Availability and Use of Information and Communication Technology by Oil Palm Farmers in the Akyemansa District, Ghana

Abstract

The use of ICTs forms part of efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) especially ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promote life-long learning opportunities for all. In the agricultural sector, access to the right knowledge and information in a timely manner enhances agricultural production and thus increase food production. In Ghana, several studies have reported on the access and use of ICT tools by farmers in food crop and poultry sectors, however, much work has not been done in the tree crop sector, especially the oil palm subsector. This study sought to determine the availability and use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) by oil palm farmers in the Akyemansa District of Ghana. The primary data used in the study were collected through focus group discussions and structured questionnaires administered to 150 randomly selected oil palm farmers. Both descriptive and inferential statisticswere employed in analyzing the data. Results show that 99.00% of farmers have access to radio with very low availability and access to a computer. Chi-square test analysis showed that there was a significant difference p= (0.00 and 0.00) between farmers’ extent of access to ICTs and their use for oil palm production activities. However, there was no significant relationship p= (.8137, and .2233) between farmers extent of access to the mobile phone, radio and how often farmers used them for oil palm production. There is a need to improve organizational structures, technical and infrastructural facilities regarding ICT availability to allow more access to and use of these facilities.