Access to Market Information for Smallholder Indigenous Chicken Farmers Improvement in Misungwi District, Mwanza Region, Tanzania

Abstract

Access to market information by smallholder chicken farmers is most important for involving them in the chicken market. The majority of smallholder chicken farmers do not have access to market information regarding their chicken, such as the price of the chicken at the markets, quality, and quantity of the chicken required at the markets. This study is to review access to market information for smallholder indigenous chicken farmers’ improvement in Misungwi district. This study was carried out in four purposefully selected villages in the Misungwi district. This study used a sample size of forty respondents. The study employed a survey, interview and desk study research design and both qualitative and quantitative research approaches were used. Stakeholders were interviewed, including four traders, four middlemen, and two extension officers. Quantitative data were analyzed by using SPSS and Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, while qualitative data were analyzed using a content analysis procedure. The result of the study revealed that the price information has an impact on improving the bargaining ability of smallholder chicken farmers. The constraints to accessing market information in the study area are associated with the lack of information services, inadequate number of extension officers, high illiteracy, lack of awareness of the market information services, and lack of means and facilities by which information can be easily accessible. It is therefore suggested that there is a need for the Misungwi district council to place more weight on better practices on access to relevant, current, and appropriate market information for smallholder chicken farmers on prices based on the information provided, which will increase their bargaining power for their chicken.