Global Journal of Science Frontier Research, D: Agriculture and Veterinary, Volume 22 Issue 1

The use of Information and Communication Technologies among Farmers in Ekiti State, Nigeria Ajayi, Grace Tolulope Summary- This study evaluated the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) among arable farmers in Ekiti State, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling procedure was employed for the selection of 240 respondents in the study area. Collection of primary data from the respondents was through a well-structure interview schedule. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse data. The result of the findings revealed that more than one-third of the respondents(66.7%) were male. The mean age of the respondents was 47years and had a mean household size of 5 persons. Mostly (95.8%) had formal of education and a mean farming experience of 23 years. Farmers were aware of mobile phone (3.75), radio (3.59), television (3.41), internet (2.59) and video recorder (2.57).The mostly used ICTs tools by the respondents were mobile telephone (3.77), radio (3.57) and television (3.33).Farming experience, household size and level of awareness on ICTs had significant influence on level of usage of ICTs among arable farmers. Limited finance, high cost of ICTs facilities, unstable power supply, limited technical know-how, language illiteracy, inadequate infrastructure and inadequate access to agricultural information were major constraints to the use of ICTs by the farmers. Government should therefore create more awareness to sensitize, provide adequate training on the use of ICTs and incentives to enhance ICTs usage by these farmers for better productivity. Keywords: information, communication, technologies, farmers. I. I ntroduction gricultural information is crucial to the development of rural populace who are mainly farmers. Information and communication technology (ICT) is crucial in the dissemination of agricultural information to farmers in improving their livelihoods.ICT is an effective solution to problems that militate against the development of agricultural industry, such as weak marketing linkages, poor information management, low productivity, low income and lack of diversity (Ramli et al., 2015). The ICT devices which are of potential dissemination of agricultural information in farming activities include like radio, television, cellular phones, computers, and networks among others (Pande and Deshmukh, 2015). According to Ramli et al. (2015) stated that the Internet and web-based applications are extensively utilized in spreading of agricultural knowledge, marketing of goods and services. Researchers observed that mass media are utilized to disseminate agricultural technologies to the farmers at rapid rate (Leeuwis and Van den Ban as cited in Hasanet al., 2019)). Crop production as an important sub-sector in Nigeria agriculture has contributed largely to the development of Nigeria’s agricultural sector (Odefadehan et al., 2019). Arable farming as a type of crop production involves the production a wide range of annual crops. Dissemination of useful agricultural information to the farmers will enhance arable crop production. ICT provide recent knowledge and information on agricultural technologies, best practices, markets, price trends, and weather conditions (Yimer, 2015). New approach for improving access to relevant agricultural information could be achieved through the use of information and communication technologies (Olaniyi and Ismaila, 2016). Farmers need information on improved farm inputs, modern farming technologies, and climate changeto enhance food production for ever- increasing population. Important agricultural information such as sowing, improving soils, profit maximization and control pests and diseases will empower the farmer and their decision making capabilities (Lokeswari, 2016). In recent times, ICTs have gained more recognition in Nigeria as a whole and particularly, Ekiti State. The use of ICTs can be very time-effective in disseminating relevant information to farmers to aid agricultural extension services in Nigeria (Anyoha et al., 2018). However, the potential of these ICT tools is under-utilized especially among the farming households (Olaniyi and Ismaila, 2016). Poorly disseminated information and knowledge as a result of certain constraints may hinder agricultural development of any community (Li, 2013). In Ekiti State, farmers are faced with some constraints which are limiting them in the use of ICTs in order to gain access to relevant information on improved technologies for enhanced productivity and improved income. Therefore, it is of empirical importance to carry out this study on the use of Information and Communication Technologies among arable farmers in Ekiti State. The broad objective of the study was to investigate the use of ICTs among farmers A 1 Year 2022 27 © 2022 Global Journals Global Journal of Science Frontier Research Volume XXII Issue ersion I VI ( D ) Author: Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension Services, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria. e-mail: grace.ajayi@eksu.edu.ng