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

Table 4: Factors influencing the use of ICTs among arable farmers Variables Coefficients Standard error T-value Significance (Constant) 0.508 0.242 2.102 0.007 Age -0.003 0.004 -0.730 0.467 Level of education -0.111 0.142 -0.778 0.438 Marital status -0.111 0.066 -0.166 0.869 Household size 0.076* 0.043 0.102 0.081 Farming experience 0.012*** 0.004 2.777 0.006 Extension contact 0.023 0.051 0.450 0.653 Level of awareness 0.677*** 0.053 12.791 0.000 R = 0.803, R 2 = 0.645, standard error of the estimates = 0.3069, Durbin-Watson constant (1.745) ***Significant at 1%; * Significant at 10% Source: Field Survey, 2021. e) Constraints to the Use of ICTs by the respondents Table 13 shows that limited finance (3.23), high cost of ICTs facilities (2.90), unstable power supply(2.88), limited technical know-how (2.69), language illiteracy(2.68), inadequate infrastructure(2.61) and inadequate access to information (2.52) were indicated as major constraints to the use of ICTs by the arable crop farmers and ranked as 1 st , 2 nd , 3 rd , 4 th , 5 th and 6 th respectively. The study agrees with Anyoha et al . (2018) that high cost of ICT devices, widespread illiteracy, insufficient income and language illiteracy are constraints to the use of ICTs among farmers. Table 5: Constraints to the use of ICTs by the respondents Constraints Very severe Severe Less severe Not severe Mean Rank Limited Finance 122(50.8) 66(27.5) 36(15.0) 16(6.7) 3.23 1 st High cost of ICTs facilities 72(30.0) 90(37.5) 60(25.0) 18(7.5) 2.90 2 nd Unstable power supply 70(29.2) 84(35.0) 74(30.8) 12(5.0) 2.88 3 rd Limited technical know-how 28(11.7) 122(50.8) 78(32.5) 12(5.0) 2.69 4 th Language illiteracy 36(15.0) 108(45.0) 80(33.3) 16(6.7) 2.68 5 th Inadequate infrastructure 30(12.5) 104(43.3) 88(36.7) 18(7.5) 2.61 6 th Inadequate access to information 18(7.5) 100(41.7) 110(45.8) 12(5.0) 2.52 7 th Accessibility of ICT tools 28(11.7) 72(30.0) 100(41.7) 40(16.7) 2.36 8 th Availability of ICTs 20(8.3) 64(26.7) 130(54.2) 26(10.8) 2.33 9 th Our culture and tradition are not in support of ICT usage 22(9.2) 36(15.0) 80(33.3) 102(42.5) 1.91 10 th Percentages are in parenthesis Source: Field Survey, 2021 IV. C onclusions The mean age of the respondents was 47years, mostly males (66.7%) and had a mean household size of 5 persons. Mostly (95.8%) had formal of education and a mean farming experience of 23years. 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 increase awareness to sensitize, provide adequate training and incentives such as credit facilities, subsidies etc. on ICTs tools to enhance the use of ICTs by these farmers for better productivity. R eferences R éférences R eferencias 1. Adegbidi, A. B., Mensah, R., Vidogbena, F., and Agossou, D. (2012). Determinants of ICT Use by The use of Information and Communication Technologies among Farmers in Ekiti State, Nigeria 1 Year 2022 3 © 2022 Global Journals Global Journal of Science Frontier Research Volume XXII Issue ersion I VI ( D ) Rice Farmers in Benin: from the Perception of