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.
14 pages., via online journal,, Effective agricultural extension is key to improving productivity, increasing farmers’ access to information, and promoting more diverse sets of crops and improved methods of cultivation. In India, however, the coverage of agricultural extension workers and the relevance of extension advice is poor. We investigate whether a women's self‐help group (SHG) platform could be an effective way of improving access to information, women's empowerment in agriculture, agricultural practices, and production diversity. We use cross‐sectional data on close to 1,000 women from five states in India and employ nearest‐neighbor matching models to match SHG and non‐SHG women along a range of observed characteristics. We find that participation in an SHG increases women's access to information and their participation in some agricultural decisions, but has limited impact on agricultural practices or outcomes, possibly due to financial constraints, social norms, and women's domestic responsibilities. SHGs need to go beyond provision of information to changing the dynamics around women's participation in agriculture to effectively translate knowledge into practice.
12 pages., via online journal., This study explored the factors influencing the application of Information and
Communication Technologies (ICTs) among farmers in the Punjab province of Pakistan.
The Punjab province is divided into three agro-ecological zones viz Northern, Central and
Southern. In this study, one district from each zone was randomly selected. Total sample
size comprises of 150 farmers. Farmers were interviewed using a self-administered
interview schedule comprising of open and close-ended questions. Respondents’ access to
ICTs was low level. Chi-square test revealed a significant association between the age of
respondents and adoption of ICTs. Young respondents were leading users of ICTs in the
study area. Size of landholding and income level of the respondents had a significant
association with the frequency of use of ICTs in agriculture. Among various ICTs tools,
mobile/cell phone attracted 47.3% of respondents to access agricultural information. Factors
militating use of ICTs include; electricity/power issues (x̄=2.95/3.00), language barriers
(x̄=2.93/3.00), limited knowledge and skills about ICTs (x̄=2.89/3.00), high cost
(x̄=2.87/3.00) and limited availability of ICTs (x̄=2.85/3.00). Extent of ICTs use to access
agricultural information can surge with t
13 pages., via online journal., The agriculture sector in Pakistan faces enormous challenges of lack of farm knowledge adoption due to the farmers’ lack of access to the latest information. Recently various mobile phone-based farm advisory services (FAS) have been introduced as an alternative to the conventional extension methods. Despite many ICT initiatives, the performance of these projects remains unsatisfactory. The current study was designed to identify these FAS, farmers’ extent of use, and factors associated with their adoption. Two hundred and forty farmers were surveyed in the rural areas of district Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analysed with SPSS software. Findings revealed that 77.08% of the sampled farmers were using mobile-based FAS. Telecom and private sector FAS were reported to have the highest share of users (37.08% and 25.83% respectively). Results of the logistic regression showed that farmers’ educational level, mobile use skills, mobile possession duration and the number of mobile phones in a family were found positively significant, while farmers’ age and contact with extension agents were negatively significant. The findings conclude that education and digital literacy are essential for the use of mobile-based alternatives and emphasize the need for training and educating the farmers.
8 pages., via online journal., ow internet usage by extension agent, impact on the inhibition of the flow of information to the farmers and lead to the income received by farmers. In the digital era today, if the extension agent is not encouraged to use the internet then they will be left behind and will be left out by the farmers. This study aimed to (1) analyze the internet availability in Lampung Province (2) to analyze the level of internet usage for extension agent in Lampung and (3) to analyze factors influencing internet usage of extension agent. This research was conducted in Lampung Province with analysis unit of extension agent in the office of BP3K (Extension Agency of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry) which has been facilitated by computer and internet network. Respondents consisted of 355 extension agent served in BP3K. Multiple Linear Regression Analysis was used to determine the effect of independent variables on the dependent variable. The availability of facilities and internet network in Extension Offices is not sufficient even extension agent used their private facilities. The Internet network had reached the remote areas very well in spreading and transmitting information. Almost all extension agent have internet-connected devices and internet-based applications. Extension agents facilitated by computer and internet network communicating using social media, however capabilities in using the internet to search information related agricultural technology remained low. The use of the internet by extension agent was influenced by the nature of internet innovation, the number of Internet-based applications and the amount of existed hardware.
9 pages., ISSN 2415-2838, via online journal., Uganda’s public agricultural extension system has experienced several reforms since colonial times. However, available literature indicates that a large number of smallholder farmers remain unreached by the extension systems. To address the above problem, there has been a call to unearth the role of participatory and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)-led extension and learning approaches for agricultural and environmental education, and development in the country. As such, a review study was conducted on the context and the potential of participatory, and ICT-led extension and learning approaches to agricultural and environmental education. The reviews involved thematic and content analysis of variables of interest. The review findings presented a critical review of the historical and current state of agricultural extension reforms in Uganda. It also highlighted the challenges and lessons on the status, context, and potential of participatory, and ICT-led extension and learning in agricultural and environmental education in Uganda. It elaborated on recurring extension issues and described the experiences on the role of ICTs to extension and emerging practices that are enhancing the delivery of timely information that suits the needs of farmers. Policy recommendations were henceforth made to tap the potential of participatory, and ICT-led extension and learning approaches in order to enhance the performance of agricultural extension systems in Uganda.
12 pages., via online journal, We examined how information from multiple communication channels can inform social norms about local food purchasing. The concept of social exposure was used as a guide. Social exposure articulates how information in social, symbolic, and physical environments contributes to normative perceptions. Data was collected from a sample in Wisconsin. Results indicated that information from communication channels representing symbolic, social, and physical environments all contributed to normative perceptions. We also found that for individuals who frequent farmers’ markets, information from some communication channels was relatively less strongly associated with injunctive norms. It may be that when first-hand, experiential information is available to inform norms, individuals rely less on information available through other communication channels. Future work might further explore how farmers’ markets foster information sharing in communities, as such information may contribute to normative perceptions.
