Attitude, knowledge and constraints associated with the use of mobile phone applications by farmers in North West Nigeria

The evolution of mobile phone applications has opened up a platform for easy and real time dissemination and exchange of agricultural information among agricultural extension officers, farmers, agricultural institutions and non-governmental institutions. This study examined attitude, knowledge and constraint associated with the use of mobile phone apps by farmers in North West region of Nigeria. A descriptive survey design was adopted; data collection tool was pre-tested and administered as interview schedule to randomly sampled farmers. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and correlation. The findings showed that farmers have positive attitude towards mobile phone applications, and knowledgeable of simple phone operation techniques. The constraints to the use of mobile phone applications are high cost of phones, poor network, poor power supply, high cost of airtime and complexity in operating phones. This study recommends training and re-retraining of farmers and extension agents on the use of mobile phone apps for effective information sharing among farmers in the region.