Digital readiness of farmers in Palayan City
Date
2024
Authors
Sharilyn T. Aluad
John Mari E. Subido
Dgeanne Elisa C. Tan
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Abstract
In today's digital age, where digital applications have become a strategic approach to agricultural and rural development by aiding farmers in their decision- making, it is essential to evaluate the readiness of farmers, the primary stakeholders in the agriculture sector. Hence, the study aims to assess the digital readiness of farmers in Palayan City, with a particular focus on agricultural digital applications. The researchers seek to understand farmers' perspectives on digital technology and the digital tools available and accessible among farmers for an effective utilization of digital applications towards their farming activities.
The study conducted in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija, focused on identifying the digital readiness of registered farmers through a quantitative research design. Utilizing Slovin's formula, a sample size of 351 respondents was determined using SurveyMonkey's online calculator based on Slovin's formula. Respondents were randomly selected through an online spin-the-wheel method. Employing a five- point Likert scale and quantitative analysis methods, such as descriptive and inferential analyses using tools like Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and Microsoft Excel to offer valuable insights into the digital readiness of farmers within the region.
This study examines how sociodemographic factors, communication habits, and perceptions influence the adoption of agricultural digital applications, namely Rice Crop Manager (RCM) and PRDP Geo Tagging Camera Application, among registered farmers in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija. Using surveys, the researchers collected data on farmers' age, gender, education, training attendance, digital device ownership, and internet connectivity to assess their level of digital readiness.
Results from the survey showed that the majority of the respondents fall within the age range of 50-73 years and are predominantly male. The majority do not have a college degree, although 87 respondents are college graduates and there were 22 graduates in BS Agriculture. Additionally, a significant number, 259 respondents, have not attended any seminars or training on digital agriculture applications. Whereas in the communication characteristics, smartphones are the primary digital device owned, with 86 respondents owning multiple devices such as smartphones and laptops, connected to the internet via personal Wi-Fi or cellular networks. Furthermore, our analysis identified that sociodemographic and communication characteristics do not significantly affect the digital readiness of farmers. However, farmers demonstrate only a moderate level of digital readiness, highlighting a gap in training opportunities, which appear to be primarily accessible to extension workers and agriculture technicians. This implies that the use of agricultural apps is largely confined to trained professionals, emphasizing the importance of expanding training programs to a broader audience of farmers.
This study provides insights into the factors influencing the digital readiness of registered farmers in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija with specific focus on agricultural digital applications. Despite the majority of respondents being aged between 50- v 73 years and predominantly male, sociodemographic factors did not significantly affect their readiness to embrace digital technologies. Although smartphones were the most common digital devices owned by farmers and internet access was widespread, communication patterns did not strongly influence digital readiness. However, a notable gap in training opportunities was identified, with a considerable portion of farmers having not participated in any seminars or training sessions on digital agricultural applications. This underscores the need to expand training initiatives, currently limited to extension workers and agriculture technicians, to ensure all farmers have the necessary skills to effectively utilize digital tools for agricultural improvement.