Impact of ICT Usage on Success/Failure of Youth-Led Agribusiness Activities in Different Agricultural Value Chains in Southeast Nigeria
Abstract
The emergence of computer and internet based ICT platforms offers an agricultural commodity exchange platform. The use of ICTs has consistently advanced over the last ten years and the number of people connected to the Internet via fixed or mobile devices is increasing rapidly with African farmers, especially the youth, not been left out of this ICT explosion. This study examined the impact of ICT usage on success/failure of youth-led (young men and women) agribusiness activities in different agricultural value chains. The respondent involved all youth-led (young men and women) agribusiness entrepreneur in the south east that are involved in agricultural value chains. Three hundred and sixty (360) youth-led agribusiness entrepreneurs were studied with the use of multi-stage and simple random techniques. Primary data were collected with the use of a well-structured questionnaire through the aid of enumerators while descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation and graphs) and inferential statistics (OLS regression) were used for data analysis. The result show that mobile phone (88.89%), internet (58.33%), radio (52.22%), computer (55.56%), social media (66.67%), facebook (58.33%) and Youtube/online videos (58.33%) were the most commonly used ICT tools in agriculture. Youth participation in agricultural value-chain activities is a high yielding venture as the average revenue, cost and return for youth in different value chain activities were N486,203.61, N166,433.33 and N319,770.3. OLS estimate on effect of ICT usage on success/failure shows that mobile Phones (1%), Blogs and website used (1%) and used of camera (1%) were significant and positively related to performance of youth in the area while the coeficient of cost of data was statistically significant at 1% level but negatively related to perfromance of youth in the area participation in agricultural value-chain. The study recommends that Government should provide adequate fund for youth-led (young men and women) agribusiness activities to enable it procure necessary relevant ICT facilities. Also Youth should engage themselves in continuous training in ICT facilities.
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