A web-based platform for reliable market linkage between poultry farmers and potential buyers in Tanzania

Abstract

In Tanzania the advancement of technology has brought about affordable smartphones to most of livestock farmers. However, despite this potential, livestock farmers have limited utilization and access to livestock information to improve their business. Poultry farming is a widely practiced agricultural activity with a high potential for poverty reduction, climate change mitigation, enhancing food security and improving socio-economic transformation in pro-poor households and communities in Tanzania. The sector supports the livelihoods of 3.7 million households in Tanzania. But farmers in the sector are challenged on reliable market linkage information systems to interface with buyers for their products. Both poultry farmers and buyers rely on informal market information. Poultry farmers are equally challenged on limited exposure to technology. Study was carried out in Tanga region to poultry farmers and buyers. The findings form this study shows that key market information required by poultry farmers and buyers are price, buyer or farmer location, Poultry kilograms, amount of poultry needed by buyers, amount of poultry products needed by buyers, types of poultry needed by buyers and kind of poultry products needed by buyers. To overcome poultry market information gap, this study aims to develop a web-based platform for poultry market linkage with more focus on its usability and user experience (UX) design, and to assessment its usability and user experience. Eye tracking method combined with retrospective think aloud method together with facial expression was used to test user experience of the developed web-based platform while to assess its usability think aloud protocol together with pre and post assessment methods was used. The developed web based platform is simple and not overloaded, it provide all the required market information. The platform supports buying and selling as well as order management. Furthermore, farmers can perform auctions on the platform, the payment method is cash on delivery. The application is also available in Swahili.