23 Pgs., Information and Communication Technology is a potent force in the developing world for social, economic and educational transformation of individuals, agencies and institutions. This study examined the veritable roles of ICT in empowering rural women farmers in Rivers State. The specific objectives were to examine the demographic characteristics of the respondents, identify ICT devices in use by the respondents; information needs of the respondents, the roles of ICTs in rural women empowerment and constraints to the use of ICT devices by the respondents. Structured questionnaire was used to elicit information from respondents and oral interview where necessary. The respondents were 120 rural women farmers purposively selected from the farmers list obtained from the ADP (Agricultural Development Project) Office in the Area. The results indicate that 54.2% of the respondents are married, 57.5% with secondary education, 52.5% hold a farm size of 0.25 – 1 hectare of land. ICT devices in use include mobile phones, television, radio and other devices. They need information on inputs, prices, markets, produce demand, new practices and technologies. ICT play various roles in empowering the women such as offering entrepreneurial opportunity, breaking isolation, providing linkages to inputs and markets, assisting small and medium size business, reducing poverty, and illiteracy and improving income and savings of rural women. The problems affecting use of ICT devices include absence and erratic supply of electricity, lack of ICT skills, low level of awareness etc. Government should provide basic amenities to the rural dwellers to improve their socio-economic well-being.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 201 Document Number: D11768
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Report from Agri-Pulse received online via AgriMarketing Weekly. 6 pages., Report of a letter to Capitol Hill and the White House from a new American Connection Project Broadband Coalition calling for a "robust federal investment in broadband internet connectivity." Letter (attached) signed by 40 ag, tech, and healthcare groups.
7 pages., ebook ISBN 978-3-319-90835-9, Via ebook chapter., The article studies the main reasons for low level of information provision of agricultural production, including the absence of legal documents on systemic development of informatization; imperfection of applied forms and methods of operative planning and regulation of technological processes in most agricultural organizations; unpreparedness of most managers and specialists in agriculture in the sphere of effective usage of scientific methods for managing production processes. The offers for creation of a single three-level automated information and management system are given; it is an initial and necessary condition for improvement of management of agricultural production, improvement of organizational and economic mechanism of management of production processes in the sphere, and implementation of digital economy. Besides, two variants of development of informatization in agricultural production are provided. The first one is the classic variant, based on studying the management object, design of its tasks and functions, and the second is based on creation of a three-level information system of managing the system in the country’s regions.
