Information Needs and Sources for Food and Nutrition Security among Smallholder Farmers in Mvomero District, Tanzania

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This study focused on information needs and sources for food and nutrition security among
smallholder farmers in Mvomero District, Tanzania, using the descriptive research design. The study
employed the stratified random sampling method to select the sample of 84 respondents from the
population of 2,389 smallholder farmers in the district. The data sources included a questionnaire,
which provided the quantitative data and a Focus Group Discussion, which provided the qualitative
data. The study used the STATA program for data analysis to perform descriptive statistics and the
thematic approach in addressing the qualitative data. The study established a myriad of food and
nutrition security needs. The identified needs include climate change adaptation strategies, nutritional
value and dietary diversity, food crop processing techniques, land ownership and tenure, food
preparation and dietary practices, market and trade insights and agricultural finance and investment
opportunities. Furthermore, the study established a variety of sources of information including
community meetings and workshops, extension services, traditional knowledge, mobile phones and
SMS services, agricultural cooperatives and farmer groups, radio and television programs, online
platforms and digital resources and research institutions and agricultural universities.