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Gratification Sought and Obtained from Mobile Phone by Aquaculture Farmers: Implication on Advisory Services Payment

byIfejika, P.I.

National Institute for Freshwater Fisheries Research, P.M.B. 6006, New-Bussa,

Niger State, NigeriaE-mails: Ifejikaphilip@gmail.com & ifejikaphilip@yahoo.com

Mobile Phone: +2347089523717, +2348054565773

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• Introduction• Methodology• Result & Discussion• Conclusion• Recommendations

Outline of Presentation

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Introduction

• Mobile phone status in African continent – About 65% of the population in Africa had access to

mobile phone services in 2008– 95% for North Africa and 60% for Sub Sahara Africa (SSA)

countries (Aker and Mbiti, 2010)• Mobile phone brought about changes in perceptive – Which gave rise to:• contemporary information society• new information behaviour • value for information

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Introduction: Mobile phone in agriculture

• In agriculture– farmers share in mobile phone information revolution – emergence of mobile phone innovative platforms

• Mobile phone functions and benefits in agricultural extension services include (Aker, 2010) – increase access to private information– increase access to public information– reduce costs of extension services– improve information quality– improve farmers’ management of input and output supply chains– facilitate service delivery– improve accountability via data collection– strengthen links with research systems

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Introduction: Innovative platforms• Innovation system is “a network of organizations focused on

bringing new products, new processes and new forms of organization into social and economic use, together with the institutions and policies that affect their behaviour and performance (The World Bank, 2007)

• Mobile phone innovative platforms in agriculture advisory services facilitates the following;– repackaging of information in usable form – investment – creditability – relevance – quality – effectiveness in terms of clarity, timeliness and comprehensive – cost sharing to meet needs

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• Mobile phone innovative platforms provide “operational information” which is information that is practical, concrete and able to help solve existing problems (Gachie, Ruault and Mendy, 2006).

• India had 59 ICT platforms– 10 depend sole on mobile phone (Saravanan, 2010)

• In Africa, 60 projects in 20 countries use ICT innovative platform (Gakuru et al., 2009) – 38 of them rely on mobile phone platform

• 22 use voice calls and 16 use SMS

• “E-Wallet” is the only mobile phone platform in agriculture extension services at federal level in Nigeria – Used to distribute fertilizer to crop farmers through SMS

(Ifejika, 2013)

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• Capture fisheries had received more attention mobile innovative platform (Jensen, 2007; Ifejika and Oladosu, 2011; Killian, 2011).

• Theories applied in the study of mobile phone in capture fisheries found in literature were: – Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology

(Shaffril, Omar, Hassan, et al., 2012) – Gender Theory and Activity Theory (Komunte, Rwashana

and Nabukenya, 2012)– Capability Theory (Ifejika and Oladosu, 2011) – Livelihood Approach (Myhr and Nordström, 2006) – Adoption and Diffusion Theory (Ofuoku, 2007)

Uses and Gratification Theory (UGT) in the study of mobile phone

• Communication experts – activated UGT in the study of mobile phone– provide better understanding of “why and how” we use

media• Katz, Blumler and Gurevitch (1973) – institutionalised UGT with the following assumptions;

• members of the audience are not passive but take an active role in interpreting and integrating media into their own lives

• audience are responsible for choosing media to meet their needs and fulfilment of specific gratifications

• UGT belongs to – social functionalism and– psychological communication perspectives (Luo, 2002)

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UGT usefulness in mobile phone studies• Understanding of gratifications – sought and obtained – clarify activity and activeness of media audiences

• Explains 3 attributes of new media like mobile phone (Quan-Haase and Young, 2010; Ruggiero, 2000).– interactivity • provide content in response

– demassification • control of the individual over the medium

– asynchroneity• storing of information

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Problem statement

• Aquaculture is scaling up without commensurate extension services

• Aquaculture production rose from 5% in 2001 to 32.5% in 2010

• Issues raised in UGT are critical – advisory services provision in aquaculture – functional mobile phone innovative platform

• Communication scholars focus on young people • Limited application of UGT in mobile phone studies

among farmers particularly aquaculture• Gap in literature on mobile phone investigation among

aquaculture farmers

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Justification for the studies

• Present study seeks to break the jinx and to unfold why fish farmers acquire mobile phone and use it in job activities

• New information services delivery are needed to support fast growing aquaculture sub-sector

• Provide baseline information needed to setup mobile phone innovative platform for aquaculture operators

• Provide clue to setup mobile phone platform model for aquaculture in on going WAAPP programme.

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Research questions

• What are the gratifications fish farmers’ sought and obtained from mobile phone?

• What is their mobile phone communication behaviour?

• What are their antecedents’ to subscribed mobile phone services?

