UTILIZATION OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES BY FARMERS IN TARABA STATE DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The study assessed the Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) utilization during covid-19 pandemic by farmers in Taraba state, Nigeria. The specific objectives include to: identify the major sources of information utilized by farmers during the COVID-19 period and examine the major challenges of ICTs utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic in Taraba State. Multi- stage sampling procedure was used and the sampled population was three hundred (n = 300). In Stage 1, 10 farming communities were purposively selected in the identified 10 randomly selected Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the State. In Stage 2, 30 farmers were randomly selected in each of the farming communities selected in the 10 randomly selected LGAs, 10 farmers were purposively selected for the study. The findings revealed that majority (98%) of the respondents utilized GSM for communicating information on COVID-19 through social media platforms. Results further reveal that limited access to credit facilities (M=3.51, SD=0.73) only was classified as “Serious Challenge” in the utilization of ICT equipment during COVID-19 pandemic. This was so because the mean of the perceived challenge was more than the (M=3.00). The study concluded that GSM serves as the major source of information and disseminations during the pandemic and suggested that Governments at all levels and private sectors should provide computer centers where farmers can surf internet for information.