Research Article

Creating Awareness Among Farmers for the Use of Mobile Phone Cellular Technology for Dissemination of Information Regarding Aphid (Macrosiphum Miscanthi, Hemiptera, Aphididae) Attack on Wheat Crop

Ejaz Ashraf1*, Hafiz Khurram Shurjeel2 and Mujahid Iqbal3

1Associate Prof. Dept. of Agricultural Extension; 2Ph.D. Research scholar, Dept. of Entomology, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Pakistan; 3Director (Retd.) Horticulture, Agricultural Research Institute, Sariab Road, Quetta-Pakistan.

Received | May 15, 2015; Accepted | September 24, 2018; Published | October 18, 2018

*Correspondence | Ejaz Ashraf, Associate Prof. Dept. of Agricultural Extension, University of Sargodha, Pakistan; Email: [email protected]

Citation | Ashraf, E., H.K. Shurjeel and M. Iqbal. 2018. Creating awareness among farmers for the use of mobile phone cellular technology for dissemination of information regarding aphid (Macrosiphum miscanthi, Hemiptera, Aphididae) attack on wheat crop. Sarhad Journal of Agriculture, 34(4): 724-728.

DOI | http://dx.doi.org/10.17582/journal.sja/2018/34.4.724.728

Keywords | Advisory instructions, Aphid attack, Information, Mobile cellular technology, Wheat crop

Introduction

Sustainable agriculture system needs research based agricultural practices which depend on sharing and transfer of agricultural knowledge by advanced Mobile phone cellular technology. Use of appropriate means and tools for transfer of knowledge is the key for sustainable development in agriculture in 21st century.

At present, it is hard to believe that growing demands of food supply would meet in future. It is expected that world population will cross the number of 9 billion by 2043 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2009). Consequently, it is required that attention must be diverted to increase the food production to feed the imminent influx of population. On the other hand, available data showed that farmers are gradually leaving farming and seeking other sources of earning. In one report of Economic and Social Development Department, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO, 2011) pointed out that the percentage of farmers has gradually decreased from 50.4% of total world labor force in 1980 to 39.9% in 2010.

Developed countries have already overcome their basic agricultural issues and now they are focusing in research on developing advanced agricultural techniques like precision agriculture, new verities of genetically modified plants, and marketing etc. etc. However, in developing world, the situation is far behind for example researchers are still dealing the issues like insufficient infrastructure, poor literacy and solving basic problems of the growers. In addition, there are certain barriers in transferring of knowledge from developed world towards developing world. To overcome the problem of digital division of the world, latest information and communication technology ought to disseminate among end-users for transfer of timely information for sustainable agricultural development. In this way, the planners may be able to meet the growing needs of food for future generation.

Research and Extension have significant role in adoption and diffusion of any agricultural technology among growers. The need is; extension worker must regularly intervene into farmer’s activities and should play a pivotal role in teaching and dissemination of any kind of information and communication technology. Growers can easily get information regarding weather, marketing and other advisory services through learning better use of mobile phone cellular technology. According to Ilahiane (2007) mobile Phones cellular technology have completely changed the way in which farmers exchange information with each other and interact with markets and cities and which enable farmers to extract relevant information for their decision making.

In Pakistan, there are number of mobile phone companies are operating like Warid, Telenorr, Uphone, and Zong. Most of the companies offer 3G and 4G technologies to their customers that allow them to access internet on their mobile phones. Access, efficiency and affordability of agricultural information are major constraints in enhancing agricultural productivity among small scale farmers (Murithii, 2009). Mobile phone cellular technology provides easy and economical access to information for growers. According to Chisita (2010) there is immense potential in harnessing informational communicational technologies (ICT’s) for disseminating agricultural information thereby allowing small scale farmers to share knowledge and experience through utilizing social media, tele-centers and other ICT driven communication devices. It is further emphasized that at this time of the information age, one cannot ignore the benefits of information technology since there is hardly any field where digital, information and communication technology has not yet intervene. According to Tantisantisom (2011) learning of new techniques and profitable agricultural production methods in their own language using ICTs may encourage farmers to adapt advanced practices and to improve their agricultural production.

Materials and Methods

This study was conducted in December 2014 in district Sargodha to create awareness among farmers for the use of mobile phone cellular technology for dissemination of information regarding aphid (Macrosiphum miscanthi) attack on wheat crop. Randomized subjects, post test-only control group design was applied. It is the simplest type of experimental design used in educational research. This design also leads the simplest use of statistical technique such as comparison of two groups (control and experimental) using student’s t-test and the results may only be generalized to the population under study.

