CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Communication which is so much a part of us sees to be

everywhere at the same time it is central to all human

interactions. It is the most basic and one of the earliest activities

of human beings. Communication as an integral part of our

existence for there to be any meaningful development there has

to be communication between initiator of the developments

process and the target audience of these development project. All

development depends on knowledge and this knowledge is a

function of the amount and quality of facts at ones disposal. The

farmers needs information on possibilities that exist for improving

on their lot and how to effect the necessary changes. They also

need specific information on how to do things that will result in an

improvement of their farming yield.

Agreeing on the role of communication Ebo (1999:24)

observes that communication in development can teach new skills

act as multiplier of resources raise levels of aspiration as incentive

12

for action raise level of people help to find new norms and

harmony in periods of transaction change the structure in a society

by knowledge to the mares create sense of nationality and led to

increased political participation promote people need in satisfying

developments projects and making economic social and political

development a self perpetual process.

Due to this important role of communication mobile phone

have been given a prominent role in communicating development

messages to the people. In a similar view Abiri (2011:1) says that

today’s world seems to be dominated by improved technology has

made much impact in communication mass communication in

particular. Improved technology has greatly increase the efficiency

of communication to the extent that the process can send and

receive messages around the world and into space with maximum

speed and efficiency.

The point of the matter here however is on the

telecommunication industry. Technological revolution has impacted

so much on telecommunication sectors to the extent that it

becomes of the fastest growing industries in the world. Efficient

13

telecommunication services play vital role in modern societies of

money developed and developing nations. In Nigeria the first

national development plan (1963 – 1968) identified the need for

rapid development of telecommunication sector.

Commenting on telecommunication Ndula (2002:5) asserted

that today the growth of telecommunication has been

accompanied with significant advances in technology research.

One of the latest in modern telecommunication central to

information technology is the mobile phones. Today the much

anticipated system of mobile communication recently introduced in

Nigeria has brought about a total revolution in the history of

telecommunication development in Nigeria.

The importance of mobile phones among farmers cannot be

overemphasized as it makes it very easy for farmers to interact

with ease and immediacy. Farmers operators use mobile phones to

make speedily appointments quite clarification and instant reply of

the messages.

14

Mobile phones have gone through a long process of

evolution and all through about six decades of continuous

evolution the mobile phone has retained its relevance to the life of

the modern man. At every stage in his growth curve it has

undergone metamorphosis adding features and functionalities

that make it even more indispensable. It started as an extension

of the landline a bridge between the home and office landlines. It

found relevance in the need of the modern professional to remain

in communication in and out of home or office at lay in the car at

lauch and anywhere else. The mobile phone has since moved up

from this sophistic role to become more actually involved in the

way modern business are educated. Apart from being a tool for

mobile voice communication mobile phones today are a hybrid of

personal computers and a communication device. They come with

screens miniky boards storage for personal information such as

contacts email documents the ability to play video files games

and a communications capacity. With these features and

functionality. Come a wide range of other uses a mobile phone

can put into a business or work environment apart from the

15

traditional voice communication. Now mobile phone makes it

possible for a busy executive to work from any part of the world.

He can access the treats critical emails sent to him regardless of

how far way from the office her or she works. All he needs to do is

to access the internet via his or her mobile phone.

What promises to be a killer application in mobile services in

a short while is mobile television. This service will enable mobile

phone subscribers watch television programmes on the mobile

phones. Imagine driving on your car to your office and watching

amplitude modulation express on Nigeria television authority on

your mobile phone or wanting at the airport for a flight and

catching up with your favourite comedy series on a local television

station. Imagine sharing your television experience with your

friends and family and receiving advertising targeted to your

needs. These are all possibilities that mobile television offered.

It was in this regard that Comer and Howthon (400:11) says

communication is essentially a social affairs man has evolved a lost

of different systems of communication which render his social life

16

possible and not in the sense of living a packs for hunting or

making war but in a sense unknown to animals.

1.1 STATEMENT OF RESEARCH PROBLEMS

i. Farmers in Otukpo finds it difficult to get adequate agric

information from extension workers.

ii. Most of the Otukpo farmers do not make frequent use of

their mobile phone due to power failure in Otukpo.

iii. Farmers in Otukpo do not know the alternative source of

power for changing their mobile phone in order to get

adequate agricultural information.

1.2 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

i To find information on alternative ways of getting agric

information outside the extension workers

ii To identify major solution to the problems facing farmers in

Otukpo in getting agric information easy.

17

iii To find information on the alternative sources of power for

charging their phones in order to get adequate agricultural

information.

1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS:

i. What alternative source do farmers in Otukpo use to get

agricultural information aside extension workers?

ii. What kind of problem do farmers in Otukpo encounter using

mobile phone?

iii. What alternative source of power do Otukpo farmers use to

charge the mobile phone?

1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The significance of this study are as follows:

i. The study will provide information on the alternative

source of information for Otukpo farmers out side agric

extension workers.

ii. The study will provide information on solutions to

problems of GSM phones used by Otukpo farmers

18

iii. The study will also provide information on alternative

source of charging their mobile phone.

1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

H

0

: Farmers in Otukpo do not use alternative medium to get

agric information

H

1

: Farmers in Otukpo use alternative medium to get agric

information

H

0

: Farmers in Otukpo do not encounter problems using mobile

phones to get agricultural information

H

2

: Farmers in Otukpo encounter problems using mobile phones

to get agricultural information

H

0

: Power failure does not affect farmers in Otukpo in getting

agric information with their mobile phone

H

3

: Power failure affect farmers in Otukpo in getting agric

information with their mobile phone

19

1.6 DEFINITION OF TERMS

CONCEPTUAL DEFINITION OF TERMS:

Mobile phone: Mobile phones are electronic devices used to

make mobile telephone calls across a wide geographical areas.

Impact: This refers to the powerful effect that something has on

somebody or something.

Farmers: A farmer is a person who own or manage a farm.

Agriculture: This refers to the science or practice of farming.

Information: This refers to facts or details about somebody or

something.

Communication: These is the method of sending information

especially telephone radio and computer.

G.S.M: Means global system for mobile

20

OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS:

Mobile phone: This are phones carried about and are use to

send and get information from one person to another by Otukpo

farmers from January – August 2012

Impact: This is the power of mobile phone on agric information

used by Otukpo farmers from January – August 2012

Farmers: Otukpo people who have farm or manage a farm with

the use of mobile phone to get agric information. from January –

August 2012

Agriculture: Planting of croups and rearing of animals in Otukpo

community from January – August 2012

Information: Sending of idea feelings messages culture from

one place to another or from one person to another among

Otukpo farmers from January – August 2012

Communication: This is the process of sending messages idea

and feelings from one person to another by use of mobile phone

by Otukpo farmers from January – August 2012.

21

1.7 ASSUMPTIONS

The following assumptions were made:

i. That an average farmer in Otukpo uses mobile phone.

ii. That farmers in Otukpo receive and make call twice or more

in a day.

iii. That most of the farmers in Otukpo own mobile phone.

iv. That farmers in Otukpo believes in information from mobile

phone.

v. That farmers in Otukpo makes use of information from

mobile phone.

1.8 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

This study is limited to the impact of mobile phone on

agricultural information among Otukpo farmers from January –

August 2012.

22

These study would have extended to all the farmers in

Benue State but due to time factor and financial problems the

researcher is compelled to limit its focus on only Otukpo farmers

of Otukpo town in Otukpo local government area of Benue State.

23