Adoption of social media-based smart farming innovations among extension agents in south-south Nigeria: Implications for agricultural technology dissemination

Abstract

The persistent underutilization of social media-based smart farming innovations by Extension Agents in South-South Nigeria limits the region’s potential for effective agricultural technology dissemination. This study aimed to assess the adoption and perceived effectiveness of such tools among extension personnel and to identify the factors influencing their uptake. A multistage sampling technique was used to select 180 agricultural extension agents across Akwa Ibom, Cross River and Rivers States. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and analyzed with descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis. Results showed that WhatsApp had the highest adoption rate (90%), followed by YouTube (57.8%) and Facebook (53.9%). Overall, 46.7% of agents demonstrated moderate adoption of social media tools, while 63.3% perceived them as highly effective for agricultural technology dissemination. Regression analysis revealed that adoption was significantly influenced by age (β = -0.112, p = 0.037), educational qualification (β = 0.186, p = 0.002), years of experience (β = 0.203, p = 0.001), access to internet-enabled devices (β = 0.210, p = 0.001), frequency of social media use (β = 0.222, p = 0.001) and ICT training (β = 0.134, p = 0.029). The study concludes that while social media platforms, especially WhatsApp, Facebook and YouTube, are recognized as effective, their adoption remains uneven due to infrastructural and capacity-related
constraints. It is recommended that targeted ICT training, improved digital infrastructure, gender-inclusive policies and localized content development be prioritized to enhance social media integration into agricultural extension services.