MOBILE APPLICATIONSANDAGRICULTURAL KNOWLEDGE OF SMALLHOLDER FAMERS IN KURA LOCAL GOVERNMENT, KANO STATE, NIGERIA
ABSTRACT
This study investigated the relevance of mobile applications in enhancing the agricultural knowledge of smallholder farmers in Kura local government, Kano State, Nigeria. The study was guided by the following objectives: i) to assess the relevance of mobile phones applications in agriculture to smallholder farmers in Kura local government, and ii) to find out the relevance of mobile phones applications in enhancing agriculture knowledge among smallholder farmers in Kura local government. The study used a cross-sectional survey design. The target population was 168,1760 people and the sample size was 384 respondents. The response rate of 73% gave a final participant population of 280 respondents. The main research instrument was questionnaires. Data was analyzed using frequency and percentage tables. The study found that smallholder farmers use mobile phones mostly for making calls (85%), entertainment (50%), making transactions (45%), and social media (40%).Furthermore, the study found that mobile phones seem to be relevant to smallholder farmers to research about market prices (65%), making calls to customers and other farmers (50%), and to get information about the market and availability of different commodities (50%). The study concluded that mobile phones can help smallholder farmers in Kura local government to improve their agricultural productivity by giving them access to basic financial services, new agricultural techniques, and new markets, in turn helping them to secure better prices for crops and better return on investments. As their income improves with each harvest, they can invest in better seeds, fertilizers, and chemicals
This study investigated the relevance of mobile applications in enhancing the agricultural knowledge of smallholder farmers in Kura local government, Kano State, Nigeria. The study was guided by the following objectives: i) to assess the relevance of mobile phones applications in agriculture to smallholder farmers in Kura local government, and ii) to find out the relevance of mobile phones applications in enhancing agriculture knowledge among smallholder farmers in Kura local government. The study used a cross-sectional survey design. The target population was 168,1760 people and the sample size was 384 respondents. The response rate of 73% gave a final participant population of 280 respondents. The main research instrument was questionnaires. Data was analyzed using frequency and percentage tables. The study found that smallholder farmers use mobile phones mostly for making calls (85%), entertainment (50%), making transactions (45%), and social media (40%).Furthermore, the study found that mobile phones seem to be relevant to smallholder farmers to research about market prices (65%), making calls to customers and other farmers (50%), and to get information about the market and availability of different commodities (50%). The study concluded that mobile phones can help smallholder farmers in Kura local government to improve their agricultural productivity by giving them access to basic financial services, new agricultural techniques, and new markets, in turn helping them to secure better prices for crops and better return on investments. As their income improves with each harvest, they can invest in better seeds, fertilizers, and chemicalsKeywords – Cell Phone, Contact, Production, and Smallholder farmers.
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