Information Sharing Strategies of Smallholder Farmers for Agricultural Systems in Katsina State

Abstract

This study indentified Smallholder Farmers' (SHF) information sharing strategies used for agricultural system. Two research questions and one hypothesis were developed to guide the study. Cross sectional survey design was adopted in which a total of seven hundred (700) smallholder farmers under registered cooperative associations from three agricultural zones of Katsina state formed the population. A total number of two hundred and eighty (280) respondents were randomly sampled using cluster sampling technique. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics in which the null hypothesis was tested using Pearson Product
Moment Correlation Coefficient (PPMCC). The analysis revealed that there was positive and strong correlation of about 50% in the variation of the level of information sharing strategies of farmers and types of information shared while the remaining percentage of the variation is being influenced by other factors. The findings show the overall strategies used by the farmers to share information for
their farming systems which includes; verbal communications, face-to-face interactions, farm visits, extension workers and phone calls. The findings also revealed that majority of SHFs in Katsina state share different types of information among themselves to solve problems related to their agricultural systems. The study recommends that government should design information sharing strategies with social media platforms to assist farmers with modern communication strategies that can complement the traditional strategies for effective information sharing among small holder farmers.