E-Agriculture Platform: Accessibility and Effect on Agrarian Communities' Livelihoods in Ogun State Nigeria

E-Agriculture Platform: Accessibility and Effect on Agrarian Communities' Livelihoods in Ogun State Nigeria

A. K. Aromolaran, S. N. Atata, R. A. Abubakar, Hannah A. Atere
Copyright: © 2020 |Pages: 16
DOI: 10.4018/IJTHI.2020100106
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Abstract

The study examined accessibility and effect of e-agriculture on the livelihoods of the farming households using quantitative methodology. Farmers that have used e-agriculture components in their livelihoods were interviewed. Results showed that users had a great access to e-agriculture components and it has a positive effect. Access to e-agriculture platform increases market coverage for the sales, thereby doubling their income. The e-wallet was used to purchase inputs directly from companies and deposit money via e-transaction. The e-agriculture platform facilitates easy and fast communication with extension agents and fellow farmers. In order to operate the platform effectively, poor electric power supply and network connectivity must be resolved. The concept of e-agriculture aids the transformation of agriculture production by providing a platform to obtain information and market links to dispose produces which prevent postharvest losses and enhance profit margin. The impact of e-agriculture in the livelihoods of rural people, largely depends on their accessibility to the platform.
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Introduction

The world is becoming a global community where many countries are connected to share experiences and knowledge about global issues. This was made possible by the access to the internet and other Information Communication Technology facilities. The connection, access and sharing of idea discourage working in isolation in many countries especially on the issues that are of global concern. The role of ICT in the development of the nations cannot be ignored, the significant effects of it can be seen in all aspect of life. Phojola (2002) opined that the key factor driving economic growth in the industrial society is ICT which is the current symbol of the technological revolution. Kraemer and Dedrick (2001) pointed out that ICT has a significant influence on the growth of the economy of both the developed and developing countries. The use of ICT and production quality are the most important factors in US economic growth in the 1990s and it also boosts growth in Finland from 0.3% to 0.7% between the early and late 1990s (Jalava & Pohjola 2000). In European countries such as the United States, Canada, and Japan, the contribution of ICT to economic growth during 1990–1996 is about 0.17–0.29%. (Schreyer, 2000). Ahmed and Ridzuan (2013) opined that ICT played an important role as engine of growth for sustainable development in these Asia countries Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Japan, Korea and China, knowledge sharing, especially in the area of ICT, could widen the cooperation with China, Japan and Korea because it has a significant positive effect on their GDP.

Lee et al (2005) opine that there is a substantial effect of ICT on the economic growth of many developed and Newly Industrialized Economies (NIEs), but that is not the case most developing countries. In Africa, agriculture provides a livelihood for almost 80 per cent of the people living in rural areas, and the area is characterized by the low incomes and low productivity of agriculture (Asenso-Okyere et al., 2012). An attempt to increase the income of rural communities in Africa will require a serious attention that can transform the agricultural sector, one of the strategies that can be used is the access to the internet which links people several sources of information, innovation and technologies. The extensive use of the internet in sourcing and disseminating of innovation aid in obtaining of new idea and practices that can transform agriculture from different countries of the world, (Aromolaran et al., 2016). ICT in agriculture otherwise known as e-agriculture was recently introduced in the rural domain, it is a new approach which emphasizes the use of ICT applications to harness agricultural activities in order to enhance productivity. Adhau (2010) argues that e-agriculture is today affecting all the spheres of human life and this strategy can help to design a cost-effective system to provide expert advice to the farmers. A study conducted by Epstein, (2008) found that the majority of farmers in Kenya are not able to sell their produce at a market price due to lack of sufficient information available. This is the situation in most African countries but with the e-agriculture platform, such challenges in agriculture can be resolved.

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