LIST OF ABBREVIATION AND ACRONYMS

ADF               Africa Development Fund

ADAPs          Accelerated Development Area Programmes

ADP               Agricultural Development Project

AERLS          Agricultural Extension and Research Liason Services

AETA           Agriculture Extension Transformation Agenda

AKIS             Agricultural Knowledge and Information Systems

AREU           Agricultural Research and Extension Unit

CDD             Community Driven Development

CDMA          Code Divisional Multiple Access

CEC              Cooperative Extension Centres

CTA              Technical Centre for Agriculutral and Rural Cooperation

EAs               Extension Agents

EIGs             Economic Interest Groups

FCAs            Fadama Community Associations

FDMA          Frequency Division Multiple Access

FDP              Fadama Development Project

FF                Farm Families

FGN             Federal Government of Nigeria

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FUGs            Fadama User Groups

GADP           Gombe State Agricultural Development Project

GDP              Gross Domestic Product

GSM             Global Satellite Mobile Communication

ICTs              Information and Communication Technologies

ICT4D           Information and Communication Technology for Development

IICD              International Institute for Communication and Development

IFA                International Fertilizer Industry Association

ITU                International Telecommunication Union

KII                 Key Informants Interview

LPDS             Local Development Plans

LGAs             Local Government Areas

NAERLS       National Agricultural Extension and Research Liason Services

NAQAS         Nigeria Agricultural Question and Answer Service

NARES          Nigeria Research and Agricultural System

NCC              Nigerian Communication Commission

NGOs            Non-Governmental Organisations

PEA               Participatory Extension Approach

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ABSTRACT

This is a study in Information and Communication Technology and its incorporation into Extension Communication for farmers. One area that has not been fully investigated and its application still in its infancy is the incorporation of mobile phone in agricultural extension. The challenges are how to build an efficient agricultural information system using mobile phone technology.The study is ―An Exploratory Study of the Use of Mobile Phones for Participatory Extension in the FADAMA Project in Gombe‖. The objectives of the study were to explore the potential use of mobile phone for agricultural extension in the FADAMA project in Gombe State. Using survey, questionnaire and Key Informant Interview as instruments, information was collected from members of the FADAMA User Groups, extension experts in Gombe State and ABU Zaria on the potentials of using mobile phones for agricultural extension. Findings of the study indicated that mobile phone usage in information dissemination to farmers in the FADAMA project in Gombe state was very limited. Its application was limited only to communication between the FADAMA office in the state capital with the Local Government Facilitators. Majority of the Fadama User Group members indicated (50.3%) preferences of the use of mobile phones in communicating with the FADAMA office. The major problems identified in using the device to send agricultural information to farmers in Gombe state was poor network, shortage of power and having people not always using their phone lines. The study recommended among others that mobile phones to be incorporated in the facilitation of the FADAMA programme and also extend its application for extention to ADP in Gombe State.

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CHAPTER ONE