Abstract
Coronavirus has disrupted aquaculture activities at all levels. The pandemic has had effect on farmer’s input, output, market, revenue, and contact with Extension officers. To reduce the growing effect of the pandemic, the use of Information Communication Technologies has become necessary as farmers can get easy access to extension agents and monitor farm activities while reducing exposure to the virus. Hence, this research was conducted to determine fish farmer’s willingness to pay for improved Information Communication Technologies in bridging the gap caused by the Coronavirus outbreak. The study used cross-sectional survey with data collected from Ibadan, Nigeria. Simple random sampling technique was used to select a sample size of 40 farmers. Primary data was analysed using StataSE13.0 and the results revealed that; 80% of farmers were affected by Coronavirus and acknowledged that Information Communication Technologies play a role in their activities (55%). The probit regression revealed that the scale of operation, age of farmer, household size, status in the household, and usage of Information Communication Technologiess were found to be statistically significant determinants of farmer’s willingness to pay. These points to the fact that improved Information Communication Technologies are relevant to sustain aquaculture output in the face of Coronavirus. The study recommends that the government, the ministry for aquaculture, and stakeholders in aquaculture should support small-scale in the form of training, credit and provision of support systems to help them acquire and use improved ICTs.
Highlights
As a result of the outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19), which affected virtually all sectors of the Nigerian economy, the aquaculture sub-sector was heavily affected by the pandemic
On Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) use by farmers, the result of this study were consistent with Folasade, Gaius and Dare (2021) who reported that fish farmers during the COVID-19 period were using mostly traditional ICTs for their fish farming operations
The major effect was felt by farmers in the procurement of input, output sales, and contact with service providers like extension agents due to COVID-19 restrictions imposed on the state like restricted movement and social distancing
Summary
As a result of the outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19), which affected virtually all sectors of the Nigerian economy, the aquaculture sub-sector was heavily affected by the pandemic. The effect of COVID-19 has been felt by farmers, as their market has dwindled and revenue margin lowered as a result of the impact on demand and supply They face several obstacles, including farmers’ restricted access to input and consumer markets and contact with extension agents. One of the pandemic prevention strategies advocated by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) was social distancing, which discourages large-scale access to market/marketing. These necessitated the need for farmers to have Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) to bridge the gap created by getting their markets and extension needs closer than ever before. The ICT sector has seen a high level of progress in the agricultural sector and its development has gradually improved over the last decades (Otsuka, Kijima, & Serunkuuma, 2011)
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