Authors : Mugejjera Emmanuel; Eddie Sengendo; Francis Zziwa; Ben Kerry Mawejje; Maloba Gorett Nabwire

Volume/Issue : Volume 9 - 2024, Issue 5 - May

Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/yd3fn9ne

Scribd : https://tinyurl.com/4d9vyca8

DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/IJISRT24MAY1177

Note : A published paper may take 4-5 working days from the publication date to appear in PlumX Metrics, Semantic Scholar, and ResearchGate.

Abstract : The article discusses the potential of social media as a tool for agricultural extension in Uganda. The authors argue that social media platforms, such as Facebook, X formerly Twitter, WhatsApp, and YouTube, offer a range of opportunities for communication, information sharing, and collaboration among farmers. The study is guided by the Media Richness Theory, which asserts that channels of information based on technology are more effective for transmitting text than other media. The article highlights the challenges faced by traditional extension approaches in reaching remote areas and delivering timely and personalized advice, and suggests that social media can help overcome these challenges. Despite the potential benefits, the authors note that there is limited research on how social media can be effectively utilized for agricultural extension purposes in Uganda. The article concludes by emphasizing the need for agricultural extension workers to utilize social media to engage farmers and improve the effectiveness of agricultural extension services.

Keywords : Social Media, Text Mining, Agriculture Extension, Business Intelligence, Data Mining.

References :

