”It’s like liberation” : a study of agricultural knowledge dissemination among small-scale farmers in Tanzania

Abstract: The following essay is a descriptive and analyzing study in how the local Tanzanian NGO MVIWANYA works to disseminate sustainable agricultural technologies to the farmer households in Rorya District, Mara. It also presents and analyzes the reception and impacts these new technologies have on the households. Information was gathered during two weeks of field work at the organization in Tanzania. It was conducted empirically through interviews with and observations of small-scale farmer members of MVIWANYA and the staff of the organization. The gathered material is analyzed and presented with the help of a theoretical model designed by Birner et al. (2009). The model is intended to be used when studying agricultural advisory services, also called agricultural extension. These terms make up the theoretical framework, together with the term sustainable agriculture, in this essay. The result is that MVIWANYA disseminates sustainable agricultural technologies through a variety of methods that collectively can be termed as agricultural advisory services. This knowledge dissemination is well received by the farmer members, mostly because membership is voluntary.