Social Network Analysis of Information Exchange among Beekeepers in Oyo State, Nigeria

Abstract

Information sharing and exchange are significantly influenced by social network that exist among people. Therefore, the study analysed the social network facilitating information exchange among beekeepers in Oyo State, Nigeria. The study assessed the attributes of the beekeepers, determined ego-centric and socio-centric network structures and identified dominant information topics exchanged within beekeepers’ networks. Data were collected through a structured interview schedule. Census technique was used to 235 active beekeepers across all the seven zones in the State. Findings revealed that beekeepers’ association was dominated by small-holder beekeepers. Ego-centric analysis showed that only one individual recorded a betweenness-centrality score of 1.0 across all zones, indicating strong influence within the network. Socio-centric analysis showed low graph densities across zones: Oke-Ogun I (0.02), Oke-Ogun II (0.05), Ogbomoso (0.09), Ibarapa (0.08), Oyo (0.07), and Ibadan (0.04), suggesting weak interconnectedness and reliance on diverse information sources. Security issues (43.7%) and management practices (25.7%) were the major discussion topics. The study recommends that extension services should engage network stars for information dissemination and provide capacity-building training to sustain network effectiveness.