Farmers’ use of mobile phone applications in Abia state, Nigeria : a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Commerce (Agricultural) at Lincoln University

In developing countries such as Nigeria, agriculture is the main source of livelihood where over 70 percent of the population engage in farming. They are mostly smallholders who are often subsistence farmers with minimal use of technology and low productivity. The use of mobile applications in agriculture can help smallholders access agricultural information and financial services, improve access to markets and enhance visibility for supply chain efficiency. Unfortunately, most farmers have not fully exploited these benefits because of lack of uptake in the use of mobile application technology. This study seeks to explore and examine the current level of use of mobile applications for agriculture in Abia State, Nigeria and the factors that affect the uptake of this technology. A conceptual model which builds on the extended Technology Adoption Model (TAM2) was empirically estimated using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to examine the factors that influence the adoption of mobile applications. Primary data were collected from a sample of approximately 260 farmers. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and SEM with the help of IBM SPSS and IBM AMOS software. The study results revealed the current state of mobile application use and the factors that affect the adoption of these applications by farmers. The structural model showed that seven of the direct hypothesised relationships in the research model were supported. Social influence (SI), Perceived usefulness (PU), Information/awareness (IA) and Intention to use (ITU) affected the adoption of mobile applications positively, while perceived risk (PR) and Perceived cost had a negative impact on their adoption. This study contributed extensively to farmers’ technology usage literature through its findings. It proved that extended TAM is a suitable model to explain the factors that influence mobile application adoption behaviour. It helped in bridging the information gap between agricultural application developers and farmers by revealing some important demographic information of farmers such as their age, gender, educational level, the type of farming carried out and most importantly, the factors that affected the adoption and continuing use of mobile applications by farmers

Percieved effects of information and communication technologies in agricultural extension service delivery in Owerri West Lga of Imo State, Nigeria

ICTs devices have great potential for use in agricultural extension delivery and are increasingly being used without corresponding research into their optimal use. The study analyzed the effects of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in agricultural extension in Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria. Specifically, the study described the socioeconomic characteristics of farmers, identified the level of awareness of farmers on ICTs devices, described the type of ICTs devices available for use in agricultural extension delivery, examined the effectiveness of ICTs devices and identified the barriers farmers face in the use of ICT devices. Sample size comprised fifty (50) farming households selected using simple random sampling techniques. Structured questionnaire was the main tool for data collection. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistical tools and multiple regression analysis. Mean age was 45 years. Majority (74.0%) were male and about 76.0% were married with a mean household size of 6 persons. Mean farming experience was 20 years, while about 78. 0% were members of farmers’ associations. Average monthly farm income was ₦49, 500.00. Greater proportions (58.0%) did not have access to extension agents. Sizable proportions (82.00%) were highly aware of various ICT tools used in agricultural extension.. Estimated multiple regression models revealed that the socio-economic characteristics of the farmers have a significant influence on their level of effectiveness in use of ICTs devices. Farmers identified high cost of ICTs devices (94.00%) and inadequate power supply (86.00%) as their barriers in the use of ICTs devices in the area. It was recommended that seminars and workshops should be organized for farmers on the use of various ICTs devices as this would enhance their use of ICT and promote effective agricultural delivery.Keywords: Agricultural extension, Information and Communication Technology), Extension services, Imo Stat

Policy Issues of e-Commerce Technology Diffusion in Southeast Nigeria: The Case of Small Scale Agribusiness

The benefits brought about by the emergence of e-commerce, e-business and other Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) applications have not been fully explored in the developing economies of the world. The less developed economies are still struggling to catch up with ICT application as opposed to its heavy deployment in the developed economies. Empirical evidence suggests that ICTs and other related technologies are increasingly emerging in the communities of the developing economies such as Nigeria. Rural actors engaged in the Agricultural industries (Agribusiness) feel that the implementation of ICTs can influence the development of new business processes and the way existing processes are organised. In the Southeast of Nigeria, which is a typical example of a less developed community, the impact of e-business technologies has yet to be determined. This paper identifies two classical traditional agribusiness supply chains and hence reports on the impact of e-commerce technology diffusion along the equilibrium of the supply chains, focusing on the elimination of intermediary actors from the chain. It provides an assessment of the Governments’ policies and strategies on e-commerce adoption for the sustainability of small-scale agricultural businesses. The paper examines the politics surrounding ICT implementations by actors engaged in the agribusiness sector. This research has motivated The South East State Government, in collaboration with the Federal Government, to give closer attention to their earlier policy of making Nigeria an ICT-enabled country

ICT adoption in developing countries : perspectives from small-scale agribusinesses

