USING MOBILE PHONE FOR AGRICULTURAL INFORMATION DISSEMINATION BY FARMERS IN MASHONALAND WEST PROVINCE OF ZIMBABWE


 Benhildah Mabika, Glenrose V. Jiyane, Tinashe Mugwisi

DOI: 10.26480/bda.01.2025.10.19

ABSTRACT
Information is key in farming, as it plays an imperative role in improving agricultural production, thereby improving rural livelihoods for farming communities. Mobile phone (m-phone) service and technology is a useful tool used by agricultural stakeholders in the dissemination of agricultural information to farmers. This paper investigated how mobile phones are used to transmit agricultural information to farmers in Mashonaland West Province of Zimbabwe. The paper study used a quantitative research approach consisting of a questionnaire administered to 384 farmers and 13 network providers. SPSS and content analysis were used to analyse data collected following the three research objectives, that are, to assess the level of mobile phone access and the brands of mobile phone available among the Mashonaland West farmers, to identify how mobile phones can be used to meet the information needs of the farmers in Mashonaland West Province of Zimbabwe and to analyse the sources and channels of disseminating agricultural information available to farmers in Mashonaland West Province. Results indicate that majority 96% (369) of the farmers have access to a cell phone while 4% (15) mentioned that they had no access to a cell phone, most farmers are willing to receive agricultural information through their mobile phones. The results showed that most of the farmers 186 (48.4%) were not aware of the available mobile phone sources and channels of communicating agricultural information to farmers as 160 (41.7%) respondents aware of the Eco-farmer platform, 75 (19.5%) aware of Kurima Mari platforms and none aware of Esoko and e-Mkambo platforms. The results, therefore, indicate that although some farmers were aware of the available platforms like Eco-Farmer but were not using this platform to get agricultural information.

KEYWORDS
agricultural information, network providers, disseminating, communicating, Eco-Farmer