Omeima Khalid(1)*, Taha Mohamed(1)and Saifeldin Ibrahim(1)
(1). Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, College of Agricultural Studies, Sudan University of science and Technology; Khartoum North; Sudan.
(*Corresponding Author: Dr. Omeima Khalid, E-mail: omeimaKhalid@gmail.com,).
Received:3/04/2023 Accepted:23/10/2023
Abstract:
The research aimed to know the use of mobile phones by extension workers in conveying information to farmers in Khartoum State, by identifying some functional characteristics and measuring the use of mobile phones by agricultural extension workers in the process of disseminating agricultural information. To achieve the previous objectives, the research relied on the descriptive analytical method. A comprehensive survey was conducted of all agricultural extension workers, numbering (49) extension workers. The primary data collection was based on a questionnaire sheet, interviews and observation. As for secondary data, it came from references, reports, previous studies and the Internet. The data was entered into the computer and analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) program in order to reach the frequency distribution and percentages of the data, and use the Chi-square test and correlation to test the relationship between the research variables. The research reached many results, including: 75.5% of the respondents specialized in agricultural extension and rural development, 40.8% of the respondents sometimes use mobile phones, and 65.4% of the extension workers deliver information about technologies using phone calls and text messages. There is no significant relationship statistics between the specialization of extension workers and the reasons for using the mobile phone, and the absence of a moral relationship with statistical significance between the reasons for using the mobile phone and the information that was sent to farmers to learn about them via the mobile phone. The research came out with the following recommendations: The Technology and Extension Organization should provide training courses related to the use of mobile phones for extension workers and farmers. Extensors should strive to develop themselves in making optimal use of the mobile phone to contact farmers on a permanent and ongoing basis in order to provide information about technologies and address the problems they face.
Key word: Agricultural Extension, Agricultural Extension Worker, Information Communication Technologies.
Full paper in Arabic: pdf