Social Media Usage Among Catfish Farmers in Delta North Agricultural Zone Delta State, Nigeria

This study explores the hitherto uncharted domain of social media usage among catfish producers in the Delta North Agricultural Zone, Nigeria. Employing a mixed-method approach, 150 catfish farmers were surveyed using a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using percentage and mean statistics. Additionally, Pearson Product Moment Correlation was used to test the relationships between the dependent variable and the independent variables. The results revealed that the majority of respondents were between 21-40 years old, male, married, with small household sizes, and had 6-10 years of farming experience. Additionally, most respondents had tertiary education and were members of cooperative societies. Facebook and WhatsApp were the most used social media platforms among catfish farmers, primarily for pond construction, sourcing fingerlings, and feed information. Farmers perceived social media significantly contributing to agricultural development, adoption rates, cost reduction, and timesaving. Educational status, farming experience, and cooperative membership significantly correlated with social media usage, while older age correlated negatively. In conclusion, enhancing digital literacy, targeting specific social media platforms, tailoring interventions for different socio-economic groups, advocating for policy support and infrastructure development, and promoting continued research and collaboration are recommended to leverage social media's potential for empowering catfish farmers and advancing agricultural practices in the Delta North Agricultural Zone of Nigeria.