Use of social media in agricultural information dissemination among members of cooperative societies in Awka South Local Government Area, Anambra State, Nigeria

Raymond Ch. Onyemekonwu, Nkiru Theresa Meludu, Tobechukwu Joshua Ewuzie

Abstract: The use of social media in agricultural information dissemination among members of cooperative societies in Awka South Local Government Area (LGA), Anambra State, Nigeria was ascertained. Data collected through a multi-stage procedure and the use of questionnaires were analyzed using percentages, mean, and Pearson Product Moment Correlation. Results revealed that WhatsApp (33.0%) and Facebook (32.0%) were the social media mostly used by the farmers. Poor network (61.1%) was the leading challenge faced by the respondents. A significant relationship existed between the educational level of the farmers and the level of social media use by the farmers (r = .557; p<0.05). It was concluded that social media was utilized by farmers in the study area; Facebook and WhatsApp were the social media highly used by the respondents on a daily basis. However, the use of social media among the respondents was constrained by factors such as poor network, complex social media navigation interface, and high cost of data subscription. Therefore, services/networks that promote the use of social media be improved and subscription data be made available to farmers at affordable prices so as to enhance the use of social media among the farmers.

Keywords: agricultural information dissemination; challenges; cooperative societies; Networking; Social media

Citation: Onyemekonwu, R. Ch., Meludu, N. Th. & Ewuzie, T. J. (2024). Use of social media in agricultural information dissemination among members of cooperative societies in Awka South Local Government Area, Anambra State, Nigeria. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 30(4), 734–738

Date published: 2024-08-27