Efficacy of Farmer Group Communication Approach in enhancing adoption of Agricultural Innovations among vegetable farmers in Lushoto district, Tanzania

Abstract

Farmer groups are rapidly emerging as powerful grass-root communication platforms capable of transforming how rural farmers access, understand, and adopt improved agricultural innovations. This study critically examines the effectiveness of farmer group communication approach in enhancing the uptake of modern vegetable farming practices among farmers in Lushoto district of Tanga region, Tanzania. The study adopted a qualitative research approach to conduct 11 focus group discussions with 117 farmers drawn from 11 farmer groups. Also, in-depth interviews with 6 agricultural extension officers were successfully conducted. The study found that farmer groups have become the primary agricultural innovation information access-points, sharing of modern farming practices, and innovation adoption decision-making platforms. Despite their communication potentials, farmer groups have weak foundations in agricultural communication. Hence, there is a dire need to transform these groups into robust agricultural communication platforms to accelerate delivery and uptake of improved agricultural innovations.