Information needs of Smallholder Sesame Farmers in Bangladesh

Behind every decision lies a need for information. In this paper, the decisions of smallholder sesame farmers, related to their individual value chains, were identified. The specific information needs behind each decision were derived and analyzed, based on the level of awareness of the relevance of that information. Furthermore some information dissemination systems were studied to see what role they play or could play in the information networks of the farmers. It was found that from all the information needs, information on fertilizer use and post harvest activities were ranked the highest information needs. Furthermore, the gaps in information between the information available and the information used and accessed by the farmers differed per stage of the value chain. Regarding the sources, it was evident that the majority of the farmers used their own experience and knowledge to fulfil their information needs during the value chain. The other sources were utilized significantly less often. Finally, the studied information dissemination systems did not play a (large) role in the lives of the farmers. Some systems, such as the Trainer in the Pocket concepts and the AICC’s, show much potential to fulfil the role of information provider or disseminator.