ACCESS AND USE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES (ICTs) BY RURAL WOMEN FARMERS IN ANAMBRA STATE, NIGERIA

The study examined access and use of Information and Communication Technologies by rural women farmers in Anambra State, Nigeria with specific focus on describing socio-economic characteristics of women farmers in the study area; identifying type of ICTs available to women farmers in the study area; determining factors influencing access to ICTs by the rural women farmers in the study area; determining factors influencing use of ICTs by the rural women farmers in the study area and identifying constraints militating against access and use of ICTs by women farmers in the study area. Purposive and multistage random sampling techniques were used to select 280 women farmers as respondents from whom information and data were elicited using semi structured and pretested questionnaire. Analysis of data was done using probit model. Results revealed that education level, farm income and computer literacy were positive significant determinants of women farmers access to ICTS, while age, marital status, years of farming experience and education where positive significant determinants of women farmers use of ICTS. It is therefore recommended that agricultural policy makers should come up with policies and strategies that would facilitate the harnessing of new ICTs by women farmers to improve their access to agricultural information. In this regards government should ensure that electricity supply is regular in rural areas.