The Effect of ICT Use on the Profitability of Young Agripreneurs in Malawi

Aubrey Jolex,Adane Tufa

doi:10.3390/su14052536

Abstract

The agricultural sector’s significant position in an economy and high potential benefits of agricultural transformation give developing countries major opportunities, especially for youth, to commercially start an agricultural enterprise. Increasing youth engagement in agriculture is fundamental for sustainably transforming agriculture and reducing youth unemployment. In achieving this, information and communication technologies hold great potential. Harnessing youth agribusiness opportunities through the use of ICT and its innovations are key to increasing profitability and providing employment. The study assesses the effect of the intensity of ICT use on profit using data collected from 317 young agripreneurs and an ordered logit model. The results show that profitability increases with the number of ICT tools used to receive and disseminate information relevant to agribusinesses. Therefore, relevant stakeholders should strive towards the implementation of programs that increase the number of ICT tools that can be used in agribusinesses.

Highlights

The increase in digital transformation across the world has changed the way information is shared and the speed of communication
The isolation and focus afforded to information and communication technologies (ICTs) as the main area of investigation in this study provides vital evidence that holds great potential in increasing productivity for the agricultural sector of the Malawian economy, and most importantly serving as a route for increasing youth participation in agricultural-related activities through the motivation factor, and solving the unemployment problem in one way
This study investigates the effect of the intensity of ICT use on the profit of young agripreneurs in Malawi

Summary

Introduction

The increase in digital transformation across the world has changed the way information is shared and the speed of communication. Despite being traditional sources of information, “the radio, TV, print, and video” are still relevant communication channels, while the modern sources such as emails, websites, computers, tablets, mobile phones, SMS, and social media are becoming commonly applicable and used in African Agriculture [1]. The arrival of modern information and communication technologies (ICTs), especially mobile phone technology and the internet, has had a tremendous impact on communication in terms of speed and how it is conducted [1]. In Africa, ICTs have conventionally been “based on indigenous forms of storytelling, song, and theatre, print media, and radio”. This is true in Malawi where theatre on radios and TV play a huge role in relaying different information to the public including agriculture. ICT has reduced the cost of accessing information and new knowledge and has been creating many new opportunities in different sectors of African economies, including agriculture [2]

Methods

Results

Conclusion