13 pages., via online joural., Due to inadequate personnel, information communication technologies (ICTs) have become an attractive option for delivery of extension information. This study examined awareness and use of ICTs by farmers in Oyo State, Nigeria. A total of 192 farmers were interviewed. Results indicate that most farmers had no formal education and small farm holdings. Awareness of older ICTs like radio and television was more prevalent among farmers as compared with newer ICTs such as Internet and cable television. However, use of modern ICTs like mobile phones and cable television was greater than that for older technologies such as fax machines. Farmers were constrained in ICT use by prohibitive cost and service failure. The Nigerian government should encourage a liberal policy for affordable prices for modern ICT products, especially mobile telephones.
11 pages., via online journal., The study aims at exploring the extent of agricultural information literacy of farmers in the northern region of Bangladesh. Besides the review of relevant literature the study conducts a questionnaire-based survey of 160 farmers working in ten districts in the region. The analysis of the survey shows that farmers need information for various purposes of agricultural activities, and they use different sources and media for access to such information. Many of the farmers, however, are not well aware of modern techniques of agriculture, and they occasionally use such techniques for farming. Due to some problems farmers are moderately satisfied in getting agricultural information, and in many cases their satisfaction level is very low. The paper concludes with providing certain recommendations for the improvement of information literacy of the farmers in
Bangladesh.
20 pages., via online journal, This study analyses the influences of sociodemographic factors, business orientation of farmers, and farm characteristics on adoption of ICT-based information through primary data collected from 461 farmers in eight districts of Uttar Pradesh, India. A personal interview survey was conducted using a pre-tested structured questionnaire. The Poisson Count Regression Model was used to analyze the factors influencing use of the information derived through ICT-based systems on various agricultural practices. The findings indicate that education, income, and social category of farmers are important sociodemographic factors affecting the adoption of ICT-based information systems. Similarly, farmers who consider farming as a business venture, practice a diversified cropping system, and have small farms are more likely to use ICT-based information.