According to Donald et al. (1996) this design requires two randomly assigned groups of subjects each assigned to a different condition. No pretest was used. A sample size of 60 farmers was selected by systematic sampling technique using the available list of farmers provided by Agricultural Extension Department. The respondents were than randomly assigned into two groups, one group was experimental group (mobile phone) and other was control group (face-to-face). Before sending text messages to the respondents of experimental group, they were trained how to read the text messages sent by the researchers for dissemination of advisory instructions. After that a set of advisory instructions regarding precautionary measures for aphid attack on wheat crop in Urdu language was sent to experimental group through mobile phone where extension worker was unable to reach physically while the same instructions were given to control group by using face-to face traditional teaching method.

Research hypothesis

The research hypothesis was formulated as:

H0: No significant difference exists between the mean scores of two methods of instructions.

H1: Significant difference exists between the mean scores of two methods of instructions.

Results and Discussion

At the end of the session, post test was conducted and the scores were recorded as given below in Table 1. The test comprised of five questions and each was weighted for three points.

Table 1: Scores of the two groups.

Following the testing of hypotheses procedure, two- population independent t-test was applied for the comparison of the scores of the respondents after delivering instructions by two methods. According to Frederick and Wallnau (2000) the goal of independent measures research study is to evaluate the mean difference between the two populations. The data of the study were analyzed by using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) and the results given in the following Table 2 and 3 respectively.

Table 2: Group Statistics.

The Table 2 shows the mean scores and standard deviations of the two groups and seems quite similar with insignificant difference. Mean scores of the two groups indicate that respondents were equally enjoying the instructions receiving by face-to-face and by mobile phone cellular technology.

The two tables revealed that the group received set of advisory instructions by mobile phone were equally aware (M= 10.70, SD=1.53) as compared with the group received the same set of advisory instructions by face-to-face (M= 11.43, SD= 2.42) traditional teaching method for taking precautionary measures to avoid aphid attack on wheat crop. This difference was insignificant at t (58) = 1.403, p>0.05 two tailed.

Conclusions

Information technology has changed the way of life around the globe. During the last fifty years, the use of computer-based technology grab everything like magnet. There is hardly any area where one cannot observe the applications of information technology. During the last two decade the use of mobile phone cellular technology emerged as the leading medium of communication among people in the country like Pakistan. It does not make a difference whether the individual is literate or illiterate, the use of mobile phone is so easy that everyone feels comfortable and enjoying using it at home, office, shopping malls and even in open farms. Information and communication technology is a binding force and the residents of a small town consider themselves global citizens rather inhabitants of any specific town or city.

Mobile phone cellular technology is equally popular and useful for transfer of knowledge and information among the farmers in the field of agriculture. Similarly, in a study conducted by Chhachhar and Hassan (2013) in Malaysia, they emphasized the need of the

Table 3: Independent Samples t- test.

Chhachhar, A.R. and M.S. Hassan. 2013. The use of Mobile phone among farmers for agricultural development. 2(6).

Chisita, T.C. 2010. An invstigation into the use of ICT in the provision of agricultural information to small scale farmers in Harare. Paper presented at the Wolrd library and information congress: 76th IFLA General conference and Assembly, , 10-15 August, 2010, Gothenburg, Sweden.

Donald, Ary., L. Cheser and A. Razavieh. 1996. Introduction to research in education 5th ed. Harcourt Brace. USA.

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 2011. The state of food and agriculture 2010 – 2011. Rome, Italy.

Frederick, J.G. and L.B.Wallnau. 2000. Statisics for the Behavioral Sciences 5th ed. Wadsworth. USA

Ilahiane, H. 2007. Impacts of ICT’s on agriculture: Farmers and Mobile Phones. (Available online at http://www.public.iastate.edu/~hsain/Research/Impacts%20of%20ICTs%20in).

Murithii. 2009. Information technology for agriculture and rural development in S.Africa: Experiences from Kenya. A Paper presented at the International research on Food Security, Natural Resources Management and Rural development, Tropetag, Univ. Hamburg.

Tantisantisom, K. 2011. Information Dissemination for Farming Communities in Thailand. Ph.D. diss. Faculty of Computing, Health Sci. Edith Cowan Univ. Thiland.

U.S. Census Bureau, P.D. 2009. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division. World population: 1950 – 2050 (Available online at http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/idb/).