Impact of Training on Adoption of Information and Communication Technology Tools in Agricultural Extension among Smallholder Cassava Farmers in Rangwe Sub-County, Kenya

Abstract

The use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools in Agricultural extension in Kenya is key to providing farm families with appropriate technical information and helping them develop skills for improved resource use in their agricultural activities to improve the efficiency of their value chains. The latent perk of ICT tools in the dissemination of agricultural information is not well exploited. Studies to assess the determinants of ICT tools adoption among smallholder cassava farmers in Kenya are limited. The aim of this study was to describe the level of access to training on ICT tools, the level of ICT tools’ adoption, and to determine the correlation between access to training and the use of ICT tools among the Small Holder Farmers (SHFs). A correlation research design was employed in this study at Rangwe Sub-County. The study used pretested structured questionnaire to collect data from 106 SHFs who grow cassava in the Sub-County. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science Version 25 to run Spearman’s correlation and descriptive statistics. From the results 36% of the respondents had used ICT tools in agricultural extension; only 37% had access to ICT training and a majority had received training once from a private extension system. Spearman’s correlation analysis showed that a correlation between access to training and the use of ICT tools among the SHFs was statistically significant at a 1% level of significance (R = +.776**, P = .000, R2 =0.602). Training on ICT tools explained about 60% of the use of the tools among the SHFs. An increase in access to the training enhances the use of ICT tools in agricultural extension. The availability of training centers was recommended to increase the use of ICT tools.