The effect of litteracy on access to and utilization of agricultural information for household food security at Chirau communal lands in Zimbabwe.

Gundu, Moira The effect of litteracy on access to and utilization of agricultural information for household food security at Chirau communal lands in Zimbabwe., 2009 Masters thesis, UNiversity of Fort Hare, South Africa. [Thesis]

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English abstract

The research sought to examine the effect of literacy on access to, and utilization of agricultural information for household food security at Chirau Communal lands in Zimbabwe. The study was influenced by the diffusion of innovations approach based on interviews, observation and document study. Selected female farmers from Chirau communal lands were respondents to the self administered interviews and focus group discussions. Representatives from, Agriculture Extension and the Ministry of Agriculture were key informants. Systematic Random sampling was used to select 100 female respondents from the age of 18 to above 80 from wards 1 to 10 of Chirau Rural District in Zimbabwe. Data was analyzed into themes and coded for statistical analysis using the SPSS. The country is faced with food insecurity and the main findings of this study support the view that women play an active role in food production but their potential is limited by inadequate levels of literacy that affect the way they access and utilize resources for sustainable agriculture and household food security among other factors. This may be generalized to the situation of female farmers in Zimbabwe. Improved literacy competencies among the female farmers in Zimbabwe lends itself as one of the interventions that may assist in improving access to information and its effective utilization.. This calls decision-makers to boost literacy for women, develop available agricultural information resources and harness effort towards making them accessible. While interventions may be multi-sectored, the role of government is stressed in this report.

Item type: Thesis (UNSPECIFIED)
Keywords: agricultural information, household food security, literacy, women.
Subjects: B. Information use and sociology of information
C. Users, literacy and reading. > CA. Use studies.
Depositing user: Moira Gundu
Date deposited: 11 Jul 2010
Last modified: 02 Oct 2014 12:03
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10760/7772

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