An Analysis of Mobile Phone Use in Nigerian Agricultural Development

Abstract

This study used 328 smallholder farmer respondents to investigate its objectives of how farmers use mobile phone technology, what benefits they have gained from the use, and the constraints encountered during the process. The quantitative data collected through a process of questionnaire administration were analysed using Stata 12 software. The results indicate that mobile phone usage for farm and other social purposes has increased with farmers. The farmers also spend almost 40% of their phone bills on farm-related activities and that seeking market information represented 17.32% of the total phone bill in a month. Increased efficiency in input delivery, market access, and output distribution were reported as some of the advantages of using mobile phones. This study was conducted in a region where its general characteristics may not reflect that of the entire country thus generalisation of the study may be limited, so the data should be cautiously use.