Use of ICT in Securing Marketing Information among Small Scale Farmers in Niger State, Nigeria (original) (raw)
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International Journal of Agriculture and Development Studies (IJADS) Vol 3, No 2, 2018
Marketing information is important to agricultural enterprises. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools have been used to provide information to various stakeholders in agro-allied activities. This study focused on how farmers used the ICT tools to obtain Agricultural Marketing Information (AMI) for their enterprises. A multistage sampling procedure was used to select 143 respondents for the study. Data was collected using interview schedule and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics such as PPMC. Results showed that majority of the farmers were mostly male (83.2%), married (92.2%), with a mean age of 45.7 years, a mean year of formal education of 9.5 years and a mean household size of 7.4 persons. The mostly used ICT tools for the AMI by the respondents were radio (weighted score=274.1), mobile phone (232.8) and television (140); the use of ICT tools was relatively low (55.2%). The benefits that accrued to the respondents included easy access to market information (176.2), quick sales of produce (175.5) and improved farmers' income (173.4). A good proportion (51.7%) of the respondents derived low benefits from the use of ICT-facilitated AMI. There was a significant relationship between benefits derived and use of ICT tools for AMI (r=0.520, p=0.000). Farmers' educational status enhanced their use of ICTs for more benefits that is inherent in ICT-based AMI. Hence, relevant policies and strategies should be put in place to promote the use of ICT-facilitated information.
International Journal of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences, 2016
The study assessed the awareness and use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) among small scale farmers in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State, Nigeria. Seventy-five (75) farmers were sampled and interviewed using the random sampling technique. The results showed that majority of the farmers (74.6%) were between (31-60) years of age. Most of the respondents (80%) were males and (80%) of them are educated. The result showed that all the respondents are aware of the use of Radio and Television as a means of communicating agricultural information. Based on usage of ICTs, Radio recorded the highest usage (40%) followed by mobile phone (33.3%), print Media (10.0%), Television (8.0%) and lastly computer/internet (5.3%). The result also indicated that lack of constant power supply (with mean score of (3.89). High cost of ICTs (with mean score of 3.72), complexity of ICTS (With mean score of 3.64), and lack of credit and loan to obtain ICTS (with mean score of 3.56) were the major constraints to ICTs utilization by small scale farmers in the study area. It was therefore recommended that extension agents should encourage farmers on the use of the various ICT devices. Government should provide infrastructures like electricity and internet services in the rural areas to enable farmers make use of some necessary ICT devices. Government should also partner with relevant non-governmental organizations in order to provide the ICTs devices at subsidized and affordable rate to farmers.
Technology Usage and Awareness among Smallholder Farmers in Gwagwalada Area Council, Abuja, Nigeria
The usage of ICT has recently received global attention due to its link (both in developed and developing nations) to the adoption of new farming technologies. The purpose of this study was to investigate technology usage and awareness among smallholder farmers in Gwagwalada Area Council, Abuja, Nigeria. It investigated the impact of ICT awareness and use, including radio, television, laptop computer, desktop computer, fax machine, cable television, projector, digital camera tablets, smart phone, and internet, using primary data collected from 100 respondents using structured questionnaires and a simple random sampling technique. The majority of respondents (30%) were between the ages of 36 and 45, with males accounting for 51% and females contributing for 41%. Descriptive (frequency and percentage) and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. The analysis revealed that the use of modern ICTs such as mobile phones and cable television has a significant impact on the agricultural productivity of smallholder farmers, as evidenced by the respondents' rapid increase in productivity and improvement in their standard of living. Farmers' challenges, however, included high costs, lack of training, and ICT service failure. The Nigerian government should promote a liberal policy that will improve rural infrastructure and provide an enabling environment, and remote residents should have access to the internet and other mobile communication technologies, which would increase their overall use of ICT services.
The concept of information in general and of agricultural information in particular, as a resource for development is very important in the contemporary world and cannot be overemphasized. Communication devices enable people around the world to contact one another, to access information instantly, and to communicate from remote areas. There are lots of difficulties facing rural farmers which can be solved by providing them with adequate access to quality information which many researchers have generated. ICTs play important roles in addressing these challenges and enhancing the standard of living of rural farmers. The ability to easily access and share information and stimulate the creation of new ideas is viewed as essential to maintaining a nation's economy and enhancing the quality of life of rural farmers. This study examined availability, importance and level of use of information communication technologies by farmers in Enugu state, Nigeria. Structured interview schedule w...
