ICT education and determinants of acceptance amongst smallholder farmers in Mbombela, South Africa.

Abstract

The study was carried out in Mbombela District, Mpumalanga, South Africa. The study aimed to assess selected farmers' acceptance of information and communication technology (ICTs). The study used a quantitative approach. Probability sampling was used as a quantitative approach. Random sampling was used, and 285 samples were sampled from a sampling frame of 380 farmers in the study area. Structured and semi-structured questionnaires were used to elicit necessary information from respondents, while focus group discussions were employed to validate in-depth responses. The binary logistics regression was used to determine significant variables that influence the acceptance of ICT. The results showed that the most accessible ICT tools to farmers were radio, mobile phones, and television. However, contemporary ICT tools such as the internet and flash drives were rarely accessible to the respondents. The study also found that demographic variables such as age (P 0.000), level of education (P 0.020), household size (P 0.053), ICT support (P 0.014) and extension services ( P 0.019) were the explanatory variables that affect the acceptance of ICT. Logistics regression results reveal that some variables were significant and positively related to the acceptance of ICT. The paper concludes that the effective application of ICT provides farmers with greater access to information and knowledge, which helps improve their production process.