Abstract
The study “The Impact of mobile phone on Agricultural
Information among Otukpo Farmers”. A study of Agric information
dissemination among Otukpo farmer, Otukpo Local Government
Area. Using a survey of five villages in Otukpo town, Otukpo Local
Government Area of Benue State, the researcher found that
Otukpo farmers has adopted the impact of mobile phones in
getting agric information due to the benefits derives from it such
as enabling verification/discussion with chief farmers and
extension workers, facilitating communication and saves
transportation cost, institution relationship with agricultural
extension officers, helps to obtain information on price of goods
and services. This research also finds that the following problems
are associated with the use of mobile phones – poor network
services, high charges, network congestion, power failure and
reduction interconnectivity. The study is anchored on the diffusion
of innovation theory which excludes that mobile phone h
INTRODUCTION
Communication which is so much a part of us, sees to be
everywhere at the same time, it is central to all human
interactions. It is the most basic and one of the earliest activities
of human beings. Communication as an integral part of our
existence for there to be any meaningful development, there has
to be communication between initiator of the developments
process and the target audience of these development project. All
development depends on knowledge and this knowledge is a
function of the amount and quality of facts at ones disposal. The
farmers needs information on possibilities that exist for improving
on their lot and how to effect the necessary changes. They also
need specific information on how to do things that will result in an
improvement of their farming yield.
Agreeing on the role of communication, Ebo (1999:24)
observes that communication in development can teach new skills
act as multiplier of resources, raise levels of aspiration as incentive
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for action, raise level of people, help to find new norms and
harmony in periods of transaction change the structure in a society
by knowledge to the mares, create sense of nationality and led to
increased political participation, promote people need in satisfying
developments projects and making economic, social and political
development a self perpetual process.
Due to this important role of communication, mobile phone
have been given a prominent role in communicating development
messages to the people. In a similar view Abiri (2011:1) says that
today’s world seems to be dominated by improved technology has
made much impact in communication, mass communication in
particular. Improved technology has greatly increase the efficiency
of communication to the extent that the process can send and
receive messages around the world and into space with maximum
speed and efficiency.
The point of the matter here however is on the
telecommunication industry. Technological revolution has impacted
so much on telecommunication sectors to the extent that it
becomes of the fastest growing industries in the world. Efficient
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telecommunication services play vital role in modern societies of
money developed and developing nations. In Nigeria, the first
national development plan (1963 – 1968) identified the need for
rapid development of telecommunication sector.
Commenting on telecommunication Ndula (2002:5) asserted
that today the growth of telecommunication has been
accompanied with significant advances in technology research.
One of the latest in modern telecommunication, central to
information technology is the mobile phones. Today the much
anticipated system of mobile communication recently introduced in
Nigeria has brought about a total revolution in the history of
telecommunication development in Nigeria.
The importance of mobile phones among farmers cannot be
overemphasized as it makes it very easy for farmers to interact
with ease and immediacy. Farmers operators use mobile phones to
make speedily appointments, quite clarification and instant reply of
the messages.
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Mobile phones have gone through a long process of
evolution and all through about six decades of continuous
evolution, the mobile phone has retained its relevance to the life of
the modern man. At every stage in his growth curve, it has
undergone metamorphosis, adding features and functionalities
that make it even more indispensable. It started as an extension
of the landline, a bridge between the home and office landlines. It
found relevance in the need of the modern professional to remain
in communication in and out of home or office, at lay in the car, at
lauch and anywhere else. The mobile phone has since moved up
from this sophistic role to become more actually involved in the
way modern business are educated. Apart from, being a tool for
mobile voice communication, mobile phones today are a hybrid of
personal computers and a communication device. They come with
screens, miniky boards storage for personal information such as
contacts, email, documents, the ability to play video files, games
and a communications capacity. With these features and
functionality. Come a wide range of other uses, a mobile phone
can put into a business or work environment apart from the
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traditional voice communication. Now mobile phone makes it
possible for a busy executive to work from any part of the world.
He can access the treats critical emails sent to him regardless of
how far way from the office her or she works. All he needs to do is
to access the internet via his or her mobile phone.