FUDMA JAAT, 2018
Currently agricultural sector is the main sector of the economy in Ethiopia. Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have been changing the way that actors like researchers, development agents, policy makers, and farmers share agricultural information and knowledge. Particularly, farmers have started to use ICT to get agricultural information and knowledge, despite a number of challenges. Therefore, this study attempted to assess and analyze factors influencing the use of Information and Communication Technologies by farmers in Tole District of South West Shewa Zone, Ethiopia. Data were collected (n=144) from 144 randomly selected respondents from Tole District, of which 69 were ICT user farmers and 75 of them were non users of ICT. The study deployed mixed methods research. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze data. Qualitative data were analyzed through interpretation, narration, and finally complement the descriptive analysis. The key finding of this study revealed that the social, economic and institutional factors were identified in study as factors in using ICT by farmers in the study area. The survey results revealed that age, sex, education status and distance from nearby market have influence on use of ICT in agricultural extension by farmers. The findings also revealed that Radio, Television, mobile phone, fixed phone,
Journal of Research in Marketing, 2018
ICTs are vital technologies for the development of agricultural sector in Nigeria. Its usage has created wealth to many, both in developed and developing countries. The study evaluated the usage of ICT in agricultural practices and determined factors influencing its usage among farmers in Esan community of Edo State, Nigeria. Data used for the study were generated from a sample of 75 respondents using structured questionnaire and interview schedule. Data collected were analysed using inferential statistical method. The result of ANOVA analysis revealed that factors limiting the use of ICT on farming activities among small scale farmers in the community include inability of farmers to use ICT (0.017 ≤ 0.05), lack of technological infrastructure (0.012 ≤ 0.05), cost of technology (0.039 ≤ 0.05), fear of technology (0.015 ≤ 0.05), time to spend on technology (0.026 ≤ 0.05), value of ICT (0.011 ≤ 0.05) and trustworthiness (0.007 ≤ 0.05). These factors are significant at 0.05 level of significance and tend to have varying impact on the adoption of ICT with respect to age, implying that lower age group tend to favour factors such as: time spent on technology, value of ICT and trustworthiness, while higher age group are compatible with technological infrastructure and the inability to use ICT. The study concluded that the adoption of ICT begins at lower age group, While, at higher age group, this tendency tends to decline. The study recommends that aggressive policy of digital revolution should be lunch in the community and could reorient farmers and make them conversant with the beneficial effect of ICT in agricultural process.
Journal of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, 2018
This study focused on knowledge and perception of farmers on information and communication technology (ICT) use in Ife Central Local Government Area of Osun State. A pretested and validated interview schedule was used to source information from 150 farmers selected through a multi-stage sampling procedure. Descriptive and inferential statistical tools were used to analyze the data collected. The result revealed among others, that the mean age of the respondents was 47.29 years, while the mean income was 505,600 Naira. Furthermore, majority (76.0%) of the farmers had a low awareness of ICT use, while majority (76.0%) of the farmers had a low knowledge of ICT. Also, majority (84.7%) of the farmers had an indifferent perception on ICT use. Number of year of formal education of farmers, knowledge on ICT and perception on ICT use explained 38.8% of the change in farmers' awareness on ICT in the study area. The study recommended that anytime programme that should improve the awareness of farmers' on ICT is being planned, the significant variables should be considered.
The Impact of Education on Small-scale Farmers’ Use of ICT in Abuja, Nigeria
2016
The study examined the impact of farmers’ level of education on the use of Information Communication Technologies (ICT) – radio, television, GSM phone video, agricultural books, camera and computer. A multistage technique was adopted for sampling while questionnaire was used for data collection. A total of 320 farmers made up of those who had primary, secondary, post-secondary and no formal school education were interviewed. Data were analyzed using two-way mixed analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results showed that, on average, farmers with post-secondary education significantly (p < .05) used all the types ICT more than those who had at most secondary education. There was no significant difference (p > .05) between farmers who had secondary and primary education in the use of all types of ICT but farmers who had secondary education significantly (p < .05) used ICT more than those with no formal school education. On the contrary, there was no significant difference (p > .05...
COMMUNICATION AND ADOPTION BEHAVOUR OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY BY RURAL FARMERS IN EBONYI STATE
1 The study assess the communication method of disseminating agricultural information to rural farmers in Ebonyi State. A multi-stage random sampling technique was used to select respondents. Data analyzed by statistics such as percentage, frequency distribution table and mean score derived from 4-point likert scale. Result show that only 39 percent of the respondents were aware of ADP extension programme while 61 percent were not aware of their existence. The dominant problem to disseminating agricultural information to rural farmers in the study area are: inadequate formal education, lack of infrastructural facilities, lack of interest and aspiration among farmers, introphilly, unaffordable cost of indigenous communication and culture. Based on the research findings, ADP should put move effort in disseminating effective information to enable farmers adopt the new farming technologies that would be profitable and less expensive. Government of Ebonyi State should provide adequate infrastructural materials to the rural areas and encourage more the extension agents to enable them provide adequate information to the rural farmers.