Use of Mobile Phone for Agricultural Activities among the Arable Crop Farmers in Edu Local Government Area of Kwara State, Nigeria

Abstract

The research examined the arable crop farmers’ use of mobile phone for agricultural activities in Edu Local Government Area of Kwara State, Nigeria. About 105 arable crop farmers were randomly selected for the study. Statistical tools such as frequency count, percentage and mean score were used to analyse the data. The result showed that about 75.2 % of the respondents were male. The average age of the respondents was 37.2 years. The average household size was 6 persons.  The mean income of the respondents was 368,076.67 Naira. The voice call (mean = 2.46) was the most frequently used mobile phone feature by the respondents for agricultural purposes. The use of mobile phone for communicating with fellow farmers (mean=2.40) highest ranked statement on use of mobile phone for agricultural activities. The high cost of buying credit/data (mean=2.33) was the most severe factor limiting the use of mobile phone for agricultural activities. The study therefore recommends the provision of training to farmers in areas where there are gaps in their competency on the use of mobile phone for agricultural activities.