Pregunta del Médico # 4 - Manual de Pruebas de Susceptibilidad Antimicrobiana

This chapter introduced the research problem, provided general background information to the study, and presented the statement of the problem and objectives of the study. The chapter also discussed several issues, including the significance, originality and assumptions of the study, and scope and limitations of the study, as well as providing a brief outline of the methodology and ethical issues pertaining to the study. The important issue highlighted in Chapter One was that poultry farmers require adequate and comprehensive information in order to improve their knowledge about poultry farming activities. Thus, access to information is a key factor contributing to increased poultry productivity. Despite poultry researchers and information intermediaries’ efforts to reach out to rural farmers, there is inadequate access to poultry-related information in the rural areas of Tanzania. Furthermore, very little is known about access and use of poultry management information in the rural areas of Tanzania. It is thus important to investigate access and use of poultry management information in the rural areas of Tanzania.

CHAPTER TWO: STUDY AREA 2.1 Introduction

This chapter gives an overview of the context of the study. The chapter describes the study area and puts the study in the Tanzanian context. It provides a short description of Tanzania, as well as an overview of the agricultural and poultry sectors and agricultural information services in Tanzania. It also discusses the status of information and communication technology (ICT) sector development in Tanzania, access to ICTs in the rural areas of Tanzania and the role of ICTs in disseminating poultry management information. It also provides an overview of the three districts involved in the study.

2.2 Overview of Tanzania

The United Republic of Tanzania is located in Eastern Africa (See Figure 1). It is the largest among the East African countries, covering an area of approximately 945,087 square kilometres (CIA, 2011; URT, 2011b). According to the 2012 population and housing census, Tanzania has a population of 44.9 million people, with an average growth rate of 2.7% per annum (URT, 2013b). It is estimated that the population will reach 63.5 million in 2025 (World Bank, 2010).

The majority of the population (80%) lives in rural areas - this makes Tanzania one of the most rural countries in Africa (World Bank, 2014). The life expectancy at birth for a Tanzanian is 61.5 years and the literacy rate is on average 67.8% for adult (15 years and older), and 74.6% for youth (15 – 24 years) (UNDP, 2014). Tanzania has approximately more than 130 ethnic groups (CIA, 2011). The official languages are English and Swahili.

18 Figure 1: Administrative Map of Tanzania

Source: Nations Online Project (www.nationsonline.org)

Note: Location of the districts with study sites shown in text boxes in red

Mvomero

Iringa rural

Morogoro Rural

Economically, Tanzania is a developing country with a total gross domestic product (GDP) of

$33.23 billion, a GDP per capita income of $694.77, and a GDP growth rate of 7.3%, making Tanzania one of the fastest growing economies in Sub-Saharan Africa (World Bank, 2013).

About 28.2% of the Tanzanian population lives below the poverty line of one USD per day (UNDP, 2014). The income poverty has declined marginally due to the slow growth of the agricultural sector, which employs the majority of the poor (CIA, 2011; URT, 2010). In 2013, the country ranked 159 out of 187 countries and territories in terms of the Human Development Index (HDI), with a HDI of 0.488 (UNDP, 2014). The Tanzanian economy depends heavily on agriculture, which accounts for about a quarter (25%) of the GDP, provides 85% of exports, and employs 80% of the workforce. For instance, the sector contributed 24.6% in 2009 and 25.7% in 2008 (URT, 2010). Other economic activities include fishing, which contributes 1.4% of the GDP; hotels and restaurants (2.3%); industry and construction (22%); manufacturing (8.6%);

trade and repairs (11.8%); and services (43.6%). Further economic activities are transport (5%);

communication (2.1%); financial intermediation (1.7%); real estate and business services (9%);

mining and quarrying (3.3%); electricity and gas (1.7%); water supply (0.4%); education (1.4%) and health (1.6%) (URT, 2010). In response to economic conditions, Tanzania has designed strategies to strengthen the contribution of various sectors to economic development. The main goal of these strategies is to change the Tanzanian economy from one of low productivity to a semi-industrialised one, thereby transforming Tanzania from a least developed country to a middle income country by 2025 (URT, 2001b; 2010).