What promises to be a killer application in mobile services in
a short while is mobile television. This service will enable mobile
phone subscribers watch television programmes on the mobile
phones. Imagine driving on your car to your office and watching
amplitude modulation express on Nigeria television authority on
your mobile phone or wanting at the airport for a flight and
catching up with your favourite comedy series on a local television
station. Imagine sharing your television experience with your
friends and family and receiving advertising targeted to your
needs. These are all possibilities that mobile television offered.
It was in this regard that Comer and Howthon (400:11) says
communication is essentially a social affairs man has evolved a lost
of different systems of communication which render his social life
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possible and not in the sense of living a packs for hunting or
making war, but in a sense unknown to animals.
1.1 STATEMENT OF RESEARCH PROBLEMS
i. Farmers in Otukpo finds it difficult to get adequate agric
information from extension workers.
ii. Most of the Otukpo farmers do not make frequent use of
their mobile phone due to power failure in Otukpo.
iii. Farmers in Otukpo do not know the alternative source of
power for changing their mobile phone in order to get
adequate agricultural information.
1.2 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
i To find information on alternative ways of getting agric
information outside the extension workers
ii To identify major solution to the problems facing farmers in
Otukpo in getting agric information easy.
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iii To find information on the alternative sources of power for
charging their phones in order to get adequate agricultural
information.
1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS:
i. What alternative source do farmers in Otukpo use to get
agricultural information aside extension workers?
ii. What kind of problem do farmers in Otukpo encounter using
mobile phone?
iii. What alternative source of power do Otukpo farmers use to
charge the mobile phone?
1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The significance of this study are as follows:
i. The study will provide information on the alternative
source of information for Otukpo farmers, out side agric
extension workers.
ii. The study will provide information on solutions to
problems of GSM phones used by Otukpo farmers
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iii. The study will also provide information on alternative
source of charging their mobile phone.
1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
H0: Farmers in Otukpo do not use alternative medium to get
agric information
H1: Farmers in Otukpo use alternative medium to get agric
information
H0: Farmers in Otukpo do not encounter problems using mobile
phones to get agricultural information
H2: Farmers in Otukpo encounter problems using mobile phones
to get agricultural information
H0: Power failure does not affect farmers in Otukpo in getting
agric information with their mobile phone
H3: Power failure affect farmers in Otukpo in getting agric
information with their mobile phone
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1.6 DEFINITION OF TERMS
CONCEPTUAL DEFINITION OF TERMS:
Mobile phone: Mobile phones are electronic devices used to
make mobile telephone calls across a wide geographical areas.
Impact: This refers to the powerful effect that something has on
somebody or something.
Farmers: A farmer is a person who own or manage a farm.
Agriculture: This refers to the science or practice of farming.
Information: This refers to facts or details about somebody or
something.
Communication: These is the method of sending information,
especially telephone, radio and computer.
G.S.M: Means global system for mobile
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OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS:
Mobile phone: This are phones carried about and are use to
send and get information from one person to another by Otukpo
farmers from January – August 2012
Impact: This is the power of mobile phone on agric information
used by Otukpo farmers from January – August 2012
Farmers: Otukpo people who have farm or manage a farm with
the use of mobile phone to get agric information. from January –
August 2012
Agriculture: Planting of croups and rearing of animals in Otukpo
community from January – August 2012
Information: Sending of idea, feelings, messages, culture from
one place to another or from one person to another among
Otukpo farmers from January – August 2012
Communication: This is the process of sending messages, idea
and feelings from one person to another by use of mobile phone
by Otukpo farmers from January – August 2012.
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1.7 ASSUMPTIONS
The following assumptions were made:
i. That an average farmer in Otukpo uses mobile phone.
ii. That farmers in Otukpo receive and make call twice or more
in a day.
iii. That most of the farmers in Otukpo own mobile phone.
iv. That farmers in Otukpo believes in information from mobile
phone.
v. That farmers in Otukpo makes use of information from
mobile phone.
1.8 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
This study is limited to the impact of mobile phone on
agricultural information among Otukpo farmers, from January –
August 2012.
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These study would have extended to all the farmers in
Benue State but due to time factor and financial problems, the
researcher is compelled to limit its focus on only Otukpo farmers,
of Otukpo town in Otukpo local government area of Benue State.