A Survey of Information Requirements of Agricultural Experts: The Case of Ministry of Agriculture in Kenya
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Date
2001-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
This study surveys the information requirements of agricultural experts in MoA, Kenya.
Specifically, to assess the information needs; to find out the extent to which these needs are
met; to establish from where the experts obtain information; to assess the information seeking
behavior of agriculturists; to find out the problems encountered by the experts when seeking
information and to offer suggestions towards effective information delivery to the
agriculturists based on the survey results.Agriculture information plays a very important function in agricultural management.
Regardless of this fact, the currently existing agricultural information systems within Ministry
of Agriculture do not fully perform their vital role in agricultural management, as it is
believed to. In particular, the Library Information Services (LIS) has failed to provide
information to its users; the library is disseminating outdated information, relied on
infrequently revised monographs at the expense of current sources of information
(Kampuchea, 1998). The available information is ineffectively disseminated; therefore, there
is a need to improve linkage between agricultural information and agricultural management,
in view of the fact that the current paradigm is to set up agricultural information systems that
tie the users to the information resources.A survey, usmg a semi-structured questionnaire was used to gather data. Seventy-six
agricultural experts were sampled using stratified and purpose sampling techniques. The
data was analyzed by use of descriptive statistics The study revealed that the experts' information needs were greatly influenced by the nature
of the work they do, and the information needs in tum influences their information seeking habits. The agricultural experts have placed high importance on teclmical, market, and socioeconomic
information. They rely on informal sources of information such as colleagues.
They do not rely on library collections to satisfy their information needs. It was noted that
card catalogue as an information retrieval tool is still dominant in the MoA libraries. Limiting
factors to effective use of agricultural information by the experts was mainly due to the fact
that the information sources are scattered at different locations. To address the problem of information sources scattered at different places within MoA and
outside sources, a Ready Reference database system for MoA was proposed, designed and a
prototype developed. The objective of the proposed database system is to direct users to
sources of information that satisfy their information needs. It was also recommended that:
Selective dissemination of information should be a major component of agricultural
information services, teaching of information seeking skills, formulation of an agricultural
information policy, management support, modernization of the MoA information services,
future studies to consider applying other data-gathering techniques like interviewing,
observing the businesses of MoA in operation and examining documents in particular those
used to record or display information among others.
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Keywords
Information Science