15 pages, Information needs, surveys, extension agents, information seeking, small farmers, small farms, development, Pakistan(Southern Asia), This study investigated information behaviour of citrus farmers residing in rural areas of Sargodha, Pakistan. The data were collected from 120 adult male farmers through face to face interviews using preformulated questionnaire and analyzed by applying descriptive statistics. The citrus farmers required information on land preparation, soil fertility management, better citrus varieties, citrus trees protection, harvesting techniques, pest and diseases control, fertilizer applications, plantation techniques, finance, Government policies and programs, better pricing, labor information in the locality, agrochemicals, how to stop fruit drop, weather, irrigation management, pesticides application, health and safety information, buyers, collections and traders, and herbicide. These farmers relied overwhelmingly on their prior experience and interpersonal relationships such as fellow farmers/friends, progressive farmers, for agricultural information. More than two-third of these farmers did not seem to have any contact, either written or oral, with government agricultural officials. The farmers’ farm size, education, and income appeared to predict their information needs and sources. Lack of timely access, inaccessibility, unawareness, bad timing of television programs, poor economic conditions, infrequent visits of extension staff, low level of education and language barriers were the primary obstacles in information acquisition. The results will be helpful for extension agents and librarians of the public libraries in the area while making adjustments for efficient and effective information delivery. This study would make a contribution in the existing research on farmers’ crop-specific information behaviour.
9 pages., In order to facilitate the adoption of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for accessing agricultural information by smallholders, it is critical to understand their perspectives on the use of ICT. However, few empirical studies have considered how smallholders utilise ICT in Central Vietnam. This research investigates the Central Vietnamese smallholders’ views on the extent of use of ICT for accessing agricultural information. A sample size of 250 smallholders was randomly selected from a total of 687 smallholders in Trieu Phong district, Central Vietnam. A two-section questionnaire was used to gather data. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data. The smallholders used mobile phones, TV and radio networks/broadcasts as the common ICT tools, and these were also effective ICT tools for accessing agricultural information. Lack of knowledge and skills for using applications on mobile phones were the main challenge to the smallholders’ use of ICT. A statistically significant relationship, existing between the extent of mobile phone use and the smallholders’ age (χ = 10.04, p = 0.040), gender (χ = 5.99, p = 0.014) and the type of households (χ = 6.84, p = 0.033), was found. Similarly, there was a statistically significant relationship existing between the extent of radio network/broadcast use and the smallholders’ age (χ = 9.58, p = 0.048) and gender (χ = 4.83, p = 0.028).
