Agricultural development is a powerful tool for raising incomes for
deprived population in developing countries, such as Kenya and to support
livelihoods by ensuing food security. This has seen the agricultural sector
position itself as an engine for sustainable
development and economic growth in Kenya. However, the profile of the farming community in Kenya is mainly female smallholders who are illiterate and that practice traditional farming methods. Therefore, there is urgent need to examine
emerging digital tools that can support these farmers, and to adopt
these tools accordingly to meet their farming needs. In this regard, this paper
seeks to explore the willingness and ability of these smallholder farmers to
accept and adopt ICT-in-agriculture innovations towards supporting their farm
operations, improving their farm productivity, and providing readily and accessible market for their produce.
Specifically, this study identifies the factors that influence
smallholder farmers’ decision on ICT innovations adoption in agriculture, and
examines how these factors are perceived by smallholder farmers on adoption of
ICT innovations. The study was carried out in Siaya County, Kenya with sample
population of 100 smallholder farmers. A
simple random sampling was used, with questionnaires used to collect
data. The findings from this study indicatecost,
illiteracy, ICT skills, quality of the information and gender as some of the
key factors that influence smallholder farmers’ choice and decision on ICT-in
agriculture innovations to adopt.
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