The Adoption and Use of ICT by Small Scale Farmers in Gezira State, Sudan

Nada Siddig Abdallah Musa and Jason Githeko

Introduction

• It is thought that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) (radio, TV, mobile phone and Internet) can be applied to narrow the gap between researchers and farmers by providing channels to convey information between researchers, extension agents and farmers.

• Several trials of such use of ICT have been conducted worldwide (Nyirenda-Jere, 2010).

• In Sudan little is known about the interaction of ICT use and flow of agricultural information linking farmers, extension agents and researchers.

• The study reported here set out to ascertain how cultural, socio-economic factors influence the adoption and use of ICT by farmers for accessing agricultural information. Additionally,

• The study was intended to help identify the challenges of ICT use and adoption among farmers.

Study Objectives

Methodology

• A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2010 with a sample of 120 farmers using proportionate stratified sampling.

• The key data collection instrument was a self-designed questionnaire.

• The instrument was in English but required to be translated in the field because the farmers spoke Arabic.

• 30 researchers from the Gezira Research Station and Ministry of Agriculture were surveyed about farmers’ adoption and use of ICT.

• The researchers included plant scientists, entomologists, agricultural engineers and agricultural extension officers

The study Area

N

Legend

Gezira Stat

Gezira Boundary

Results and Discussion

• The vast majority (93.3%) of the respondents were literate based on:

Items Frequency Percent

No formal education 8 6.7

Adult literacy education 6 5.0

Primary school 41 34.2

Secondary school 36 30.0

Post-secondary school 29 24.1

Total 120 100.0

Education Levels of the Farmers

Age of Farmers

• the majority (61%) of the farmers were 50 years and below

Age of farmers Frequency Percent

20-35 years 32 26.7

36-50 years 41 34.2

51-65 years 38 31.7

66-80 years 9 7.4

Total 120 100.0

Experience in Agriculture

Years of experience Frequency Percent

Less than 5 years 7 5.8

5- 10 years 26 21.7

More than 10 years 87 72.5

Total 120 100.0

ICT Used by Farmers in Gezira State

ICT Used by Farmers in Gezira State

• Others: print media, friends, neighbours, agrochemical companies, research stations and extension officers.

ICT Adoption Challenges

• Four categories of challenges were investigated:

• Socio-economic factors, • Cultural factors, • Technical factors and

• Infrastructural support.

Socio economic Factors

ICTRadio TV Internet Mobile Phone Print Media Total

Co % Co % Co % Co % Co % Co %

Education Level

6 20.0 2 6.7 0 0.0 1 3.3 1 3.3 10 33.3

Income 0 0.0 2 6.7 1 3.3 0 0.0 5 16.7 8 26.7

Farm Size 1 3.3 3 10.0 0 0.0 2 6.7 0 0.0 6 20.0

Gender 3 10.0 1 3.3 0 0.0 1 3.3 1 3.3 6 20.0

Total 10 33.3 8 26.7 1 3.3 4 13.3 7 23.3 30 100.0

Socio-economic Factors A chi-square cross-tabulation was carried out between the various ICT and the socio-economic factors

Cultural FactorsA chi-square cross-tabulation was carried out between the

various ICT and the cultural factors

cultural ICT

Factors Radio TV Internet Mobile

Phone

Print

Media

Total

Co % Co % Co % Co % Co % Co %

Beliefs 4 13.3 4 13.3 0 0.0 0 0.0 2 6.7 10 33.3

Political &

Intuitional

leadership

5 16.7 0 0.0 1 3.3 4 13.3 5 16.7 15 50.0

Laws 1 3.3 4 13.3 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 5 16.7

Total 10 33.3 8 26.7 1 3.3 4 13.3 7 23.3 30 100.0

Technical FactorsA chi-square cross-tabulation was carried out between the

various ICT and the technical factors

Technical ICT

Factors Radio TV Internet Mobile

Phone

Print

Media

Total

Co % Co % Co % Co % Co % Co %

Skilled staff

and

technician

3 10.0 5 16.7 0 0.0 1 3.3 2 6.7 11 36.7

ICT centres 4 13.3 0 0.0 0 0.0 3 10.0 1 3.3 8 26.7

Disseminatio

n methods

3 10.0 2 6.7 0 0.0 0 0.0 1 3.3 6 20.0

Packaging of

information

0 0.0 1 3.3 1 3.3 0 0.0 3 10.0 5 16.7

Total 10 33.3 8 26.7 1 3.3 4 13.3 7 23.3 30 100.0

Infrastructural Support

• It was found that 50.8% of farmers have little or no access to electricity (grid or solar) making it difficult to use ICT such as TV that cannot easily run on batteries.

• Similar figures were obtained for access to roads with 54.2% of the farmers indicating that there is little or no road infrastructure in the places they lived.

• With regard to telecommunications infrastructure, 30.8% reported little or no infrastructure indicating relatively good coverage of the target population.

Conclusions

• In this survey was found that while the uptake of older ICT such as radio and TV was relatively established at 21.9% and 14% respectively newer ICT were less used with only 3.3% using the Internet.

• Some of the reasons for lower adoption of the newer ICT were identified as:– high cost relative to farmer income.– limited availability.– little localised content.– cultural inertia.

Conclusions

• Although more than 90% of farmers were literate yet the researchers who were surveyed rated low education levels as the key barrier to adoption of ICT by farmers.

• The scarcity of skilled staff and technicians in the research institutions was additionally rated as a key hurdle as was shortage of electricity.

Recommendations

• It is recommended that key interventions to improve ICT adoption and use include:

Awareness campaigns to counteract cultural inertia. Improve ICT skills of research staff and related

technical staff. Provide more localised content relevant to farmers. Reduce the relative cost of the newer ICT especially the

Internet. Improve rural infrastructure especially provision of

electricity.

Further research

• Further research is needed on issues such as:• The role of gender, • Culture and politics on ICT adoption. • Similarly, the capability of research institutions to provide

appropriate localised content is an issue that requires further research.