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Commercial Potato Growers’ Contact with Information Sources Through Mobile Phone

M. O. Faruk
Agricultural Extension Officer (AEO)
Bandar Upazila, Narayanganj, Bangladesh, Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Ministry of Agriculture, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh

M. A. Kashem
Professor
Department of Agricultural Extension Education, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh-2202, Bangladesh

M. Z. Rahman
Professor
Department of Agricultural Extension Education, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh-2202, Bangladesh

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

The objective of the present study was to determine the overall extent of contact through mobile phone to different information sources by commercial potato growers and to explore the relationships between overall extent of contact through mobile phone and their selected characteristics. The study was carried out at Imampura union under Gazaria Upazila of Munshiganj district. Data were collected from a sample of 88 potato growers by using interview schedule during September to October 2011. Appropriate scales were used in order to measure the concerned variables. Correlation test was used to ascertain the relationships between the concerned variables. Majority (71.6 per cent) of the potato growers had very low mobile phone use while 27.3 per cent of the potato growers had low mobile phone use and only 1.1 per cent had medium use with different information sources. Contact with relatives, friends; different market agents, and cold storage manager were the most important mobile phone using contact sources. Potato growers had more contact with other agents (friends and relatives, progressive potato growers etc.) compared to the input dealer and extension agents. Their characteristics such as year of schooling, household size, farm size, annual family income, attitude towards mobile phone use, knowledge on potato production and commercialization of potato had significant positive relationships with the overall contact through mobile phone; while age, organizational exposure, cosmoliteness had no significant relationships with their extent of contact through mobile phone.

Keywords: Commercial, Potato growers, Mobile phone, Information source

Location: Gazaria Upazila of Munshiganj district

Start Date: 12-09-2011

End Date: 15-10-2011

Program Area: Knowledge Management

Non-commodity: ICT

Objectives:

To ascertain the commercial potato growers’ contact with information sources through mobile phone.

Methodology:

The study was conducted in Gazaria Upazila of Munshiganj district. The researcher selected mobile phone user commercial potato growers on the basis of their production and marketing of potato after family consumption. The study was conducted in six purposively selected neighbouring villages namely Karimkha, Hoglakandi, Bagaikandi, Kalipura, Jashtitola and Mathabangha under Imampura Union. The selected village had a total of 350 populations from which only 88 samples were randomly selected. Thus, the sample comprised of 25 per cent of the total population. The interview schedule was pre-tested with seven mobile phone user potato growers and then final shape was given to the interview schedule according to the experience of pre-test. The pre-test facilitated the researcher to examine the suitability of different questions and status of the instrument in general. Data were collected by the researcher himself during 12 September to 15 October, 2011. The overall extent of contact with information sources through mobile phone was the dependent variable of the study. Selected ten characteristics namely age, year of schooling, household size, farm size, annual family income, organizational exposure, cosmopoliteness, attitude towards mobile phone use, knowledge on potato production and commercialization. The overall mobile phone used by the potato growers was measured on the basis of the overall extent of mobile phone contact with 15 information sources. These 15 mobile phone using information sources were divided into three categories that were selected considering the suggestions from extension experts, supervisory committee and pre-test experience. Among these 15 items, extension agents (3) items, input dealer (3) items and other agents (9) items were present. A six- point rating scale was used for computing extent of mobile phone use by the potato growers. The scores of 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 were assigned for no mobile phone use (not even once per season), very low mobile phone use (1-20 times/season), low mobile phone use (21-40 times/season), medium mobile phone use (41-60 times/season), high mobile phone use (61-80 times/season) and very high mobile phone use (>80 times/season), respectively. The scores obtained by a potato grower on each of the fifteen items were added together to determine his score on overall extent of mobile phone use. Thus, the possible scores on overall extent of mobile phone use by the potato growers could range from 0 to 75, while 0 indicating no use of mobile phone and 75 indicating very high use of mobile phone by a respondent.

Source of Information: Progress. Agric. 24(1 & 2): 239 – 249, 2013 ISSN 1017-8139

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

All of the potato growers were the mobile phone users but their extent of contact to different information sources through mobile phone was very low to low. Thus, it is revealed that the use of mobile phone by the potato growers is concentrated to contact with different agricultural agents apart from their contact with family members and relatives. Findings indicated that year of schooling had significant positive relationship with their overall extent of contact through mobile phone by the potato growers. In the present study, 4.5 per cent of the potato growers had no schooling while almost one third (29 per cent) of them had primary schooling. This means that a considerable proportion of the potato growers had no adequate education. Moreover it may be recommended that more non formal education of the farm people is to be increased for the development of communication through mobile phone. A positive significant relationship was also found between knowledge of the potato growers and their overall extent of contact with information sources through mobile phone. This facts leads to conclude that unless attempts are being made by the concerned agencies for increasing knowledge level of the potato growers through non-formal education, they would continue to face difficulties to make contact with information sources through mobile phone. It was found that there was a significant positive relationship between the respondents’ household size and their overall extent of contact through mobile phone with information sources. It revealed that the large household had more communication through mobile phone. The study also found a significant positive relationship between farm size and overall contact through mobile phone. Therefore, it may be concluded that potato growers’ extent of mobile phone use, to some extent, depends on their household size as well as farm size. Findings revealed that annual family income of the potato growers had significant positive relationship with their overall extent of contact with information sources through mobile phone. As majority (56 per cent) of the farm families had very low to low family income, but it has significant impact on communication through mobile phone, it may, therefore, be recommended that any attempt to increase the family income of the potato growers has to be taken for increasing their extent of contact with different information sources through mobile phone. It also revealed that commercialization had significant positive relationship with overall extent of contact with different information sources through mobile phone by the potato growers. About three quarters (71.6 per cent) of the potato growers had very high commercialization of potatoes. Hence, it may be recommended to initiate a big potato market vis-à-vis a potato industry through the support of GO or NGOs for the benefit of commercial potato growers.

Knowledge Management: Journal