ICT in Agricultural Development

Abstract

The transformational role of ICT in the social and economic spheres of man engendered development of the communication technology in Nigeria. Based on the telecom deregulation policy of the Nigerian Government in 2001, the country witnessed an upsurge of private investment in ICT development and its consequential ICT revolution. An empirical survey of diffusion and adoption pattern of ICT in the Nigerian agricultural system showed that mobile phone constitutes the most widely adopted ICT device by the agricultural researchers, extension agents, and rural farmers. In addition to this was computer and internet adoption by the researchers and radio transistors by the rural farmers. All eight agricultural research organisations and four extension agencies surveyed had electronic mail addresses and telephone lines for information exchanges. Six of the agricultural organisations - CRIN, FRIN, NIHORT, IAR&T, NIOMR, and NAERLS, and one of the extension agencies – LSADA, had organisational websites for hoisting generated agricultural information. Based on rural farmers’ access to radio, and to some extent television, the research and extension organisations aired agricultural programmes on these electronic media for the farmers. ICT usage in the Nigerian agricultural system is however challenged by less development and exploration of communication technologies, poor electric power supply, and poor human operational skills development for effective utilisation of the information-driven technologies. This situation thus necessitates the need for pro-agriculture ICT development and human capacity for effective utilisation in the Nigerian agricultural system.

Patterns of premarital childbearing among unmarried female youths in sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence from demographic health survey

“…Finally, our study revealed that the likelihood of PC was higher among Christians than their Muslim counterparts particularly in countries in West Africa (Nigeria and Senegal) while in East African countries (Malawi and Rwanda) the reverse pattern was observed. Nigeria and Senegal have large Muslim population and among the religion, it is evidenced that early marriage was more common among Muslims than Christians (Adebowale et al, 2012). Early marriage is known to be a strong protective factor against premarital sex and PC.…”

Effect of video-mediated extension on stakeholders’ propensity to participate in maize-grain-poultry-feed agribusiness cluster in Oyo state, Nigeria

“…The VME is one of the very handy means of achieving this. This extension approach has been widely adopted and has proven to be helpful in educating and informing farmers of the need to adopt agricultural innovations and there are several success stories that allude to this (Abate et al, 2019;Karubanga et al, 2017;Lawal-Adebowale, 2012). VME can take various forms, such as documentaries, soap operas, comedies, and more.…”

Soursop Leaf and Pumpkin Pulp Diets Concerning Performance, Nutrient Utilization and Blood Profile of Goats

“…Their biological values and domestic demand as the choicest milk and meat for consumers have been ranked higher than sheep and cattle [1]. Therefore, the need to increase goat production is a consequence of its capacity to generate income and improve the living standards of rural subsistence-farming communities [2] .The degree to which goats survive to marketable age is one of the key indicators for their efficient productivity. However, nutritional constraints remain a concern, because they limit; animal digestion and growth rate and weaken animals against parasitic and infectious diseases that bring about high mortality.…”