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The article discusses Telecentres in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), highlighting their role in providing access to information and communication technology (ICT) in rural communities. It describes the services offered by Telecentres, such as internet access, computer services, and community radio. The article also mentions the positive impacts of Telecentres on social-economic development.

This study assessed use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) among Nsukka yellow pepper farmers in Enugu State, Nigeria. The specific objectives of the study were to: present some socio-economic characteristics of Nsukka Yellow Pepper farmers; evaluate the ICT use by the farmers; determine the types and frequency of use of various ICTs; and identify some challenges in the use of ICTs in the study area. Multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select two hundred Nsukka yellow pepper farmers. Data were collected using semi structured questionnaire and interview schedule and were subjected to descriptive and inferential statistics. The results of the analysis reveal that the average age of the farmers was 46 years. Majority (74.4%) of the respondents were females who were married and were all Christians. The major ICTs commonly used among the farmers were mobile phone, radio and television. 39.5% of respondents receive information at least 6-9 a week. Respondents in the area considered radio and mobile phone to be the most relevant sources of information ranking them 1st and 2nd respectively. Results of the analysis also show that their biggest challenge is inadequate resources to purchase ICT facilities followed by irregular power supply. In view of this result the researcher recommend that government should provide some incentives to these farmers to enable them acquire ICT gadgets to ease their sharing of information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was conducted using a multi-stage sampling technique involving simple random sampling, a probability sampling method, purposive sampling, and snowball sampling, which are non-probability methods. Two regions, namely, the Greater Accra and Eastern were purposively selected for the study. In the Greater Accra Region, Ada East District was selected while in the Eastern Region Asuogyaman District. In Greater Accra, the study was conducted in six farming villages namely: Big Ada, Dogo, Kasseh, Addokope, Korlekope, and Bedeku. In Eastern regions, the study was conducted in Asogyaman, where Tortibo, Sappor, Yenease, Adina Donor, and Ankyease. A snowball strategy was relied on in selecting small-scale farmers for the study. A total of 390 households, 130 from each district, were sampled randomly. The methodologies used for primary data were household surveys and Focus Group Discussion (FGD) while the instruments used were semi-structured pre-tested Interview Schedules and Checklist respectively. The study concludes that age has an effect on the attitude of small-scale farmers concerning their perceived use of ICT to improve their farming activities. The educational level of an individual plays a significant role in the acceptance and use of ICT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture has always been the backbone of the Indian economy, and the poultry industry is an essential part of it. In recent years, poultry farming has seen significant growth, particularly in the Namakkal district of Tamil Nadu. The purpose of this study is an investigation of information needs, information sources and information-seeking behaviour of Information (ISB) in Namakkal District. This study aims to explore the information needs, sources, and information-seeking behaviour of poultry farmers in the Namakkal district. The study will examine the types of information that farmers need, the sources they use to obtain this information, and their preferred methods of seeking information. A semi-structured questionnaire as well as personal interviews were used. The questionnaire was distributed to 110 farmers. 100 questionnaires have been returned from the respondents. The majority of respondents had above 15 years of work experience. The respondents were personally interviewed to assess their information needs, sources, and socio-economic and personal characteristics. Factor Analysis and Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences Software. The findings revealed that 91% of the respondents belonged to the male category, 75% of the farmers belonged to the above 50 age group and were educated up to School education and also this survey exposed that the majority of the respondents needed information about disease management and vaccination was the most needed area of communication, followed by protection, feeding/nutrition, shelter/housing, Etc. The respondents replied that most of the information is collected from the doctor and friends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global pandemic of Corona Virus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) has affected many sectors including small scale farming. This study assess the effect of Covid-19 in agriculture and identified Small Scale Farmers' (SSF) information sharing platforms and its efficiency level used for agricultural activities during the pandemic for the sustainability of human life and economic survival. Katsina state government has taken some measures that include luck down, restriction of movement, market closures, social distancing and self-isolation in majority of local government areas to stop the spread of the virus. Three research questions were developed to guide the study. Survey design was adopted and 700 small scale farmers in Katsina state were the target population. A total number of 280 respondents were randomly sampled using cluster sampling technique. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The medium and platforms used by farmers to share agricultural information include traditional and modern methods. During the Pandemic the finding revealed that farmers used modern methods which include; Agric Dealers, Facebook, WhatsApp, Phone calls and SMS plat forms. But prior to the pandemic, farmers mainly used traditional methods that include; farmers' association, farm visits, personal relationship, family house and market day plat forms to share their agricultural information. The study also recommends that Government and banks should provide non interest loans, financial support and free android phones that can be accessible to small scale farmers with less assessment criteria to invest in their farming to address COVID-19 challenges and improve agricultural knowledge sharing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assessed the influence of information sources on farmers' indigenous knowledge on soil fertility management in Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling technique was employed to select one hundred and eighty respondents and the instrument for data collection was the questionnaire. