Socio-economic Factors Influencing Women’s Use of Mobile Phones in the Improved Chicken Farming Business Information in Misungwi District, Tanzania

Recently, improved chicken farming business is regarded as an important women’s economic activity in the lake zone of Tanzania. The use of mobile phones by women represents an opportunity for the development of the improved chicken farming business. However, the use of mobile phones by women is influenced by their socio-economic status. This study aimed to determine socio-economic factors influencing women in using mobile phones in the development of improved chicken farming business information in Misungwi District in the Lake zone of Tanzania. The study adopted cross-sectional design whereby data were collected mainly through a questionnaire with women involved in improved chicken farming. A binary logistic regression model was employed to determine socio-economic factors influencing women’s use of mobile phones in the improved chicken farming business information. The study found that socio-economic factors such as age, education level and occupation showed positively significant results. Based on these findings the study concludes that socio-economic factors such as age, education level and occupation significantly influence the use of mobile phones in the improved chicken farming business information. The study recommends to Misungwi District authority through District Agriculture Livestock and Fisheries Office (DALFO) to mobilize and register all women improved chicken farmers and form communication groups by using their mobile phone numbers so as to be able to give them new information on improved chicken farming business through SMS.