Livelihood diversification, mobile phones and information diversity in Northern Tanzania

- We present livelihood diversification as a driver of information diversity.
- We examine livelihoods, phone use, and communication in 4 Maasai communities.
- Qualitative interviews show that phones support rather than transform diverse activities.
- Regression models show that diversification is positively related to information diversity.

Throughout the developing world, households are diversifying their livelihood activities to manage risk and improve their lives. Many studies have focused on the material causes and consequences of this diversification. Few, however, have examined how diversifying groups establish new patterns of communication and information exchange with others. This paper examines the relationship between livelihood diversification and information diversity among agro-pastoralist Maasai in northern Tanzania, where new mobile phone use is common. Mixed qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection and analysis are used to (1) describe how Maasai use phones to manage diverse livelihoods; and (2) assess the relationship between livelihood diversification and measures of information diversity, controlling for other factors. The findings indicate that households use phones in ways that support existing activities rather than transform them and that the relationship between livelihood diversification and information diversity is positive, non-linear, and significant.