AVAILABILITY AND UTILIZATION OF DIGITALTOOLSAMONG CATFISH FARMERS IN IKA NORTHEASTLOCALGOVERNMENT AREA OF DELTASTATE
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Abstract
This study examined the availability and utilization of digital tools among catfish farmers in Ika North East Local Government Area of Delta State. The specificobjectives were to describe the socio-economic characteristics of the farmers, identify available digital tools, assess farmers’ awareness and utilization levels, andidentify the constraints affecting digital tool usage. A multistage sampling technique was employed to select 120 catfish farmers, and data were collected using a structured questionnaire and interview schedule. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations were used to analyzetheobjectives, while multiple regression analysis was employed to test the hypothesis. Findings revealed that catfish farming in the area is dominated by middle-agedfarmers, with an average age of 42 years and 71.7% being male. The farmers werealso well educated, as 57.5% had tertiary education, while 26.7%had secondaryeducation. In addition, the respondents had 9 years of farming experience. Regarding the digital tools, mobile phones (98.3%), WhatsApp (85.8%), Facebook (83.3%), mobile banking (72.5%), and YouTube (69.2%) were the most readily availableandwidely known digital tools among the farmers. Awareness of digital tools wasgenerally high across platform ranging from 98.3% for mobile phones to 16.7%forPay-Per-Click (PPC) services of these tools was high for mobile phone, Whatsapp, Facebook, Mobile banking and YouTube. Utilization was greatest for basictoolssuch as mobile phones (4.60). Farmers reported several constraints affecting digital
tool use. The most pressing challenges included inadequate operating capital, highcost of ICT devices, unstable power supply, high internet subscription costs, andlimited digital literacy, all highlighted in the reported mean scores in the constraints section of the study. The regression model revealed that socio-economic characteristics significantly influenced digital tool utilization among the farmers, with the model producing0.001, indicating a strong overall relationship. Among the predictors, education level
(0.004), years of farming experience (0.027), annual income (0.021), and association membership (0.015) emerged as statistically significant determinants of utilization. Hence, the study concluded that although catfish farmers have high awareness of digital tools, utilization remains centered on simple and readily accessible technologies. Addressing financial, infrastructural, and capacity-related constraintswill be essential to enhancing digital adoption in aquaculture. The findings from the study recommends that the government agencies, NGO’s, and extension services should improve digital literacy training, better access to affordable devices andcredit, enhanced internet connectivity, and strengthened cooperative support systems to optimize digital tool utilization and boost aquaculture productivity in the study area.
tool use. The most pressing challenges included inadequate operating capital, highcost of ICT devices, unstable power supply, high internet subscription costs, andlimited digital literacy, all highlighted in the reported mean scores in the constraints section of the study. The regression model revealed that socio-economic characteristics significantly influenced digital tool utilization among the farmers, with the model producing0.001, indicating a strong overall relationship. Among the predictors, education level
(0.004), years of farming experience (0.027), annual income (0.021), and association membership (0.015) emerged as statistically significant determinants of utilization. Hence, the study concluded that although catfish farmers have high awareness of digital tools, utilization remains centered on simple and readily accessible technologies. Addressing financial, infrastructural, and capacity-related constraintswill be essential to enhancing digital adoption in aquaculture. The findings from the study recommends that the government agencies, NGO’s, and extension services should improve digital literacy training, better access to affordable devices andcredit, enhanced internet connectivity, and strengthened cooperative support systems to optimize digital tool utilization and boost aquaculture productivity in the study area.
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