The State of Extension Services Provisions in Urban Areas of Tanzania: A Case of Vegetable Growers in Morogoro Municipality

Abstract

In urban areas of Tanzania, the extension service framework is deficient, marked by a decreasingly small number of public extension personnel when compared with rural areas; hence, many farmers still face challenges in accessing and utilizing them effectively. Consequently, farmers lack appropriate knowledge and skills in vegetable production. This study therefore examined the implication of extension services to urban vegetable production. A mixed-method research design was used to collect data from 60 respondents. Questionnaires and interviews were used in the data collection process. Descriptive analysis was used in analyzing quantitative data, while content analysis was used for qualitative data. The finding show that the mean score of respondent’s perceptions implied that there is inadequate provision of technical knowledge (3.28), limited extension services increase the difficulties in overcoming vegetable production challenges (4.38), public extension services is diluted by private extension services (2.30), low demonstration of modern crop production principles (2.20) and public extension services contribution is not appreciated (4.60). The study further found that 46.7% and 66.7% of the respondents were never visited by extension officers per month and had no access to public extension services during their vegetable production cycle, respectively. It also, found that there is a statistically significant relationship between access to extension services from extension agents and knowledge level in vegetable production with P-value= 0.000. The multiple linear regression model shows a statistically significant relationship between various socio-economic characteristics (household size (P = 0.014), marital status (P = 0.042), and age (P = 0.044)) and vegetable production. It is recommended that Morogoro Municipal Council reconsider increasing the number of public extension staffs in all wards in the urban area.