Assessment of Information and Communication Technology Usage among Agricultural Extension Workers in South Western Nigeria

Abstract

The study assessed the usage of Information and Communication Technologies among agricultural extension workers in Southwestern Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling procedure was employed to select 120 extension workers for the study. Structured questionnaire was used to elicit information from the respondents. Data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics such as percentages, frequency counts, mean and ranking. In addition, inferential statistics such as Chi-Square and regression analysis were used to determine the relationship between the respondents' socio-economic characteristics, extension workers cadres, and the usage of ICTs. The results of the study showed that the mean age of extension workers was 44.7 years, and 73.3% were males while 26.7% were females. The average household size of the respondents was found to be 7, and majority (75%) of the respondents earned between ?450,000 and ?600, 000. The most frequently used ICTs were mobile phones (100.0%) and radio services (98.3%), while the sparingly used ICTs by the respondents were Ipads and Projector (6.7%). The results of the regression analysis shows that age and sex of the respondents were significant at 5%. In addition, educational status had positive and significant relationship with the usage of ICTs by the extension workers at 1%. The Chi-square analysis shows that cadres of extension workers (X2=6.78, P ≤ 0.05) had significant relationship with the ICTs' usage. It was therefore recommended that government should assist extension workers in acquisition of skills through training and re-training. In addition, efforts should be made by the government to ensure regular power supply to facilitate the usage of ICTs in the study area.