Use of Information and Communication Technology for Agricultural Marketing Information by farmers in Oyo state, Nigeria

Abstract

Marketing information is important to agricultural enterprises. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools have been used to provide information to various stakeholders in agro-allied activities. This study focused on how farmers used the ICT tools to obtain Agricultural Marketing Information (AMI) for their enterprises. A multistage sampling procedure was used to select 143 respondents for the study. Data was collected using interview schedule and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics such as PPMC. Results showed that majority of the farmers were mostly male (83.2%), married (92.2%), with a mean age of 45.7 years, a mean year of formal education of 9.5 years and a mean household size of 7.4 persons. The mostly used ICT tools for the AMI by the respondents were radio (weighted score=274.1), mobile phone (232.8) and television (140); the use of ICT tools was relatively low (55.2%). The benefits that accrued to the respondents included easy access to market information (176.2), quick sales of produce (175.5) and improved farmers’ income (173.4). A good proportion (51.7%) of the respondents derived low benefits from the use of ICT-facilitated AMI. There was a significant relationship between benefits derived and use of ICT tools for AMI (r=0.520, p=0.000). Farmers’ educational status enhanced their use of ICTs for more benefits that is inherent in ICT-based AMI. Hence, relevant policies and strategies should be put in place to promote the use of ICT-facilitated information.