Frequency of use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) Among Women Farmers in Agricultural Development Programme Zones in Oyo State, Nigeria

Abstract

The potential of ICTs in retrieving vast amount of agricultural information at relatively low cost is invaluable, hence the study assessed the frequency of use of ICTs among women farmers in Agricultural Development Zones in Oyo State. A total of 120 respondents were sampled. Data were retrieved using interview schedule and were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Statistics reveal respondents average age, average household size and average monthly income as x =45.8, x =10.6 and x = ₦7,800.34 respectively, majority (86.7%) were married, 58.3 % representing respondents with primary education. Mobile phone was the most available (x=0.98) and the most frequently used (x=1.83 ) ICT by the respondents among all the ICTs available. Provision of information on fertilizer sources and application ( x=1.66) was the benefit derived most from the use of ICTs while poor ICTs infrastructure ( x=1.55) and difficulty in the utilization of ICTs gadgets (x=1.62) ranked highest as constraints to the utilization of ICTs. Significant relationship existed between respondents average monthly income (r= 0.492, p=0.000), educational level (χ2 = 4.726, p= 0.021) constraints to the utilization of ICTs (r=0.423 p=0.000) and utilization of ICTs. Scaling up the ICTs infrastructure base around farming clusters and capacity building on enhancing the utilization of mobile phones for agricultural information retrieval is advocated for women farmers.