Information and knowledge needs, access and use for small-scale farming in Tanzania.

This article assesses information and knowledge needs, access and use for \nagricultural development in the rural areas of developing countries, with a \nspecific focus on Tanzania. Data from focus groups and information mapping \nand linkage diagrams were used to triangulate with the interview data in order \nto bring together the strength of all data sets to validate, confirm and \ncorroborate findings from various sources. The findings revealed that the \ninformation seeking patterns of farmers were location specific. The major \nsources of information for farmers were predominantly local. Most respondents \nindicated public extension as an important source of agricultural information. \nPrivate extension services, village meetings and farmer groups were significant \nsources of information in some regions. Printed information had low use. The \nrole of information and communication technologies in providing access to \nagricultural knowledge and information, and the application of information and \nknowledge on farming systems in the rural areas of Tanzania are also presented. The article concludes with recommendations for improved access to \nagricultural knowledge and information in the rural areas of Tanzania.