Rural Women Rice Farmers' Perceptions of Information and Communication Technologies for Enhancing Agricultural Practices in Nasarawa and Benue

This study examines the perceptions of rural women rice farmers on the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in enhancing agricultural practices in Northcentral Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive research design. A purposive sampling technique was employed to select the farming communities for the study. Three L.G.A. were selected from each state based on the volume of rice production and the number of women involved in farming. The sample size of the study was 450 women rice farmers from 45 communities made up of 50 farmers from each of the L.G.A. The most commonly used ICT tools were public address systems, radios, and mobile phones. The results showed that more than 50% of the respondents attest to ICT playing a significant role in decision-making, access to financial services, and knowledge sharing all of which positively impact agricultural practices. Regression analysis revealed that socio-economic factors such as marital status, education, farming experience, household size, and cooperative membership influence the use of ICT, accounting for 15.52% of the variation in use. However, barriers such as poor network connectivity (mean = 0.803) and high costs (mean = 0.795) limit broader ICT adoption. Addressing these challenges could empower rural women farmers and increase agricultural productivity. The study recommends that government and agricultural agencies improve the accuracy, relevance, and timeliness of information shared via ICT platforms, particularly focusing on climate data, market trends, and best farming practices that are easily accessible to rural women. In addition, Policymakers should consider creating specific policies that support the digital inclusion of rural women in agriculture.