23 pages., via database., Results of this study indicate that the consumption of handmade and locally made agrifood products increases for consumers who read nutrition labels and health claim information and for those with higher income and are younger. Authors offer suggestions for improving communications.
7 pages., via online journal., The study was aimed at determining women farmers' agricultural information needs and accessibility, using Apa local government area of Benue State as a case study. A sample size of 70 women farmers was initially taken for the study but only data for 65 respondents were analyzed. Simple random sampling technique was used for the sample selection and questionnaire was used to elicit information from the respondents. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis. The result showed highest information needs in the areas of pesticides and fertilizer applications and improved farm implements. Husbands, fellow women and mass media were the main sources of agricultural information to women farmers and accessibility of information from these sources was relatively high. Age, educational level and income of women farmers showed significant relationships with their accessibility to agricultural information at 5% level of significance. It is recommended that enough information should be provided in the needed areas and women adult literacy and economic empowerment programmes should be given serious attention to enhance their access to needed agricultural information.
12 pages., via online journal., Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) usage in Nigeria has gone a long way but
despite its existence, there seems to exist limited access and utilisation of the technologies
among farmers in south-East Nigeria. Consequent upon this, the study analysed the access and
application of information and communication technology (ICT) among farmers of South East
farmers, Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling technique was employed in selection of 240 Farmers for
the study. Primary data were collected with the aid of a well-structured questionnaire. Descriptive
statistics were employed to achieve objectives i, ii, and iii. The result of the analysis showed that
62.50% of farmers were males and married (84.17%) with average household size of 7 persons.
Also, majority (45.42%) of the farmers completed primary education. Further analysis revealed
that although many ICT facilities exist; radio, television and phones sourced personally from open
market were the most readily available ICT facilities owned, accessed, and utilized by most
farmers. Consequently, the level of access and utilization of these facilities were found to be
generally low among the respondents as the mean access (1.2) and utilisation (1.8). The result
further showed that information on physical farm measurement (2.6), how to estimate farm output
(2.7), new varieties of seeds and seedling (x=2.6), best planting techniques (x=2.6) and use of
fertilizer (x = 2.8) were the identified major areas extension agents applied ICTs in facilitating
agricultural activities by extension agents as use of fertilizer (x = 2.5) was the major area ICTs
facilitated agricultural activities for the farmers. Based on the findings, the study recommended
the strengthening of the use of contemporary ICTs (phones, internet, etc.) rather than
conventional ICTs such as radio and television, provision of adequate training on the use of ICTs
for farmers, and extension agents and other agricultural stakeholders.
9 pages., via online journal., In the last few years, the contribution of the agricultural sector to tourism has been increasingly evident. Agritourism provides the possibility to have a green holiday experience and allows farmers to diversify their income. In the tourist sector, communication is decisive in determining consumption choices, and the Web plays an important role. Considering that the Internet can bring potential benefits and reach new customers, it is important that websites are complete and attractive. This paper evaluates agritourism websites in an Italian region (Sicily) to analyse the strategic choices made by farmers. This study uses the eMICA methodological approach to analyse the quality of the websites and a cluster analysis to find homogeneous groups of farms. The results indicate that there is a large group of Sicilian agritourism providers that have been slow in taking advantage of the new opportunities offered by the Web, whereas another group, which is less numerous, makes use of social networking tools, demonstrating web 2.0 communication.