2.2.1 Agricultural sector in Tanzania

Agriculture has the largest share of the Tanzania economy, whereby the sector accounts for an average of 25% of the gross domestic product (GDP) (URT, 2010). The agricultural sector consists of crops, livestock production and forestry. Agriculture in Tanzania is smallholder based, with most (60%) of the households having farms of less than 2 hectares and a few (20%) with two to three hectares (World Bank et al., 2011). Livestock production is one of the major agricultural activities and an integral part of the Tanzania's economy. It contributes about four percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and provides food which is consumed in the form of meat, milk, milk products and eggs (Njombe & Msanga, 2009; URT, 2010). The subsector contributes about 30% of the agricultural GDP, of which, about 30% originates from poultry

production (URT, 2011a). Livestock are a common asset among farmers, with 40% of farmers partly depending on livestock for their livelihoods. The majority (99%) of the livestock keepers are mixed crop livestock farmers, and a few (1%) practice livestock only farming (World Bank et al., 2011). Tanzania is estimated to have approximately 21.4 million cattle, 15.2 million goats, 5.7 million sheep, 46.1 million poultry and 1.6 pigs (NBS, 2009).

The poultry production in Tanzania comprises commercial poultry production with broilers and layers, and traditional poultry production, which is sometimes called scavenging production, made up of various types and sizes of birds. Commercial poultry production is mostly practiced in urban and peri-urban areas. Traditional poultry production is the largest, contributing about 70% of the flock and supplying 100% of poultry meat and eggs consumed in rural areas and 20%

in urban areas (Boki, 2000; URT, 2006b). This type of poultry production is an important farming activity in the rural areas because it can be afforded by the poor rural farmers. Poultry keeping is an important part of Tanzania's rural economy and plays an essential role in improving household income and nutrition. The rural poor survive through various forms of subsistence farming, and the only livestock enterprise available to all farming households, even the poorest, is poultry production (Msami, 2000). Traditional poultry production has begun to receive attention from various stakeholders, including policy makers, researchers and development workers. This is due to an increasing urban demand for traditionally kept poultry, which is stimulating trade from rural areas to urban areas and creating opportunities for rural farmers to sell more poultry at a better price. In turn, this creates opportunities for improving traditional poultry production in Tanzania.

Despite the importance of the agricultural sector for economic development, there has been low agricultural growth. For instance, the agricultural sector grew by 4% in 2007, 4.6% in 2008 and 3.4% in 2009, despite the projected growth of 5% per annum (URT, 2010). Low agricultural growth is caused by various factors, including most (93%) of the arable land being dominated by small scale farmers; over-reliance on rain-fed agriculture; poor research-extension-farmer linkages; low participation of farmers in decision making; low status of agro-processing industry;

poor post-harvesting systems; poor policies and lack of access to reliable and timely agricultural information (Chailla, 2001; URT, 2001a; 2006a). Other factors include impediments to food

market access; limited capital and access to financial services; inadequate technical support services; poor rural infrastructure; infectious diseases and outbreaks of plant and animal pests and diseases; and erosion of the national resource base and environmental degradation (CIA, 2011; 2011b; Sife, Lwoga & Chilimo, 2004; URT, 2001a).

In response to low agricultural growth, the Tanzania government formulated various policies related to agriculture which could be used as guidelines for agricultural activities in the country.

These policies include the Agricultural and Livestock Policy of 1997, the Cooperative Development Policy of 1997, the Local Government Reform Programme (LGRP) of 1998, the Land Policy of 1995, the National Water Policy of 2002 and the National Forestry Policy of 2002 (URT, 1997a; 1997b; 2006a). The government also formulated the Agricultural Sector Development Strategy (ASDS) of 2001, the Agricultural Sector Development Programme (ASDP) of 2006 and the Rural Development Strategy (RDS) of 2002 to support the implementation of the policies and national strategies (URT, 2002; 2006a). These policies and strategies have opened up the agricultural sector to private investment in the production and processing, input importation and distribution, and agricultural marketing (URT, 2011a).

2.2.2 Agricultural information services

Farmers’ agricultural knowledge has been responsible for improving agricultural productivity in Tanzania (Rutatora & Mattee, 2001). Reliable access to relevant information is a prerequisite for improved farmers’ knowledge. It is thus important to recognise the need for improved access to information, in order to achieve increased agricultural productivity in the country. Poultry production, as one of the most important agricultural activities, can only be improved if poultry farmers have reliable access to relevant poultry management information.

Agricultural information services have mostly been provided by the government through extension services, library and documentation services, research and training (URT, 2011a).

Agricultural research has a major role to play in increasing the productivity and profitability of the sector through development of scientific knowledge to generate improved technologies for production systems. Agricultural extension complements this effort by transferring information and technologies developed by research institutions to farmers (Kapange, 2008). Library and

documentation services have also been instrumental in disseminating useful information and knowledge to farmers. Training offers knowledge and skills to professionals and farmers, which help them in implementing various agricultural activities.

