1. The Adoption and Use of ICT by Small Scale
Farmers in Gezira State, Sudan
Nada Siddig Abdallah Musa and Jason Githeko

2. Introduction
• It is thought that Information and Communication
Technology (ICT) (radio, TV, mobile phone and Internet)
can be applied to narrow the gap between researchers
and farmers by providing channels to convey information
between researchers, extension agents and farmers.
• Several trials of such use of ICT have been conducted
worldwide (Nyirenda-Jere, 2010).
• In Sudan little is known about the interaction of ICT use
and flow of agricultural information linking farmers,
extension agents and researchers.

3. Study Objectives
• The study reported here set out to ascertain how cultural,
socio-economic factors influence the adoption and use of
ICT by farmers for accessing agricultural information.
Additionally,
• The study was intended to help identify the challenges of
ICT use and adoption among farmers.

4. Methodology
• A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted in
2010 with a sample of 120 farmers using proportionate
stratified sampling.
• The key data collection instrument was a self-designed
questionnaire.
• The instrument was in English but required to be
translated in the field because the farmers spoke
Arabic.
• 30 researchers from the Gezira Research Station and
Ministry of Agriculture were surveyed about farmers’
adoption and use of ICT.
• The researchers included plant scientists,
entomologists, agricultural engineers and agricultural
extension officers

5. The study Area
N
Legend
Gezira Stat
Gezira Boundary

6. Results and Discussion
Education Levels of the Farmers
• The vast majority (93.3%) of the respondents were
literate based on:
Items Frequency Percent
No formal education 8 6.7
Adult literacy education 6 5.0
Primary school 41 34.2
Secondary school 36 30.0
Post-secondary school 29 24.1
Total 120 100.0

7. Age of Farmers
• the majority (61%) of the farmers were 50 years and
below
Age of farmers Frequency Percent
20-35 years 32 26.7
36-50 years 41 34.2
51-65 years 38 31.7
66-80 years 9 7.4
Total 120 100.0

8. Experience in Agriculture
Years of experience Frequency Percent
Less than 5 years 7 5.8
5- 10 years 26 21.7
More than 10 years 87 72.5
Total 120 100.0

9. ICT Used by Farmers in Gezira
State

10. ICT Used by Farmers in Gezira
State
• Others: print media, friends, neighbours,
agrochemical companies, research stations and
extension officers.

11. ICT Adoption Challenges
• Four categories of challenges were investigated:
• Socio-economic factors,
• Cultural factors,
• Technical factors and
• Infrastructural support.

12. Socio-economic Factors
A chi-square cross-tabulation was carried out between
the various ICT and the socio-economic factors
Socio
economic
ICT
Radio TV Internet Mobile Phone Print Media Total
Factors
Co % Co % Co % Co % Co % Co %
Education 6 20.0 2 6.7 0 0.0 1 3.3 1 3.3 10 33.3
Level
Income 0 0.0 2 6.7 1 3.3 0 0.0 5 16.7 8 26.7
Farm Size 1 3.3 3 10.0 0 0.0 2 6.7 0 0.0 6 20.0
Gender 3 10.0 1 3.3 0 0.0 1 3.3 1 3.3 6 20.0
Total 10 33.3 8 26.7 1 3.3 4 13.3 7 23.3 30 100.
0

13. Cultural Factors
A chi-square cross-tabulation was carried out between the
various ICT and the cultural factors
cultural ICT
Factors Radio TV Internet Mobile Print Total
Phone Media
Co % Co % Co % Co % Co % Co %
Beliefs 4 13.3 4 13.3 0 0.0 0 0.0 2 6.7 10 33.3
Political & 5 16.7 0 0.0 1 3.3 4 13.3 5 16.7 15 50.0
Intuitional
leadership
Laws 1 3.3 4 13.3 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 5 16.7
Total 10 33.3 8 26.7 1 3.3 4 13.3 7 23.3 30 100.0

14. Technical Factors
A chi-square cross-tabulation was carried out between the
various ICT and the technical factors
Technical ICT
Factors Radio TV Internet Mobile Print Total
Phone Media
Co % Co % Co % Co % Co % Co %
Skilled staff 3 10.0 5 16.7 0 0.0 1 3.3 2 6.7 11 36.7
and
technician
ICT centres 4 13.3 0 0.0 0 0.0 3 10.0 1 3.3 8 26.7
Disseminatio 3 10.0 2 6.7 0 0.0 0 0.0 1 3.3 6 20.0
n methods
Packaging of 0 0.0 1 3.3 1 3.3 0 0.0 3 10.0 5 16.7
information
Total 10 33.3 8 26.7 1 3.3 4 13.3 7 23.3 30 100.0

15. Infrastructural Support
• It was found that 50.8% of farmers have little or no access
to electricity (grid or solar) making it difficult to use ICT such
as TV that cannot easily run on batteries.
• Similar figures were obtained for access to roads with
54.2% of the farmers indicating that there is little or no road
infrastructure in the places they lived.
• With regard to telecommunications infrastructure, 30.8%
reported little or no infrastructure indicating relatively good
coverage of the target population.

16. Conclusions
• In this survey was found that while the uptake of
older ICT such as radio and TV was relatively
established at 21.9% and 14% respectively
newer ICT were less used with only 3.3% using
the Internet.
• Some of the reasons for lower adoption of the
newer ICT were identified as:
– high cost relative to farmer income.
– limited availability.
– little localised content.
– cultural inertia.

17. Conclusions
• Although more than 90% of farmers were literate
yet the researchers who were surveyed rated
low education levels as the key barrier to
adoption of ICT by farmers.
• The scarcity of skilled staff and technicians in
the research institutions was additionally rated
as a key hurdle as was shortage of electricity.

18. Recommendations
• It is recommended that key interventions to
improve ICT adoption and use include:
 Awareness campaigns to counteract cultural inertia.
 Improve ICT skills of research staff and related
technical staff.
 Provide more localised content relevant to farmers.
 Reduce the relative cost of the newer ICT especially the
Internet.
 Improve rural infrastructure especially provision of
electricity.

19. Further research
• Further research is needed on issues such as:
• The role of gender,
• Culture and politics on ICT adoption.
• Similarly, the capability of research institutions to provide
appropriate localised content is an issue that requires
further research.