farmers access information that has a direct impact on poultry well-being.
- They rely on interpersonal and informal sources of information.
- Educational level influences choice of information sources.
- Approaches to improving information access in rural communities are discussed.

Poultry farming is important in improving rural livelihoods in Tanzania as it provides better nutrition and additional income. Information is a critical tool in any poultry farming activity. Access to poultry management information in three rural districts of Tanzania is explored. The findings show that information on disease control, poultry protection, breeds and breeding, and feeding and nutrition were the most accessed topics. Farmers relied on informal sources of information, mainly from family, friends, neighbors, extension officers, researchers, and radio. Information that had direct impact on poultry well-being was the most frequently accessed. The major challenges that limited farmers in information seeking were lack of availability of extension officers, lack of awareness, lack of availability of information, lack of electricity, and poor infrastructure. This suggests that more emphasis should be placed on increasing the number of extension officers, increasing awareness of existing information sources, facilitating reliable transport for information providers, subsidizing cost of information services, and providing adult education. The findings can provide valuable information to improve effectiveness of information dissemination in rural areas.