Assessment of Socioeconomic Determinants of Access and Utilization of Icts Among Farmers in South-East Nigeria (original) (raw)

The study assessed the socioeconomic determinants of access and utilization of ICTs among farmers in Southeast Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling techniques were employed in selection of 240 Farmers as source of primary data for the study, using structured and validated questionnaire schedule. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were employed in the analysis of data generated from the field survey for study. The result of the analysis showed that the following socioeconomic variables: age, gender, family size, income level, membership of cooperative societies, farming experience, and distance from place of ICTs were statistically significant at 5% for farmers access to ICT facilities, while age, gender, educational attainment, income level, membership of cooperative societies, and presence of associated ICTs infrastructure showed statistically significant at 5% for farmers level of ICTs utilization in the area. This goes to shows that these variables are important determinants of farmers' access to and utilization of ICTs. The result of factor analysis showed that infrastructural, technical and socioeconomic related factors constrained access and utilization of ICTs by farmers. The study recommends the institutionalization of programme such as extension education, training etc. that will promote the development of these socioeconomic variables, the strengthening of the use of contemporary ICTs such as phones and internet, rather than conventional ICTs such as radio and television through provision of advisory services to farmers on how to pool their resources together for the purpose of establishing rural viewing centre, provision of adequate training on the use of ICTs for greater effectiveness of ICTs access and utilization in farming operations in Southeast, Nigeria.