An Analysis Of The Role Of Information Communication And Technology Towards Food Security: A Case Study Of Musana Communal Area
- Author
- Fortune Mijeri
- Title
- An Analysis Of The Role Of Information Communication And Technology Towards Food Security: A Case Study Of Musana Communal Area
- Abstract
-
ABSTRACT
Rural communal household food insecurity has become a protracted problem that unceasingly need urgent attention as it threat to developing countries such as Zimbabwe. The study made an analysis on the role of ICT amongst small scale farmers in Musana communal area it investigated small-scale farmer’s attitudes and perceptions towards the role and use of ICT in agricultural marketing and the type of ICT currently being used and the factors affecting adoption. The study employed a multi-stage sampling technique which assisted selection of 90 households that were drawn from 3 wards identified from Musana communal area in Bindura District. The survey used a questionnaire that collected demographic information and attitudes and perceptions of the farmers towards the use of ICT by the farmers in agricultural marketing and a multi variate backward regression model. The data collection procedure was improved by the use of a combination of a direct interview and closed ended questionnaire that were effected at ward level collecting. The study used SPSS version 24 to process and analyse the data. The study unravelled that 95% of the respondents revealed that they have a functioning mobile phone, whilst 80 % confirmed ownership of a radio set, 45% had a television set and 30% had internet access with only 5 % having access to a computer. The study discovered that 38% of the respondents strongly agreed that mobile phones can be a useful source of agricultural information with 42% strongly agreeing that mobile phone have a role to play in finding markets for their produce. The study indicated a negative attitude towards ICT as the ranking was 3.44 (34%) which is low towards the use of ICT although 77% of the respondents were willing to use ICT in agricultural marketing with only 13% indicating that they were not willing to use. The results attained incidental that the majority of the rural households were not using ICT. The study found that several factors were statistically significant at the 5% level in a regression model analysing the adoption of ICT in agricultural marketing by small-scale farmers in the Musana communal area. These factors included the age of the farmer, willingness to pay, education level, type of crop grown, and language on device. Key recommendations include improving access to ICT infrastructure such as smartphones, tablets, and computers, providing training on how to effectively use ICTs for agricultural activities and marketing. Identifying the specific barriers that prevent farmers from adopting ICT, such as cost, access to technology, or lack of training factors and communicate the potential benefits of ICT for farmers, such as improved crop yields, reduced labour costs, and better access to market information.
- Date
- JUNE 2024
- Publisher
- BUSE
- Keywords
- Keywords: ICT, Perceptions, Attitudes, Ranking, Food Security
- Supervisor
- Mr V T Munyati
- Item sets
- Department of Agricultural Economics
- Media
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Fortune Mijeri