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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.
Sec. Social Movements, Institutions and Governance
Volume 8 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fsufs.2024.1455037

Sources and Intensity of Access to Agricultural Information technologies by Smallholder Farmers: Evidence from Northwest Ethiopia

Provisionally accepted
Zebenay Shitaye Zebenay Shitaye 1*Bamlaku Tadesse Bamlaku Tadesse 2Koyachew Enkuhane Koyachew Enkuhane 3
  • 1 Debre Markos University, Debre Marqos, Ethiopia
  • 2 Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
  • 3 Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Amhara Region, Ethiopia

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Agriculture is a key sector in many African economies, making access to accurate agricultural information vital for boosting productivity. This study investigated the factors influencing smallholder farmers' access to agricultural information in the East Gojjam zone of Amhara, Ethiopia. A cross-sectional survey of 403 households was conducted, and data were analyzed using Stata software with the Ordered Probit model. The study found that farmers' access to agricultural information is significantly influenced by factors such as experience, exposure to electronic and printed media, farm size, access to extension services, input availability, market distance, proximity to development centers, and participation in Farmer Training Centers (FTC). Major constraints to information access included inadequate government policies, insufficient extension services, limited information sources, poor infrastructure, network issues, and a lack of effective knowledge exchange. The study recommends that smallholder farmers increase exposure to various media channels and participate in FTC programs. Additionally, the Ethiopian government should prioritize infrastructure improvements (mobile networks, roads, and electricity), expand extension services, and diversify information sources to improve farmers' access to relevant agricultural knowledge. Addressing these barriers will help enhance agricultural productivity in the study area.

    Keywords: Access to Information, Agriculture, Farmers, Ordered probit model, Households

    Received: 19 Jul 2024; Accepted: 12 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Shitaye, Tadesse and Enkuhane. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Zebenay Shitaye, Debre Markos University, Debre Marqos, Ethiopia

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.