Agricultural research in Tanzania falls under the Tanzanian National Agricultural Research System (NARS), which has the responsibility of coordinating all agricultural activities in the country. NARS comprises both public and private organisations. Public organisations include the Department of Research and Development (DRD), Tropical Pesticides Research Institute (TPRI), Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), and the Tanzania Forestry Research Institute (TAFORI) (Kapange, 2008; Sempeho, 2004). The private sector includes non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The DRD of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security is the leading institution of the Tanzanian NARS, with the public role of conducting, coordinating and directing agricultural research within the country. Other organisations contribute to research and the dissemination of research findings to farmers. It has been recognised that strong linkages between major institutional actors in agricultural knowledge and information systems are essential for an effective flow of technology and scientific information between research, extension and farmers (Kapange, 2008; Sempeho, 2004). Research and extension have been brought closer to one another through the decentralisation of extension services under local government authorities, in order to better serve farmers and enhance their participation. At the national level, research and extension have strong informal linkages in the sharing and exchange of information through their respective Information and Documentation Units (IDU). These partnerships have been formed as far down as the zones, where Zonal Communication Centres (ZCC), located at zonal centres, serve the broad array of agricultural research information consumers. ZCCs are the medium for disseminating research outputs to farmers (Kapange, 2008; Sempeho, 2004).

Extension services play an important role in the provision of agricultural information and technologies to farmers. In Tanzania, the main provider of extension services is the government.

Ninety to ninety five percent of the extension services are provided through the District Councils and specifically the District Agriculture and Livestock Development Office, headed by the District Agriculture and Livestock Development Officer (DALDO). Different sections under the

DALDO supply the needed extension services to farmers in the villages (Shao, 2007). The private sector, such as NGOs, private agribusiness companies, farmers’ groups and donor funded projects participate in the dissemination of agricultural information and technologies (Rutatora &

Mattee, 2001). For instance, the National Farmer Groups Network, known as MVIWATA, documents and disseminates agricultural information from research institutes and extension services to farmers through written materials, radio programmes and newsletters (Kaburire &

Ruvuga, 2006). However, the extension services are poor due to weak coordination and linkages between research organisations, public and private extension services, and farmers; weak integration of livestock and crop specialists; and an insufficient level of farmer involvement.

Other factors include the lack of proper prioritisation of problems; technology not being adapted to farmers’ conditions; research outputs not being available in an appropriate, usable and accessible form to farmers; lack of awareness of available technologies; and lack of training for farmers (Sempeho, 2004; Shao, 2007). Despite these problems, extension services are still the main method used for disseminating agricultural information to farmers in the rural areas of Tanzania (Dulle & Aina, 1999).

Library and documentation services in Tanzania are categorised as follows: public libraries, academic libraries, special libraries and documentation centres. Academic libraries serve teaching and research communities in various training institutions. In most cases, special libraries belong to research institutions, government departments, international organisations and industries. Special libraries are sometimes also referred to as documentation or information centres (Kaungamno, 1985). Public libraries fall under the Tanzania Library Services Board (TLSB), which is a national institution that operates under the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training. The TLSB has a mandate to promote, establish, equip and develop libraries, information centres and documentation centres in Tanzania (TLSB, 2009). TLSB has the role of ensuring that it provides information to all groups of people, including children, youth, adults and disadvantaged groups. In carrying out the above responsibilities, TLSB acquires, organises and distributes books, non-book materials and other forms of information material to individuals, schools, institutions and the public (TLSB, 2009). One agricultural library is mandated to serve the agricultural community in the country. The Sokoine National Agricultural Library (SNAL), which is a university library of the Sokoine University of Agriculture, also serves as a national

agricultural library (SUA, 2011). However, SNAL has not been effective in serving farmers’

needs, due to limited resources. The library has not received enough support to facilitate the provision of agricultural information services to the farmers in rural areas. Thus, despite the mandate given to SNAL, rural communities still depend on public libraries to access agricultural information services (Manda, 2002). Furthermore, dissemination of agricultural information in Tanzania has been affected by poor communication between the main information custodians:

the Sokoine National Agricultural Library, the Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH), the University of Dar es Salaam, IDU, and other DRD research institute libraries (Kapange, 2008; Sempeho, 2004).

Formal agricultural training in the country is mainly conducted by public institutions, including the Ministry of Agriculture Training Institutes (MATIs), Livestock Training Institutes (LITIs), Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), and the Moshi University College of Cooperative and Business Studies (MUCCOBS) (URT, 2001a). Private extension services such as NGOs also participate in training farmers and farmer groups on various issues (Heemskerk & Wennink, 2004). For instance, in 2009, a total of 1,058 extension officers and 75 extension workers from the private sector were recruited in order to extend services to farmers (URT, 2010). Trained extension staff, farmers and other agricultural professionals form the link between researchers and farmers, and at the same time serve as information intermediaries in local settings.

