Access constraints by women farmers to Multiflower extension services : the case of Mvomero district, Tanzania

Women play critical roles in agriculture in many parts of the world. Yet, despite their contribution to global food security, women farmers are frequently underestimated and overlooked in development strategies. For this reason, women find it more difficult than men to gain access to valuable resources such as land, credit and agricultural inputs, technology, extension, training and services that would enhance their production activity. Agricultural extension services provide information training and technology to agricultural producers. Extension services have always been regarded as necessary for agricultural modernization. Given the importance of women's labor to agriculture in rural areas, providing women with access to agricultural extension services is essential for current and future productivity. The expansion of agricultural services beyond the public sector is a growing phenomenon in developing economies. Multiflower Company is a private commercial organization which was established in Arusha city (Tanzania) in 1995. Its businesses are production of flowers, flower seeds for export market and imports vegetable seeds from Europe for local markets. In addition, the Company conducts Multiplication of basic seeds and then sells to stockiest around the country in whole sale basis. The Company came into existence as a result of economic reform measures carried out by the Government of Tanzania pushed by World Bank and IMF. The Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) which started in the mid-1980’s with its impetus for liberalization and privatization came into effect and launched in Tanzania in 1993. SAP encouraged private sectors in order to improve efficiency and promote new technology. Multiflower conducts vegetable seeds business by delivering extension services to farmers and stockiest through Agricultural training programs and promotion activities. Despite of the efforts that Multiflower takes to provide its extension services to both men and women farmers in Mvomero district, but women farmers have not been the users of these services. This study sought to identify the factors that led to limited access of women farmers to extension services provided by this company. Empirical data were collected from extension workers and women farmers through case study strategy. Checklist questions were the tool used in gathering information from four (4) extension workers of Multiflower Company and twenty (20) women farmers. However, desk study and observations were used for triangulation of information. Findings revealed that women farmers in the study area faced many problems to access extension services of Multiflower Company. These includes inadequacy service delivery by Multiflower company, low levels of education, difficulties in accessing information from extension materials, unequal gender division of labour in vegetable production, limited decision making in households, burden of household chores, lack of ownership of income and tools & implements, lack of access to MFIs and high prices of agricultural inputs. There is a need for Multiflower to specifically identify women as an integral part of its extension services and develop gender-specific operational guidelines which will direct the extension activities of women farmers. Multiflower extension workers should encourage the formation of groups among women farmers & should target the existing women farmer groups to enhance horizontal knowledge sharing