1. Abate, T., Shiferaw, B., Menkir, A., Wegary, D., & Kebede, Y. (2015). Factors that transformed maize productivity in Ethiopia. 965–981. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-015-0488-z
2. Alhassan, Y. J., Muhammad, A. M., & Chari, A. D. (2023). Social media usage and agricultural extension service delivery: Implications for effectiveness in Northwest Nigeria. Discoveries in Agriculture and Food Sciences, 10(5), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.14738/dafs.105.13870
3. Anderson, J., Learch, C. E., & Gardner, S. T. (2016). National Survey and Segmentation of Smallholder Households in Bangladesh: Understanding Their Demand for Financial, agricultural and digital solutions. CGAP Working Paper, April, 101.
4. Ankita, Verma, V., & Rani, E. (2023). Role of social media in extension: A review. International Journal of Humanities Social Science and Management (IJHSSM), 3(3), 7–17. www.ijhssm.org
5. Ashraf, E., Junaid, M., Baig, M. B., & Shurjeel, K. (2020). An Assessment of In-service Training Needs for Agricultural Extension Field Staff in the Scenario of Climate Change using Borich Needs Assessment Model. May.
6. Bachmann, L., Kersting, D., & Kiguli, D. (2017). Sustainable Agriculture Key to Inclusive Rural Transformation.
7. Barau, A. A., & Afrad, M. S. I. (2017). An overview of social media use in agricultural extension service delivery. Journal of Agricultural Informatics, 8(3), 50–61. https://doi.org/10.17700/jai.2017.8.3.395
8. Barihaihi, M., & Mwanzia, J. (2017). Enhancing Farmers ’ Resilience and Adaptive Capacity Through Access to Usable Weather Information : A Case Study from Uganda. 617–627. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49520-0
9. Belay, A., Recha, J. W., Woldeamanuel, T., & Morton, J. F. (2017). Smallholder farmers ’ adaptation to climate change and determinants of their adaptation decisions in the Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia. Agriculture & Food Security, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40066-017-0100-1
10. Byamugisha, H. M., Ikoja-odongo, R., Nasinyama, G. W., & Lwasa, S. (2008). Information Seeking and Use among Urban Farmers in Kampala District, Uganda. WORLD CONFERENCE ON AGRICULTURAL INFORMATION AND IT, 571–582.
11. Byomire, G., Namisango, F., & Kafuko, M. M. (2016). Use of Social Media to strengthen Service Delivery for Urban Agriculture in Uganda. 2016 IST-Africa Conference, IST-Africa 2016, May. https://doi.org/10.1109/ISTAFRICA.2016.7530594
12. Coursera. (2023). What is unstructured data? Coursera. https://www.coursera.org/articles/what-is-unstructured-data
13. Daigle, K., & Heiss, S. N. (2021). Perceptions of social media use among U.S. women farmers. Journal of Applied Communications, 105(1). https://doi.org/10.4148/1051-0834.2346%0A
14. Deichmann, U., Goyal, A., & Mishra, D. (2016). Will digital technologies transform agriculture in developing countries? Agricultural Economics (United Kingdom), 47(May), 21–33. https://doi.org/10.1111/agec.12300
15. Elias, A., Nohmi, M., Yasunobu, K., & Ishida, A. (2015). Farmers ’ Satisfaction with Agricultural Extension Service and Its Influencing Factors : A Case Study in North West Ethiopia. 18, 39–53.
16. Freeman, K., & Qin, H. (2020). The role of information and interaction processes in the adoption of agriculture inputs in Uganda. Agronomy, 10(2), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10020202
17. Iftikhar, M., Riaz, S., & Yousaf, Z. (2019). Impact of YouTube tutorials in skill development among university students of Lahore. Pakistan Journal Of Distance And Online Learning, 5(2), 125–138.
18. Jost, C., Kyazze, F., Naab, J., Neelormi, S., Zougmore, R., Aggarwal, P., Bhatta, G., Nelson, S., Kristjanson, P., Jost, C., Kyazze, F., Naab, J., Neelormi, S., Zougmore, R., Aggarwal, P., Bhatta, G., Chaudhury, M., Nelson, S., Kristjanson, P., & Taylor, P. (2016). Understanding gender dimensions of agriculture and climate change in smallholder farming communities. Climate and Development, 8(2), 133–144. https://doi.org/10.1080/17565529.2015.1050978
19. Kanjina, S. (2021). Farmers’ use of social media and its implications for agricultural extension: Evidence from Thailand. Asian Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development, 11(4), 302–310. https://doi.org/10.18488/journal.ajard.2021.114.302.310
20. Karubanga, G., Kibwika, P., Okry, F., & Sseguya, H. (2016). Empowering farmers to learn and innovate through integration of video-mediated and face-to-face extension approaches: The case of rice farmers in Uganda. Cogent Food and Agriculture, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311932.2016.1274944
21. Kumar Ghosh, M., Hasan, S. S., Maria, U., Akon, S., Ali, H., Moheuddin, M., & Al Noman, A. (2021). Social Media in Agricultural Extension Services: Farmers and Extension Agents Perspective. European Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 1(5), 36–43. https://doi.org/10.24018/ejsocial.2021.1.5.143
22. Makate, C., Wang, R., Makate, M., & Mango, N. (2016). Crop diversification and livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe : adaptive management for environmental change. SpringerPlus. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40064-016-2802-4
23. Matuha, M., Omiat, I., Molnar, J. J., Atukunda, G., Walakir, J., Hyuha, T., & Boyd, C. (2013). Implementing and assessing cell-based technical and marketing support systems for small and medium-scale fish farmers in Uganda. 401–409.
24. Moonsammy, S., & Moonsammy, D. (2020). Social Media Application in Agriculture Extension Programming for Small Scale Rural Farmers: Is Knowledge Impeding the Lack of Adoption? Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education, 27(3), 27–42. https://doi.org/10.5191/jiaee.2020.27327
25. Mpuuga, D., Nakijoba, S., Ogwang, A., Boughton, D., & Benfica, R. (2023). Linking crop productivity, market participation and technology use among smallholder farmers: Evidence from Uganda. July.
26. Paudel, R., & Baral, P. (2018). Social Media in Agricultural Extension. Journal of Agricultural Extension, 2(2), 69–74. https://doi.org/10.22377/AEXTJ.V2I02.66
27. Pedrick, C. (2018). Big data for smallholder farmers: The case of Muiis Uganda. https://cgspace.cgiar.org/handle/10568/98833%0A%0A
28. Piñeiro, V., Arias, J., Dürr, J., Elverdin, P., Ibáñez, A. M., Kinengyere, A., Opazo, C. M., Owoo, N., Page, J. R., Prager, S. D., & Torero, M. (2020). A scoping review on incentives for adoption of sustainable agricultural practices and their outcomes. Nature Sustainability, 3(October), 809–820. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-020-00617-y
29. Pushpam, C. A., & Jayanthi, J. G. (2017). Over view on Data Mining in Social Media. International Journal of Computer Sciences and Engineering, 5(11), 147–157. https://doi.org/10.26438/ijcse/v5i11.147157
30. Raj, S., & Bhattacharjee, S. (2017). Social Media for Agricultural Extension About the Publication Content Reviewer. 1, 1–20.
31. Shaikh, S. S., Hassan, A., & Forooqui, Y. S. (2020). Role of mass media in dissemination of agricultural information among farmers of Hyderabad (Sindh) Pakistan. Global Economics Review, 5(3), 88–96. https://doi.org/10.31703/ger.2020 (V-III).09
32. Sheila, N. A., Zhu, C., Kintu, M. J., De Pauw, I., Mugenyi, A. R., Marien, I., & Van Audenhove, L. (2022). Empirical evaluation of rural farmers′ preparedness and intention to use a dairy application for collaboration with a higher education institution in Uganda. Social Sciences and Humanities Open, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2022.100363
33. Tuheirwe-Mukasa, D., Haveraaen, M., Sansa-Otim, J., Kanagwa, B., & Mujuni, G. R. (2019). The Efficacy of ICT in Weather Forecast Information Dissemination: Evidence from Farming Communities in Mbale and Rakai Districts, Uganda. Climate Change Management, 571–593. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-12974-3_25
34. Uddin, F., & Karim, A. (2023). Perceptions of the Role of the Social Media in Agricultural Information among Bangladeshi Farmers. 9(1), 28–36.
35. UN Women. (2021). Opportunities for Youth in Rural Business and Entrepreneurship in Agriculture. 1–54. https://africa.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2021/10/opportunities-for-youth-in-rural-business-and-entrepreneurship-in-agriculture