The Tanzanian government, through the World Bank, has been implementing different approaches for improving information services to farmers. Such approaches include the agricultural services support programme, where the Farmers’ Education and Publicity Unit (FEPU) was established under the national agricultural extension programme. FEPU developed and strengthened initiatives such as farmers’ training centres, farmers’ newsletters and radio programmes, and placed some educational material for farmer on videotapes (Rutatora &

Mattee, 2001). Despite the government’s efforts to improve information services, farmers still face problems when accessing information in rural areas of Tanzania. Thus, in order to improve access to information in rural areas, there is a need to devise effective information dissemination strategies which take the information needs and information seeking behaviours of farmers into account.

2.2.3 Information and communication technology sector in Tanzania

Information and communication technology (ICT) is an important sector for socio-economic development in Tanzania. The country has made remarkable progress in deploying ICTs. These remarkable improvements in ICTs partly result from significant government reforms, privatisation, telecommunication sector liberalisation, official development assistance, and the emerging private sector and entrepreneurship (URT, 2010). For instance, there were about 150,073 fixed lines and 28.73 million mobiles in use by June 2014 (IST-Africa, 2014). Despite these rapid improvements, Tanzania’s ICT environment is still somewhat challenged. ICTs are concentrated in the urban areas, especially in big cities such as Arusha, Dar es Salaam and Mwanza, with little deployment or access in rural areas. In addition, very few educational institutions have fully implemented the use of ICTs. In most cases, the ICT facilities are insufficient to meet the demand (IST-Africa, 2014).

In response to these challenges, the government formulated various ICT related policies to guide the development and use of ICTs in the country. These policies include the Information and Communication Technology Policy (2003), Information and Broadcasting Policy (2003), Telecommunications Policy (1997) and the Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority Act (2003). The ICT Policy was formulated in 2003 to provide a national framework for ICTs, so as to contribute towards development goals and transform Tanzania into a knowledge-based society (URT, 2003a). The Information and Broadcasting Policy was formulated in 1993 and revised in 2003. Its main objective was to create an enabling environment for flourishing information and broadcasting sectors (URT, 2003b). The Telecommunication Policy was formulated in 1997 to ensure the provision of adequate, sustainable and efficient telecommunication services, and to put in place a reliable telecommunications infrastructure (URT, 1997c). The Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) Act of 2003 was formulated in order to regulate the telecommunications and broadcasting sectors in the country. The development of these ICT related policies supports the increased access to and application of ICTs in order to accelerate productivity in all fields of work, as reflected in the National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty (NSGRP) (URT, 2001b; 2005a). They also reflect national goals, objectives and aspirations, as expressed in the Tanzania Development Vision 2025, which outlines the digital opportunities that Tanzania can exploit in order to achieve the goals of Vision 2025. Generally,

these reforms have abolished the monopolistic provision of telecommunication and broadcasting services in Tanzania.

The development of these ICT related policies has facilitated a significant increase in ICT availability throughout the country. Radio and television broadcasting stations have increased substantially (TCRA, 2010), and teledensity penetration by June 2014 was 64% (IST-Africa, 2014). Access to Internet services has increased in urban areas where Internet service providers exist. Unfortunately, the availability of the Internet is still limited, particularly in rural areas. The main reason is that the cost of connectivity is very high, which creates barriers to the spread and use of the Internet, which is a key means for the transfer of data and access to information (IST-Africa, 2010).

In its efforts to boost ICT development in the country, the government removed all taxes and duties on computers and their peripherals. Furthermore, rural community telecentres have been established in many parts of the country, with the aim of providing the rural areas with access to communication tools, information and knowledge through a low cost, sustainable and shareable infrastructure (IST-Africa, 2010). Despite significant ICT developments in the country, the rural areas are still lagging behind in terms of ICT infrastructure. The reasons for this include the high cost of ICT services, low incomes in the rural areas, low literacy levels and the limited number of service providers (Sheriff, 2007; URT, 2005a; Sife, Lwoga & Chilimo, 2004). However, further efforts are ongoing to build ICT infrastructure for all districts and regional headquarters in the country. The government is building the National ICT Optic Fibre Cable (OFC) infrastructure Backbone (NICTBB). Several ICT initiatives are underway to improve the ICT infrastructure in the country (IST-Africa, 2014).

2.2.3.1 Access to ICTs in rural areas of Tanzania

In Tanzania, the majority of people are found in rural areas, but most ICT services are concentrated in urban areas. Despite the tremendous improvements in ICT developments, ICT

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