Effects of Communication Media on Adoption of Improved Sorghum Farming Practices in Dodoma Region, Tanzania

Adopting improved sorghum farming practices is significant for enhancing food security and improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers, particularly in drought-prone regions like Dodoma, Tanzania. However, the effects of different communication media on promoting these practices' adoption are poorly understood. This study examined the impact of various communication media on smallholder farmers' adoption of improved sorghum farming practices. Results indicate that interpersonal contact emerged as the most widely used communication medium, with an average score of 2.78, while newspapers, songs, and drama were the least utilised media, with average scores of 1.01, 1.02, and 1.03, respectively. ANOVA analysis demonstrated a significant difference in the use of communication media for accessing agricultural information, supported by an F-statistic of 253.11 and a corresponding p-value of <0.001, providing strong evidence for the observed variations in communication media usage. Binary logistic regression results revealed that interpersonal interactions were the primary source of agricultural information, strongly correlated with higher adoption. Direct interpersonal communication facilitated information exchange, encompassing verbal and non-verbal cues as suggested by Media Richness Theory. Mobile phones and television had a significant positive effect on adopting all six improved sorghum farming practices. These findings emphasise the key role of communication media in adoption and recommend a flexible approach incorporating interpersonal communication, mobile phone technology, and television tailored to local contexts to enhance the adoption of improved sorghum farming practices among smallholder farmers.