1.0 Introduction
1.1 Background of Study
In the past decades, Nigeria's agricultural sector has experienced steady decline in productivity. However, in recent time, indices has showed that the sector have started witnessing a gradual but slow growth (Oladipo, 2013). This growth was necessitated by population growth, changing climate and technology needs (Henri-Ukoha et al., 2012). Agriculture is an important economic sector, since it provides income and food for a large segment of the population in developing countries. It plays a key role in the socio-economic development of many developing countries. For Agriculture to play these key roles successfully, farmers need to be properly informed in order to take rational decisions with respect to the adoption of improved agricultural technologies.
Information has shown to be the most basic factor in all aspects of life, particularly in developmental processes. Against this backdrop, agriculture has proven to be an information-driven business that depends on an inexhaustible supply of contextualized knowledge and significant research resources. Many information and communication technologies (ICTs) have been invented, tested, and released all over the world, with varied degrees of success. Some of these technologies arose from the desire to assist farmers in improving their living through higher agricultural output and revenue, or by lowering the risk element inherent in crop and animal production. in the developing world, information and communication technologies have become the most popular means of transferring speech, data, and services. They give the most cost-effective means for millions of individuals to have access to information, markets, finance, and governance systems that were previously unavailable to them. New Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have revolutionized the lives of individuals, companies, and even entire nations all over the world.
According to FAO (2000), much information is unavailable or inaccessible particularly to poor farmers, many practical lessons have been learnt but not shared and there are few opportunities for dialogue to enable concerns to be resolved. The agricultural sector needs technologies that can make information available and easily accessible to farmers and agricultural professionals. Hence, the accessibility to information which is made readily available by ICTs has helped in molding our altitudes towards life as there is more information about certain aspects of life including the agricultural sector (Spore, 2004).
The term Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) refer to hardware, software, networks and media for collection, storage, processing, and transmission in the formats of voice, data, text, and images (World Bank ICT Glossary Guide). As such, the nature of ICTs is diverse ranging from telephones, radios, and television to more technologies such as internet technologies, mobile telephony, computers and databases. This diversity means that they can be used by people with varying degrees of skills, although the current trends towards sophisticated applications are more and more demanding on the end users. The primary purpose of ICTs is to provide an enabling environment for the generation of ideas, their dissemination and use. Through ICTs, the diffusion and sharing of knowledge is enabled through open access to information and better coordination of knowledge. ICT facilitates the creation of networks locally, regionally and globally.
Farmers require information to link various inputs at reasonable prices and also link output markets. (Adekunle et al 2004). A combination of the two may increase farmer's income. (Arokoyo, 2005) noted that a strong extension linkage complimented by flawless information flow enhanced by the effective use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) will significantly boost agricultural production and improve rural methods in developing countries. The role of ICT is also recognized in millennium development goal no. 8 (MDG 8), which emphasizes the benefits of new technologies especially information and communication technologies in the fight against poverty. They are also required to make the world a global village.
Agricultural professionals are scientists, researchers and extension worker who have been trained in various disciplines in agriculture and rural development. They play the critical role of linking technology sources to technology end users, that is, the farmers. This definition goes beyond the traditional role of extension workers to include assessment and articulation of farmers' technology needs, research and development of new technology testing and evaluation of new technology and transferring it to farmers. In particular, agricultural professionals have a crucial role to play in bridging the technology gap that exists between the existing scientific knowledge base and information and knowledge in the hands of farmers. The institutions that engage the personnel provide facilities which could enhance the performance of their duties as research and extension personnel.
Nnadi (2012) described agricultural information as a compilation of knowledge about agriculture in general, which includes concepts, inventions, and technology of agricultural policy in all domains. It is crucial to highlight that letting them obtain access to knowledge raises their level of living. This is due to the fact that their talents are limited by the amount of information available to them, and they will always be disadvantaged in the absence of knowledge (Muhammad, 2007).
Therefore, in Nigeria where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to evaluate Information Communication technology (ICT) and Its Usage in Agricultural Information Dissemination Among Farmers.
1.2 Statement of Problem
Investigation revealed that farmers face a number of challenges related to information transmission and access to ICTs, which hinders their ability to improve agricultural knowledge and productivity. The most significant obstacle to using ICTs to address agricultural information distribution concerns in Nigeria has been identified as a lack of infrastructure. In today's world, no firm can succeed without such resources as ICTs, even though their use has led to development in metropolitan areas. Meanwhile, farmers in rural areas are ignored and have limited access to ICTs.
Furthermore, there are significant barriers to the use of ICTs in agriculture, especially for Nigerian rural farmers, because of the government's lack of interest and the high setup costs. This has made it more difficult for information on the productivity of yam farmers in developing countries like Nigeria to freely flow. Examples of these factors include land cultivation, managing pests and diseases, marketing farm produce, and farm operations.
1.3 Aim and Objectives of Study
The aim of the study is to evaluate Information Communication technology (ICT) and Its Usage in Agricultural Information Dissemination among Farmers. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To examine the impact of Information Communication technology on agricultural information dissemination among farmers;
- To determine farmers awareness level of Information and Communication Technology;
- To examine how accessible these tools are for the rural farmers;
- To determine the different ICT tools used by farmers; and
- To find out the challenges faced by farmers in using these Information Communication technology tools.
1.4 Research Questions
The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:
- What is the awareness level of farmers about Information and Communication Technology?
- What are the different ICT tools used by farmers?
- How impactful is ICT on agricultural information dissemination among farmers?
- How accessible are these tools for rural farmers?
- What are the challenges faced by farmers in using these ICT tools?
1.5 Significance of Study
This study will be beneficial to farmers as the results of this study will show farmers the different ICT tools to use and also show the level of accessibility for an improved agricultural yield. It will also be beneficial to the field of agriculture and agricultural extension as it will also show the different ways to disseminate information to farmers.
Finally, this study will be beneficial to scholars as it will serve as an existing material for future reference and further studies.
1.6 Scope of Study
The scope of this research is focused on the Evaluation of Information Communication technology and Its Usage in Agricultural Information Dissemination Among Farmers.
1.7 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Research Material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
1.8 Definition of Terms
Computer:
This is an electronic machine that can store, organize and find information, and workout arithmetic. Also, it controls other machine with high speed and accuracy.
Machine:
It is a device that makes work done easier and faster.
I.T.:
This is a short form of information technology that deals with the use of computer and telecommunication to retrieve, store and transmit information.
Projector:
It is an apparatus for projecting photographs or films unto a screen.
Evaluation:
It is the making of a judgement about the amount, number, or value of something; assessment.
Information and Communication Technology:
It is the infrastructure and components that enable modern computing.
Usage:
It is the action of using something or the fact of being used.
Information:
It is the facts provided or learned about something or someone
Dissemination:
It is the action or fact of spreading something, especially information, widely.
Farmer:
It is a person who owns or manages a farm.
Internet:
This is a specific collaboration of independently management network to communication with each other across organization and geographical boundaries.
