The effectiveness of mobile telephony SMS in agriculture extension information: the case of Soko+ SMS service in Sipili Olmoran ward in Laikipia County

Abstract

Mobile telephony has become an important Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tool used by farmers to access agriculture extension services in rural areas. With its widespread, SMS services should find more use as they offer easy accessibility.The use of mobile telephony SMS in accessing agriculture extension information is key yet factors that influence uptake by small scale farmers in rural areas is under researched considering the emergence of many innovations on mobile telephony that is geared towards supporting agriculture extension services. This study therefore seeks to find out the effectiveness of mobile telephony SMS in the uptake of agriculture extension information in Sipili Olmoran ward in Laikipia County basing on Soko+ SMS service as the case study. The study reviews factors that influenced uptake and rejection of SMS in delivery of agriculture extension information while also looking at existing agriculture extension information needs and information systems in Sipili Olmoran ward used by small scale farmers. The study is guided by Technology Acceptance Model theory. The study adopts case study research design. Target population was 310 farmers who were trained on Soko+ SMS where a sample of 20 percent of the farmers was involved in the study. The study also included agriculture extension officers and ALIN staffs. Questionnaires and key informant interviews were the main sources of primary data. Purposive sampling technique was used to select participants. Data was analyzed using charts, frequencies, percentages, descriptive statistics and chi squares generated by the use of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The study findings show that access to mobile phone, provision of relevant information, trainings, competition among information providers are critical factors for the uptake of agriculture extension information among small scale farmers. The conclusions could benefit ALIN and other development practitioners working with rural farmers to enhance delivery of such innovations for effective adoption and use. It also provides useful insights on the role of mobile telephony SMS services in agriculture extension information thus may be useful for academicians for further research