RP-Department of Library and Information Science

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Browsing RP-Department of Library and Information Science by Subject "Agricultural Productivity"

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    Implications of ICT Usage in Agricultural Extension Information Service Delivery in Tana River County, Kenya
    (Eastern Africa Journal of Contemporary Research (EAJCR), 2020) Gwademba, Goudian; Muthee, Daniel Wambiri; Wamae, Peter
    This study sought to establish the effects of ICT usage in agricultural extension information service delivery to farmers in Tana River County. Specifically, the study assessed the distribution of farmers across zones with varying ICT agricultural extension information services access within Tana River County; the nature and level of ICT agricultural extension information services accessed by farmers; and the extent to which agricultural production levels by farmers in Tana River County has been enhancement by access to ICT extension information services. The findings of this study indicate that a wide range of agricultural extension information services such as agricultural insurance, access to supplies credit and mobile banking as well as information on weather patterns, crop/livestock husbandry, markets, production forecasts and record keeping are effectively disseminated to farmers through ICT platforms such as cell phones, the internet, radio and television through customized messaging and this greatly empowers farmers to adopt better farming practices and improves agricultural productivity. It is recommended that agricultural extension officers should encourage and where possible facilitate more farmers to subscribe to ICT extension service platforms to enhance agricultural productivity. The findings of this study indicate that ICT tools such as cell phones, internet, radio and television, when properly applied in agricultural extension services, could greatly inform farming decisions and thereby enhance agricultural productivity. There is therefore need for agricultural extension officers to encourage and where possible facilitate more farmers to subscribe to ICT extension information services platforms to enhance agricultural productivity.
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    The Use of Agricultural Extension Information Services in enhancing Maize Productivity among Smallholder Farmers in Tana River County, Kenya
    (EAJCR, 2023) Gwademba, Goudian Kilemba; Wamae, Peter Wahome; Muthee, Daniel Wambiri; Masinde, Johnson Mulongo; Adam, Abu Ahmed
    Food security assessment reports have demonstrated that, most food insecure people live in rural areas, with no access to information and technology geared towards enhancing agricultural productivity. This suggests that agricultural information is relevant for agricultural productivity, especially for millions of smallholder farmers, who remain the bedrock for food supply chains in developing countries. This research was carried out with a purpose of evaluating the relationship between the Use of Agricultural Extension Information and Maize Productivity among smallholder farmers in Tana River County. The main objective of the study was to ascertain whether increased use of agricultural extension information correlated with increased maize productivity. The location of the study was Tana River County where a sample of 30 maize farming households was purposely chosen for the study. Data was captured using questionnaires and both qualitative and quantitative data was captured. The research took a correlational study design and through statistical analysis using the Pearson Correlation Coefficient (r) and the simple Linear Regression analysis the relationship between use of extension information services and maize agricultural productivity was evaluated. The research findings revealed that, there was a strong correlation (r=0.7) between use of agricultural extension information services and Maize productivity in Tana River County. The strong relationship was significant in qualifying the research hypothesis. The study also underscored the role of ICT in enhancing the effectiveness of agricultural extension information services and recommended the need to streamline agricultural extension service delivery to ensure seamless access to information. The study was significant in that, its findings are expected to enable agricultural stakeholders appreciate the role of extension information services in enhancing agricultural productivity, besides adding credibility to the agricultural extension information policy agenda for smallholder farmers all over the world.