The Role of Information and Communication Technologies (Icts) Messaging in Agricultural Productivity in Kieni-west Sub-county, Nyeri in Kenya

Abstract

Many networks and media channels are used to distribute information to improve agricultural efficiency by reducing farming risks, getting higher yields, and improving people’s livelihoods. Some of the channels, among others, are field extension officers, farm field days where farmers are taught good agricultural practices, information kiosks, brochures, television and radio announcements (Olowu and Oyedokum, 2000). However, in the last few decades, authorities in communication have found that Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) — Information handling devices that are a collection of products, applications and services used to capture, store, manipulate, create, transmit and receive information — have enormous potential that can be harnessed to disrupt the movement of information within the agricultural sector for production and marketing. According to experts, ICTs could multiply smallholder productivity and incomes by enhancing on-farm and off-farm efficiencies. Easier access to information can increase output and input by farmers, leading to the expansion of their financial markets to different parts of the world. Coupled with workable amalgamation into the supply value chain, ICTs can fetch good selling prices for smallholder farmers, and consequently contributing to rural poverty reduction (Aker et al. 2016). Information and Communication Technology tools when properly used could be instrumental in giving agricultural practices new dimensions with the net effect of increasing economic and social development, and that is more relevant to developing countries where several challenges are faced by the farming community (Lee, Wall, and Kovacs (2015). This research has studied the role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) messaging in correlation to agricultural productivity among red bulb onion farmers in Kieni-West, Nyeri County in Kenya. It concludes that ICT messaging tools have great potential for the agricultural sector and could considerably improve farming activities. Knowing how different information and communication innovations for messaging could play a key role in accessing and using reliable information for agricultural operations for smallholder farmers of Kieni-West is critical. In addition, the study concludes that while the technological tools used in messaging are largely accessible in the dominant global economic languages such as the English language in a context where a large chunk of farmers can only fluently speak, read, and write in vernacular, there could be a serious language mismatch with considerable damage for the intended valuable purpose of their application that essentially is improving smallholder farming through faster and more efficient information dissemination.