An Investigation into Barriers that Hinder the Effective Use of ICT in Farming by Small Scale Farmers in Asuogyaman District, Ghana.
Francis Yao Anyan,Godfred Frempong
Citation :Francis Yao Anyan,Godfred Frempong, An Investigation into Barriers that Hinder the Effective Use of ICT in Farming by Small Scale Farmers in Asuogyaman District, Ghana. International Journal of Humanities Social Sciences and Education 2018,5(1) : 23-32
Mainstreaming information and communication technologies (ICTs) into the productive economic sectors has the potential of enhancing productivity of those sectors. In agriculture, there are emerging empirical evidence of how ICTs are helping farmers especially the small holder farmers to access agricultural resources to improve their economic activities. However, in developing countries, especially Africa the integration of ICTs into agriculture has not been effective due to a number of challenges. The study investigated the barriers that hinders the effective use of ICT in farming in Asuogyaman District in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Simple random, purposive and snowball sampling techniques were used in selecting 150 small scale farmers for the study. Semi structured questionnaire was used to collect primary data from the respondents. Data was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistical tools. The study revealed that majority of the small scale farmers have some level of education. The study also identified radio and mobile phones as the most common ICT tools used by small scale farmers. Three main barriers that hinders the effective usage of ICT namely attitudinal, accessibility and technical were identified by the study.