Rural-ICT service providers and agro-pastoralists interface: implications of the processes for sustainable agro-pastoral livelihoods in rural Tanzania
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Date
2017
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
CIPAV Foundation
Abstract
This paper looks at Rural-ICT Service Providers (telecentres alongside with community radio) and agro-pastoralists interface in rural Tanzania. Specifically, the paper aim to provide an assessment of the processes at the interface and examine how these processes influence decisions, behavior, actions and livelihoods among actors. The focus is to understand whether these processes provide enabling environment at the interface, with particular emphasis on institutional arrangements, rules and regulations, power relations, conditions and policies which are crucial in shaping agro-pastoralists' livelihoods. This assessment is imperative because it provides a better understanding on how different institutional arrangements influencing delivery of ICT services in rural areas. The study adopted a combination of cross-sectional and case study designs. Purposive and random sampling techniques were employed to select the representative sample. Data collection methods comprised of household surveys, focused group discussions (FGDs), and key informants' interviews. Agro-pastoralists were directly administered with questionnaires. In addition, FGDs and key informants' interviews were conducted. F-statistics was used to test for significance of data and One-Way ANOVA used to analyse 5-points Likert-scale information.
The study findings show that there are government failures at the interface due to structural weaknesses and conflicts in the implementation of policies and guidelines. The findings underscored the importance of effective processes for sustainable agro-pastoralists' livelihoods. The processes in the form of contractual arrangements play an important role for effective access, use and delivery of ICT services in rural areas. The study recommends that in order to ensure access, use and delivery of quality and effective ICT services in rural areas, the government should make sure that there are clear mandates and responsibilities among actors to reduce structural weaknesses and conflicts.
Description
Abstract. Full text article available at http://www.lrrd.org/lrrd29/9/ngwo29172.html
Keywords
ICT, Information Communication Technology, Rural ICT, Service providers, Agro-pastoral livelihoods, Information Technology, IT, Community radio, ICT services
Citation
Ngowi, E. E., & Mwakalobo, A. S. (2017). Rural-ICT service providers and agro-pastoralists interface: implications of the processes for sustainable agro-pastoral livelihoods in rural Tanzania. Livestock Research for Rural Development, 29(9).