Mobile technology, farmer education and performance of agricultural projects: A case of the digifarm sunflower project in Makueni County, Kenya.

Ronoh Juliet Jelimo, Augustine Mwangi Gatotoh, Japheth Ododa Origa

Abstract


Mobile technology in agriculture offers an effective and economical means of expanding knowledge sharing and exchange. The purpose of this study was, therefore, to establish the influence of mobile technology on the performance of agricultural projects in Makueni County, Kenya. Specifically, the study remit was mobile applications and mobile money transfers. This study adopted a mixed-methods approach to ensure a comprehensive assembly and triangulation of requisite data to respond to the survey objectives. The target population for this study was all sunflower farmers in Makueni County who subscribed to the DigiFarm platform. The sample size for this study was 208. The results were presented using descriptive statistics and correlations between the variables studied. Mobile applications presented weak positive correlations with the performance of agricultural projects, while Mobile money presented a strong positive correlation with agricultural projects.

Keywords


Mobile technology, mobile applications, digiFarm, agricultural outcomes

Full Text:

PDF

References


Aker, J.C.; Mbiti, I.S. Mobile phones and

economic development in Africa. J.

Econ. Perspect. 2010, 24, 207–232.

Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa

(AGRA) (2016) Progress Towards

Agricultural Transformation;

Alliance for a Green Revolution in

Africa (AGRA): Nairobi, Kenya, 2016;

pp. 105–124. [Google Scholar]

Annan, K.; Dryden, S.; Conway, G. (2016)

Digital Thinking to Transform

Africa’s Food System: Overcoming

Isolation, Speeding Up Change, and

Taking Success to Scale.; Available

online:

https://www.digitalgreen.org/wpcontent/uploads/2017/06/african_f

armers_in_the_digital_age.pdf

(accessed on 30 May 2018).

Ayoung, D. A., & Abbott, P. (2021).

Minding the design reality gap: an

empirical evaluation of telecentre

initiatives in rural Ghana. The

International Journal of Information,

Diversity, & Inclusion (IJIDI), 5(3),

-97.

Baumüller, H. (2017) Towards smart

farming? Mobile technology trends

and their potential for developing

country agriculture. In Handbook on

ICT in Developing Countries: 5 G

Perspective; Skouby, K.E., Williams,

I., Eds.; River Publishers: Delft, The

Netherlands, [Google Scholar]

Baumüller, H. (2018). The little we

know: an exploratory literature

review on the utility of mobile

phone‐enabled services for

smallholder farmers. Journal of

International Development, 30(1),

-154.

Dong, L. (2021). Toward resilient

agriculture value chains: challenges

and opportunities. Production and

Operations Management, 30(3),

-675.

Donner, J.; Escobari, M.X. (2010) A

review of evidence on mobile use by

micro and small enterprises in

developing countries. J. Int. Dev. , 22,

–658. [Google Scholar]

[CrossRef]

Doswell, Willa; Braxter, Betty; Cha,

EunSeok; Kim, Kevin (2011).

"Testing the Theory of Reasoned

Action in Explaining Sexual Behavior

among African American Young

Teen Girls". Journal of Pediatric

Nursing.

Gatotoh A.M, Gakuu C, M., Keiyoro, P, N,

(2017) Learner Attitude and

mLearning Adoption among

Community Health Care Trainees,

Kenya. International Journal of

Current Research, Vol. 9, Issue,11,

pp.60834- 60838, November 2017

Gatotoh A.M, Gakuu C, M., Keiyoro, P, N,

(2018) Learner self-efficacy and

mobile learning adoption among

community health trainees, Kenya.

International Journal of Science Arts

and Commerce, Vol. 3 No. 2,

February-2018 2

Jeehye, Kim, Shah, P., Gaskell, J. C., &

Prasann, A. (2020). Scaling up

disruptive agricultural technologies

in Africa. World Bank Publications

Jellason, N. P., Robinson, E. J., Chapman,

A. S., Neina, D., Devenish, A. J., Po, J.

Y., & Adolph, B. (2021). A systematic

review of drivers and constraints on

agricultural expansion in SubSaharan Africa. Land, 10(3), 332.

Kogo, B. K., Kumar, L., & Koech, R.

(2021). Climate change and variability in Kenya: a review of

impacts on agriculture and food

security. Environment,

Development, and Sustainability,

(1), 23-43

Krell, N. T., Giroux, S. A., Guido, Z.,

Hannah, C., Lopus, S. E., Caylor, K. K.,

& Evans, T. P. (2021). Smallholder

farmers' use of mobile phone

services in central Kenya. Climate

and Development, 13(3), 215-227.

Lwoga, E. T., Ngulube, P., & Stilwell, C.

(2010, April). The management of

indigenous knowledge with other

knowledge systems for agricultural

development: challenges and

opportunities for developing

countries. In Scientific and Technical

Information and Rural

Development–IAALD XIIIth World

Congress (pp. 26-29).

Makueni County Department of

Agriculture (March 28, 2019)

Makueni farmers to reap millions

from Sunflower growing Retrieved

from

https://www.makueni.go.ke/depart

ments/agriculture/makuenifarmers-to-reap-millions-fromsunflower-growing/

Mendes, J., Pinho, T. M., Neves dos

Santos, F., Sousa, J. J., Peres, E.,

Boaventura-Cunha, J., Cunha, M., et

al. (2020). Smartphone Applications

Targeting Precision Agriculture

Practices—A Systematic Review.

Agronomy, 10(6), 855. MDPI AG.

Retrieved from

http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/agronom

y10060855

Michels, M., Fecke, W., Feil, JH. et al.

(2020) Smartphone adoption and

use in agriculture: empirical

evidence from Germany. Precision

Agric 21, 403–425 (2020).

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11119-

-09675-5

Mottaleb, K. A. (2018). Perception and

adoption of new agricultural

technology: Evidence from a

developing country. Technology in

society, 55, 126-135.

Mutinda, Celestine Mutheu, Gatotoh,

Augustine Mwangi, Keiyoro, Peter

Njenga, (2019). “Attitudinal and

Technological Determinants of iTax

system acceptance: The case of

Kenya Revenue Authority”,

International Journal of Current

Research, 11, (03), 2259-2262

Nyasimi, M., Kimeli, P., Sayula, G.,

Radeny, M., Kinyangi, J., & Mungai, C.

(2017). Adoption and dissemination

pathways for climate-smart

agriculture technologies and

practices for climate-resilient

livelihoods in Lushoto, Northeast

Tanzania. Climate, 5(3), 63.

Park, E., & Pobil, A.P. (2013). Technology

Acceptance Model for the Use of

Tablet PCs. Wireless Personal

Communications, 73, 1561-1572.

Simiyu, N. R. (2018). Project

management practices and

performance of agricultural projects

by community-based organizations

in Bungoma county, Kenya (Doctoral

dissertation, Doctoral dissertation,

Kenyatta University).

World Bank (2008). Agricultural

Innovation Systems; From

Diagnostics towards Operational

Practices. Agriculture and Rural

Development Discussion Paper No.


Article Metrics

Abstract has been read : 129 times
PDF file viewed/downloaded: 0 times


DOI: http://doi.org/10.25273/she.v5i1.19214

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2024 Social Sciences, Humanities and Education Journal (SHE Journal)

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.


SHE Journal managed and published by Universitas PGRI Madiun (UNIPMA), Indonesia

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

 

View My Stats