Farmers’ Use of Mobile Devices in Developing Countries

The introduction of mobile phone technology seems to have brought many benefits to many farmers, especially in developing countries, as it provides access relevant and reliable agricultural information to make more effective farming decisions. Many rural farmers face information asymmetry problems, which seem to emanate from pitfalls in the agriculture or farming extension services that could be solved through the use of mobile devices and technologies. To explore how farmers use mobile devices to access information to aid them in their agricultural practices, this study explored farmers use of mobile devices in the rural arears in Namibia, specifically, the Uukwiyu Uushona community in the Oshana Region for farming purposes. Applying a quantitative research method, data was collected from 140 participants using questionnaire. Thematic analyses to unearth trends were undertaken. The results show that farmers’ use of mobile devices adds value and economic benefits to their practices. The study further found that farmers use mobile devices to get up to date information on input and output market transactions, weather information, and banking services. Based on the findings that some of the information on mobile phones are complex and hence difficult to comprehend, it is recommended that mobile agricultural information service providers team up with information systems experts to develop mobile applications or USSD applications that provide agriculture information in its simplest and comprehensive form so as for most farmers if not all, with all kinds of mobile devices will to be able to access agriculture information. Having some of the mobile agricultural information in native or local languages will be helpful especially for the illiterate group of farmers. Considering that only scanty literature similar studies especially in rural Namibia exist, this study contributed to the body of knowledge of mobile device use by farmers in rural areas.