| dc.description.abstract | Mobile telephony has become an important Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
tool used by farmers to access agriculture extension services in rural areas. With its widespread,
SMS services should find more use as they offer easy accessibility.The use of mobile telephony
SMS in accessing agriculture extension information is key yet factors that influence uptake by
small scale farmers in rural areas is under researched considering the emergence of many
innovations on mobile telephony that is geared towards supporting agriculture extension
services. This study therefore seeks to find out the effectiveness of mobile telephony SMS in the
uptake of agriculture extension information in Sipili Olmoran ward in Laikipia County basing on
Soko+ SMS service as the case study. The study reviews factors that influenced uptake and
rejection of SMS in delivery of agriculture extension information while also looking at existing
agriculture extension information needs and information systems in Sipili Olmoran ward used by
small scale farmers. The study is guided by Technology Acceptance Model theory. The study
adopts case study research design. Target population was 310 farmers who were trained on
Soko+ SMS where a sample of 20 percent of the farmers was involved in the study. The study
also included agriculture extension officers and ALIN staffs. Questionnaires and key informant
interviews were the main sources of primary data. Purposive sampling technique was used to
select participants. Data was analyzed using charts, frequencies, percentages, descriptive
statistics and chi squares generated by the use of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS).
The study findings show that access to mobile phone, provision of relevant information,
trainings, competition among information providers are critical factors for the uptake of
agriculture extension information among small scale farmers. The conclusions could benefit
ALIN and other development practitioners working with rural farmers to enhance delivery of
such innovations for effective adoption and use. It also provides useful insights on the role of
mobile telephony SMS services in agriculture extension information thus may be useful for
academicians for further research | en_US |
