Influence of Socioeconomic Characteristics on Purposes for which Mobile Phone was used by Small Scale Farmers in the Gezira State, Sudan

International Journal Of Agricultural Science, Research And Technology In Extension And Education Systems

مقاله 2، دوره 3، شماره 4، اسفند 2013، صفحه 181-184   

نویسندگان

Ahmed M. Abdel Rahman¹؛ Isam O. Fadol²

¹Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Gezira, Wad Medani, Sudan

²Faculty of Economics and Rural Development, University of Gezira, Wad Medani, Sudan

چکیده

The objective of this study was to assess the influence of some socioeconomic characteristics on purposes for which mobile phone was used by small scale farmers in the Gezira State, Sudan. The total number of small- scale farmers in the State for 2013-2014 growing season was estimated to be 5000. Ten percent of the population was used using the simple random sampling technique. The collected data were statistically analyzed and interpreted using percentage, frequency distribution and chi-square test. The results showed significant association between the age, education level and farm size of small scale farmers and their purposes for which mobile phone was used. It can be concluded that the relatively high cost of buying and use of mobile phones can negatively influence the frequency of contacts of small scale farmers particularly their use of mobile phones for agriculture services needed. In addition, the results of this study can help in improving the mobile telephone services which in turn may increase the success of agricultural development programmes in the State and the rest of the country. Thus, more efforts should be paid by mobile telephone service companies of Sudan to expand their services to provide services for all aspects of agricultural activities in the State and use more advanced technology in operating mobile telephone networks in order to reduce cost of buying and using mobile phones particularly for small scale farmers in the Gezira State and the rest of the country.

کلیدواژه‌ها

Mobile phones؛ Purpose of use؛ Small Scale farmers؛ Gezira State؛ Sudan

مراجع

1) Abdel Rahman, A. M. and Elhado, M. A. (2007). The role of rural telephone networks on rural development in Gezira State, Gezira. Journal of Agricultural Sciences. 5 (1):98-107.

2) Aker, Jenny C and Marcel, F. (2011). How does mobile phone coverage affect farm- gate prices: evidence from West Africa? Paper presented at the Allied Social Science Association meeting, Atlanta, GA, January 3–6, 2011.

3) Bryan, B., G. Robert and S. Chongchit. (1996). Village telephone socioeconomic impact and implication for rural future. A paper presented to the Six International Conference on Thai Studies, Chiang Mai, Thailand: pp14-17.

4) Dunombe, R. (2012). Understanding mobile phone impact on livelihoods in developing countries: A new research framework. Published by Centre for Development Informatics, Institute for Development Policy and Management, University of Manchester, UK: PP 1-37.

5) Mittal, S and Mamta, M. (2012). How mobile phones contribute to growth of small farmers, Evidence from India. Quarterly Journal of International Agriculture, 51 (3): 227-244.

6) Sife, A. S., Joyce, E. K and Lyimo-Macha, G. (2010). Contribution of mobile phones to rural livelihoods and poverty reduction in Morogoro region, Tazania. The Electronic Journal on Information Systems in Developing Countries, 42(3):1-15.

7) Tacchi, J., Slater, D and Hearn, G. (2003). Ethnographic action research. A user`s handbook. New Delhi, UNESCO.

8) Tettey, C. (2013). The use of the mobile phone in a farmer's business. International journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 3(9): 156-164.

9) Vanessa, G. (2006). The un-wired continent. Africa's mobile success story. A report published by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Geneva, Switzerland.

10)Vodafone report. (2011). Connected agriculture. The role of mobile in driving efficiency in the food and agriculture value chain, Available on the: http://www.accenture.com/sitecollectiondocuments/pdf/accenture-connected-agriculture.pdf