The purpose of this paper is to critically examine how social augmented parameters impact on the effective adoption of information and communication technology (ICT) by small-scale agribusinesses operating in Southeast Nigeria. The relevance of incorporating social imperatives in scholarship focused on technology adoption is due to its role in sustaining the process of adoption and diffusion. Data were gathered from a focus group made up of 27 agribusiness proprietors affiliated with a state cooperative based in the south-eastern Nigerian state of Ebonyi. This paper puts forward an argument that to ensure successful diffusion of innovation, a balance must be maintained between the amount of effort expended in the design of ICT and social factors such as language and traditional life. The paper finds that a willingness of indigenous ICT users is particularly influenced by the recognition and incorporation of visible social imperatives during the adoption process. The outcome of this study highlights important issues for ICT adoption. One particular area that must be taken into consideration is the adoption channel. Perceptions of ICT adoption will differ significantly among adopters. For this reason, the need for developing an appropriate adoption channel that ensures successful diffusion of the innovation should be recognised. This study contributes to ongoing research in ICT innovation adoption in small agribusinesses operating in indigenous societies. The theoretical implications of this paper are the development of a conceptual ICT adoption framework that emphasises social imperatives. The paper also demonstrates that agricultural enterprises should be treated as ‘normal’ firms in their own right

Post-harvest technology change in cassava processing: a choice paradigm

Open Access Article; Available online: 27 Jan 2020This study employed a choice model to examine the factors influencing the choice of post-harvest technologies in cassava starch processing, using a sample of five hundred and seventy (570) processors in the forest and guinea savanna zones of Nigeria. In addition, the profitability of various post-harvest technologies in the study area was assessed using the budgetary technique while the impact of improved post-harvest technology on processors’ revenue and output was analysed using the average treatment effect model. Sex of the processor, processing experience, income, and cost of post-harvest technology, the capacity of post-harvest technology and access to credit amongst others significantly influence the choice of post-harvest technologies. Although the use of improved post-harvest technology comes with a high cost, the net income from its use was higher than the other types of post-harvest technologies, suggesting that the use of improved techniques was more beneficial and profitable. In addition, using improved post-harvest technology had a positive and significant effect on output and income. These findings shows that investment in improved post-harvest technologies by cassava starch processors and other stakeholders would increase income, thus, improving welfare

Farm Management Dividends in a Friendly Policy Environment: The Case of Cassava Industry in Nigeria

Following the radical reorientation of agricultural policy during the SAP years, beginning in the mid-1980's, cassava emerged as an important crop in the national effort to replace imported foods with domestic production. The policy direction of the Nigerian government has encouraged cassava development leading to a new orientation in research-extension-farmers linkage, especially in the IFAD-assisted Cassava Multiplication Programme (CMP). This study evaluated farm management dividends in a friendly policy environment: the case of cassava industry in Nigeria. Data were collected from randomly sampled 360 cassava farmers in Benue State, Nigeria using a structured questionnaire. The data were analyzed using the stochastic frontier production function. The findings of the study indicated that the elasticity of mean value of cassava output with respect to farm size (1.39) was of increasing function while labour cost (0.19), family labour (0.90), cassava stems (0.95) and fertilized (0.01) were of decreasing function. Moreover, the coefficients on the variables: labour cost, X1(-0.19), farm size, X3 (1.39), cassava stems, X4 (0.95) and fertilizer, X5 (0.01) were statistically significant at the 1% level while family labour,X2 (-0.09) was not significant. The sum of the coefficients on the significant variables of the stochastic frontier production model (2.63) was higher than unity. The estimated coefficient of cassava variety planted (-0.18) and the estimated coefficient of processing technology available (-0.1) were negative and significant at 1% level, suggesting that technical inefficiency effects declined with the planting of improved cassava varieties and the use of improved cassava processing technology. The estimated sigma squared, á2 (0.16), was significantly different from zero at 1% level. This indicates a good fit and the correctness of the specified distributional assumption of the composite error term. In addition the magnitude of the variance ratio, was estimated to be high at 0.96, suggesting that the systematic influences that are unexplained by the production function are the dominant sources of errors. Thus, given the specifications of the Cobb-Douglas frontier production function, the Cobb-Douglas frontier is an adequate representation of the model for the farm data collected on the cassava farmers in Benue State of Nigeria. Majority of the respondents (63.61%) operated closer to their frontier production function while predicted technical efficiencies varied widely among farms, ranging between 31% and 100%, and a mean technical efficiency of 89%. It is recommended that adequate financial assistance and credit facilities should be made available to the farmers to enable them increase their production. Since there are potentials for cassava growth in the study area, the cassava farmers in Benue State should expand their production because they would obtain more output in the long run. Technical efficiency in cassava production in Benue State could be increased through better use of available resources via improved farm-specific factors, which include access to improved cassava planting material, access to improved cassava processing technology, access to available cassava markets and access to improved extension services.Crop Production/Industries,