http://41.59.91.195:9090/handle/123456789/46 2026-05-08T13:24:27Z 2026-05-08T13:24:27Z Mbedule, Adolf Mubofu, Christian http://41.59.91.195:9090/handle/123456789/344 2025-10-09T14:49:57Z 2025-09-29T00:00:00Z

Market information needs and access barriers of smallholder orange farmers in Tanzania Mbedule, Adolf; Mubofu, Christian This study examines market information barriers among smallholder orange farmers in Tanzania, employing Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovations theory as an analytical lens. A mixed-methods design was adopted, combining a household survey of 133 farmers (103 valid responses, 77.4% response rate) with four semi-structured interviews involving village leaders and agricultural extension officers, supplemented by document reviews. The objectives of the study are (i) to determine the specific market information needs of orange farmers in Muheza District, and (ii) to identify barriers affecting their access and use of such information. Findings reveal that digital exclusion driven by low literacy, linguistic incompatibility, and infrastructural gaps disproportionately restricts farmers’ access to critical knowledge on price negotiation and quality standards. Quantitative results show that 61% of respondents were women and 72% were under the age of 50, highlighting both gendered constraints and generational differences in technology adoption. Women, constituting the majority of growers, face compounded marginalisation through limited mobility and resource access. Unlike staple crops, Tanzania’s perishable orange sector demands real-time market intelligence, yet institutional voids and incompatible innovation design hinder adoption. The study establishes novel intersections between gender dynamics, crop-specific value chains, and technology adoption constraints. It calls for blended analog-digital information systems, gender-responsive extension services, and community-centered platforms to bridge access gaps. Implications advance inclusive agricultural innovation frameworks for perishable crop economies in the Global South. thesis

2025-09-29T00:00:00Z Mubofu, Christian http://41.59.91.195:9090/handle/123456789/151 2023-06-12T05:54:15Z 2022-11-24T00:00:00Z

An assessment of information resources preservation in selected public university libraries in Tanzania Mubofu, Christian The management of libraries and information resources includes the preservation and conservation of library information resources. They are even more important and necessary in countries with limited resources, where libraries must strike a balance between their needs and those of the growing number of students who want to use them. The purpose of this study was to assess the Information Resources Preservation in Selected Public University Libraries in Tanzania. A questionnaire was distributed to 170 library staff members from seven public universities under study. Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) was used to analyze the quantitative data from the questionnaires, while content analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data. Findings of this study reveals the ways for preserving information resources, the causes of information resources deterioration, the challenges faced by library staff in preserving library information resources, and the suggested preservation approaches in selected Tanzanian public university libraries for the sustainable provision of information services. Due to persistent preservation challenges in public university libraries, the study concludes that ineffective preservation practices have a significant negative impact on library information services. To improve the preservation, conservation, accessibility, and usability of information resources, the establishment of a preservation consortium was suggested.

2022-11-24T00:00:00Z