Using Information and Communication Technology in Promoting Access to Information Needs of Poultry Farmers in Nigeria: A Case Study of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Umuahia, Nigeria.

Abstract

This paper discussed how Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) can enhance access to agricultural information needed for promoting poultry farming in Nigeria. Specifically, the study assessed the roles played by the library of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Umuahia, Nigeria in meeting the information needs of poultry farmers with the aid of ICTs. The University was purposively chosen for this study because of its strategic and vantage position in the entire South East region of Nigeria and it also has adequate rural ICT infrastructure including a tele-centre where farmers, extension officers and agricultural researchers interact and share knowledge about latest agricultural research outputs. Various techniques were adopted in data collection for this study. Primary data was collected through interviews and questionnaire. Interviews were used to collect data from the farmer. A total of twenty-six (26) randomly selected poultry farmers were sampled and interviews conducted on them. Questionnaire was used to collect data from twenty (20) University library staff. Observation technique was used to collect data at the tele-centre. Documentary review of some previous studies on ICTs and agricultural information in Nigeria was done for secondary data collection. For the data analysis, simple descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentage were used. Findings of the study show that computers/internet, radio, television, and mobile phones have potentials of...