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Use of Mobile Phone by the Farmers in Receiving Agricultural Information from the Input Dealers

K.S. Barman
BAU, Mymensingh

M.A. Kashem
BAU, Mymensingh

M.Z. Rahman
BAU, Mymensingh

M.A.S. Mondol
BAU, Mymensingh

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent of use of mobile phone by the farmers in receiving agricultural information and to explore the relationships between the selected characteristics of the farmers and their use of mobile phone. Data were collected from 76 mobile phone user farmers in 8 selected villages of Boira and Bhabakhali unions under Sadar Upazila of Mymensingh district during 12 September to 15 October 2009. In order to ascertain the extent of use of mobile phones by the farmers in receiving agricultural information from the input dealers on major aspects, such as availability of inputs, quality of inputs, market price of inputs, appropriate doses of inputs. Each of the aspects covered four dimensions and as such sixteen dimensions were covered. Farmers were asked whether their contacts with the input dealers were regular, occasional or not at all (based on the number of times per season). A 3 point rating scale was used to determine their overall use of mobile phones in receiving agricultural information. Extent of mobile phone use scores for each of the sixteen agricultural input related dimensions were computed by using Mobile Phone Use Index (MPUI). The MPUI for each aspect could vary from 0 to 152, 0 indicating no use and 152 very high use of mobile phones. However, the MPUI of the farmers varied from 20 to 142 for the sixteen issues. More than half (54 percent) of the farmers had medium use of mobile phone in receiving agricultural information from the input dealers while 14 percent and 32 percent of them had low and high use of mobile phone, respectively. Literacy level, annual income, cosmopoliteness, agricultural knowledge, aspiration, self-confidence and attitude towards technology of the farmers had significant positive relationships with their use of mobile phone. However, age of the mobile phone users had significant negative relationship while farm size and organizational participation of the farmers had no relationships with their use of mobile phone.

Keywords: Mobile phone, Input dealer, Farmer, Agricultural information, Use.

Location: Two unions under Mymensingh sader Upazila of Mymensingh district

Start Date: 12-09-2009

End Date: 15-10-2009

Program Area: Knowledge Management

Non-commodity: Adoption and mitigation technology, Dissemination

Objectives:

To assess the extent of use of mobile phone by the farmers in receiving agricultural information from the input dealers, to identify the extent of problems faced by the farmers in communicating through mobile phone with the input dealers and to explore the relationship of the selected characteristics of the farmers with their use of mobile phones in receiving agricultural information.

Methodology:

The study was conducted in Sadar Upazila (Sub-dstrict) of Mymensingh district. The mobile phone user farmers of six villages of boira and two villages of Bhabokhali union of the Sadar Upazila constituted the population of the study. The total number of the mobile phone user farmers in these eight villages was 305. About twenty five percent of the farmers were selected as samples following the simple random sampling method. Thus 76 farmers were selected as sample for the present study. Data were collected through pretested and predesigned personal interview schedule during 12 September to 15 October 2009. Use of mobile phone by the farmers in receiving agricultural information was the dependent variable. The extent of use of mobile phone was measured with there-point rating scale. Score assigned to each of the responses as 2 for regularly, 1 for occasionally and 0 for not at all. Thus the total possible score could range form 0 to 32, where ‘0’ indicated no use and ‘32’ indicates high use mobile phone in receiving agricultural information from the input dealers. On the other hand, use of mobile phone for each issue was calculated by using Mobile Phone Use Index (MPUI) and it was computed by using the following formula: MPUI = N_r × 2 + N_o × 1 + N_n ×0. Where, N_r = Number of farmers use mobile phone regularly N_o = Number of farmers use mobile phone occasionally N_n = Number of farmers never use mobile phone Thus, MPUI could vary form 0 to 152 where 0 indicates no use and 152 indicate regular use of mobile phone. Each issue was ranked according to obtained score. In order to measure the problems faced by the farmers in communicating with the input dealers a 4-point scale such as not at all, low, medium and high with a score of 0, 1, 2, and 3 respectively was used. The possible score of the respondents could range from 0 to 30 where 0 indicates that the respondent had no problem and 30 indicate his highest problem. For clear understanding of problems faced by the farmers in using mobile phone, rank order for each problem was computed by developing Problem Facing Index (PFI).

Source of Information: Bangladesh Journal of Extension Education, Volume 21, No. 1&2, 2009: 89-95 ISSN 1011-3916

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

On the basis of the findings the researcher drew the following conclusions: 1. More than half (54 percent) of the mobile phone user farmers had medium use of mobile phone while 31 percent had high and only 15 percent had low use of mobile phone in receiving agricultural information from the input dealers. Hence, it was concluded that still there is ample scope to increase the use of mobile phone by the farmers in receiving agricultural information not only from the various sources. 2. Cosmopoliteness helps an individual to collect new ideas and information through interactive communication media like mobile phone. In this study cosmopoliteness of the farmers had a positive significant relationship with their use of mobile phone. This implies that with the increase of cosmopoliteness, their use of mobile phones is also increased. 3. The farmers having more agricultural knowledge have received more agricultural information. A positive relationship between agricultural knowledge of the farmers and their use of mobile phone leads to the conclusion that use of mobile phone is helpful in increasing agricultural knowledge and vice-versa. 4. Aspiration and self-confidence of the farmers had significant positive relationships with their use of mobile phone in receiving agricultural information. Thus it may concluded that there is possibility of increasing farmers’ use of mobile phone in contacting with information sources if the arrangement are made to increase their aspirations and self- confidence though non-formal education or any other means. 5. Very recently some of the mobile phone companies have started communication of agricultural information to the farmers. This is an humble effort from their part. So, it can be said that proper use of mobile phone can be an appropriate means of getting agricultural information.

Knowledge Management: Journal