Effectiveness of Using ICT Tools for Disseminating Rice Production Information among the Farmers of Bangladesh
Md. Sazzadur Rahman
Department of Agricultural Extension and Information System, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka-1207, Bangladesh.
Md. Sekender Ali
Department of Agricultural Extension and Information System, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka-1207, Bangladesh.
Md. Mahbubul Alam
Department of Agricultural Extension and Information System, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka-1207, Bangladesh.
Muhammad Humayun Kabir *
Department of Agricultural Extension and Information System, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka-1207, Bangladesh.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of using ICT tools for disseminating rice production information, to compare among the ICT tools and to explore the contribution of the selected characteristics of the farmers to their use of ICT tools. Data were collected from 340 rice farmers from a population of 2988 from four (4) selected upazillas of Bangladesh. Findings revealed that half of the farmers (50%) perceived moderate effective while 46.5 % and 3.5 % perceived high and low effectiveness of the ICT tools for disseminating rice production information. Based on the descending order of Standardized Effectiveness Index (SEIty) among the ICT tools ‘call center’ ranked first followed by ‘social media’, ‘mobile application’ and ‘internet browsing’. The multiple regression analysis showed that ICT using experience, ICT contact, knowledge of using ICT tools, and attitude towards using ICT tools had significant positive contribution to their perceived effectiveness of using ICT tools for dissemination rice production information. The findings may contribute in policy formulation for improving agricultural extension services and promoting digital agriculture in Bangladesh.
Keywords: Effectiveness, ICT tools, technology diffusion, rice cultivation, effectiveness index