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics of simple frequency and percentage. The findings show that majority of the farmers sampled were female 57.2%, single 50.5%; and tertiary education 39.5%. The result on the sources of farmers' information about soil fertility management indicated that television was 31.7%, and social media accounted for 31.1% of the total respondents while extension agents accounted for 22.2%. Indigenous ways of determining soil fertility by respondents was by crop appearance 55.5% followed by 22.2% for soil color, whereas indigenous way of soil fertility management by respondents was shifting cultivation 22.2%. Information source highly influence indigenous soil fertility management. It is recommended that government should increase their support for agricultural extension services to fulfill their mandate of appropriate information dissemination to farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study intended to determine the channels of communication and media that the farmers are used to impart information with the application of emerging information and communication technologies, Data collected by the farmer’s needs of information in a pre tested semi structured questionnaire by using a Google form. This paper highlights the mechanism of gathering information in order to full fill their insistency towards agricultural purposes, however what are the problems have faced that also include here. Also explore the agricultural information literacy of the farmers in all over Assam and providing certain recommendations for the improvement of information literacy of the farmers. The perception of this study is to measure the orientation of information followed by farmers for the advancement of sustainable agricultural growth and socio-economic empowerment of the rural farming community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study investigates sustainable agricultural development and grassroots information provision: an appraisal of information needs of Adani rice farmers in Enugu State of Nigeria. It catalyzes to achieve the sustainable development goals 1 and 2 as projected in 2030. The study adopted a descriptive survey design with a population of 500 rice farmers from the three villages in Adani. Sixty (60) rice farmers were randomly selected from each of the three villages summing up a sample size of 180 respondents. Questionnaire and interview were used for data collection. Data collected were analyzed using frequency count and percentage. The findings of the study revealed that 46.7% of the respondents have no formal education. The study shows that Adani rice farmers need information on the use of fertilizers, and on the control of pests, diseases and weeds; but due to the absence of library/information centres, lack of extension officers, and high rate of illiteracy, these information needs are far from being met. However, the study recommends the need for improved level of education among the rice farmers, establishment of public library in the study area and a dire need for the state government and policymakers to give support in the provision of farm implements such as mechanized farm machines, storage facilities, and electricity for improved farming. Adhering to the recommendations will create an agreeable atmosphere for sustainable agricultural development in Adani and Enugu State at large as it will improve the socio-economic wellbeing and the standard of living of the people of Enugu State. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this world of information explosion, everyone engaged in different activities needs information of one kind or another. Information is available in different sources and in different formats. Indian economy is an agrarian economy. Farmers are demanding various information relevant to their occupation. Krishibhavan is a social institution that is established in panchayaths in Kerala state to satisfy the timely and precise need of farmers. This study is an attempt to investigate the awareness and use of krishibhavan services by the farmers of Ramanattukara panchayath in Kozhikode district, Kerala.90 farmers were selected for the study by using stratified random sampling technique. Majority of the farmers are aware of the krishibhavan and they are utilizing many of its services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was undertaken to describe the role played by Indigenous Knowledge (IK) (Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and Traditional Knowledge (TK)) of the local community farmers in Lindi and Mtwara regions and determine their overall perceptions on usefulness of IK in the pursuit of their farming activities. The study employed a mixed method approach (case study and cross sectional survey). It involved 230 respondents comprising 96 (41.7%) female and 134 (58.3%) males. The study found that many farmers possess an extensive indigenous knowledge on soil characteristics, cropping systems, land suitability for farming, preservation of planting materials, methods of crop planting, crop preservation after harvesting, plant pests, diseases, predators and their control and agro-biodiversity management around community surroundings. Moreover, 151 (65.7%) of the respondents reported that IK is sufficient for solving farming problems, 57 (24.8%) were not satisfied with existing IK in their communities, and 22 (9.6%) respondents did not have any opinion. Also, when asked to state their opinions on usefulness of IK in the management of agro-biodiversity, 212 (95.0%) said indigenous knowledge is useful and only 11 (5.0%) said it is not useful. It can therefore, be plausibly concluded that the communities know the benefit potentials of IK and indigenous agro-biodiversity knowledge for their survival. In view of the above, it is recommended that identification of IK types is important in determining and increasing understanding on what farmers know and how that knowledge can be located and used to add value to agricultural productivity. Agricultural development can be best achieved if researchers and extension officers are educated on the significance, complexity and usefulness of local knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can be used as a potential tool to develop rural India, but the awareness and positive attitude towards the facilities offered by it is a necessity to use it to the full potential. The study tries to analyze the awareness of farmers about the various ICT tools in agriculture. Survey using questionnaire was resorted to collect data from user group. The user group under consideration consists of farmers registered to four KrishiBhavans in Nedumangad block, Thiruvananthapuram District of Kerala. Farmers with more than 1 acre of land registered in KrishiBhavans in the four selected blocks were 1040. From them, a sample size of fifteen percentages (156) of farmers is selected. Data obtained through questionnaire was tabulated, analyzed and interpreted using Microsoft Office Excel 2010 and SPSS 20. Chi-square test was applied for finding significant association between the categorical variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study investigated the influence of socio-economic characteristicsof irrigation farmer's access to and utilization of agricultural information in North Western Nigeria. A questionnaire survey of 368 households in three (3) states in North Western Nigeria was used. The objectives of the study is: To identify the extent to which some socio-economic variables of irrigation farmers affects their utilization of agricultural information; to highlight how the socio-economic variables could help in determining the type of information needed. Using the Diffusion of Innovation paradigm of Rogers, multiple regression, correlation coefficient and Chi-square analysis, the results of the study suggest that age, sex, experience, educational status and belonging to farmers association have significant relationship on access to and utilization of agricultural information by the irrigation farmers. However, a critical gap still needs to be filled by the research extension services in combining the technical and socio-economics aspects of irrigation farming in order to boost the country's food production and food security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]