• Will they be willing to pay and how much for aquaculture mobile phone advisory services?

• What is their personal profile?

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Objectives set to accomplish were• General objective– determine gratification sought and obtains from mobile

phone and it’s consequences on advisory services payment• Specific objectives were to: – Ascertain gratifications subjects sought and obtained from

mobile phone, – Determine subjects’ mobile phone communication behaviour, – Find out their antecedents on subscribership to mobile phone

services; – Verify their willingness to pay and how much for mobile

phone advisory services, and – Determine their personal profiles.

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Hypotheses

• Null hypothesis: There is no significant relationship between gratification sought and obtained from mobile with selected personal profiles in the States.

• H1. Alternative hypothesis: Significant relationship exists between gratification sought and obtained from mobile phone with selected personal profiles in the States.

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Area of Study and Methodology

• Area of Study – Study was carried out in Niger state– Located in guinea savannah, the north central geo-

political zone.– Lies on latitude 80o to 11o:30’ North and longitude 03o

30’ to 07o 40’ East– Blessed with hydroelectric power dams located at

New-Bussa, Jebba and Shiroro to boost aquaculture – Presence of Fisheries Research Institute and NCoS under

WAAPP – Renewed interest in aquaculture but weak extension

services

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Methodology• Secondary information collected from Minna, Bida and

New-Bussa put the population of fish farmers around 1000• Sample size for the study was contact fish farmers with ADP

and NIFFR estimated at 250• For the study, 44% of sample size i.e. 110 were randomly

selected as respondents from Minna, New-Bussa & Bida zones .

• Instrument for data collection was semi-structured questionnaire

• Face validated by experts in agricultural extension • Cronbach Alpha values of 0.70 coefficient was obtained

which confirmed instrument reliable

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Measurement of variables and data analysis• Variables were measured at

– Nominal (Yes-1; No-0)– Ordinal (No-0; Low-1; High-2) – Interval (state age in years)

• Categorization of scores: – Low < 50– High> 50

• Data analysis• Primary data was generated through face to face interview by

enumerators in 2013• Analysed with descriptive tools

– frequency, mean, percentage, standard deviation • Inferential tool

– Pearson Product Moment of Correlation • Results were presented in tables, figures, charts

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Result and Discussions

Caller tone Music Joke News alert Love message

Sports news Health 0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Figure 1: Respondents' atecedent to subscribed mobile phone services

No

Tried

Stopped

Still use

Adopted paid services

%

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Table 1: Responses on gratification sought to acquire mobile phone (%)

Gratifications sought No Low High

Socialization 12 43 45

Job Accomplishment 6 26 68

Connected to people 4 15 81

Time management 46 22 32

Mobile & Accessible 2 2 96

security 40 30 30

Boost image 31 39 30

Categorization

High 57%

Low 43%

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Table 2: Job related gratifications obtained in aquaculture practice

Gratifications obtained No Yes

Timely information 6 94

Take informed decision 21 79

Adopt new technologies 1 99

Increase fish yield 16 84

Link customers 16 94

Market information 8 92

Better sells & profit 16 84

Improve access to inputs 19 81Quick response & intervention 10 90

Reduce risk 17 83

Categorization

Low 29%

High 71%

2191%

9%

Figure 2: Response on willingness to pay for aquaculture mobile phone service

Yes No

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Table 3: Mean amount respondents’ opted to pay for aquaculture mobile phone services (N)

Communication mediums Daily Weekly Fortnightly Monthly Final

Voice call 21 42.8 19.8 39.8 30.8

Voice message 6.9 2.4 3.7 9.4 5.6

Short message sending 15.9 9.7 6.3 23.5 13.8

Flashing 7 1.9 0 0 2.2

Internet 7.5 0 3.4 14.8 6.4

Video 4.1 0 20 0.4 6.1

Mean of mean 10.4 9.4 8.8 14.6 10.8

Figure 3: Mobile phone communication behaviour of respondentsCategorization: High=22%; Low=78%

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Send

Call

Voice m

essag

eSM

S

Flash

ing

Internet

Picture

Video

Receiv

eCall

Voice m

essag

eSM

S

Flash

ing

Internet

Picture

Video0

20

40

60

80

100

120

NoRarely useAlways use

preferred medium to send and receive information

%

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Figure 4: Preferred reliable and trusted service providers Categorization: High=29%; Low=71%

Fisherie

s insti

tute

Universi

ty

College

s of a

gric.

ADPs

State fish

eries d

ept

FMARD

Loca

l govt

council

NGO0

20

40

60

80

100

Not reliable

Reliable

Highly reliableService providers

%

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Table 4: Personal profile of respondents

Age %

20-30 Youth 23

31-40 (Young) 21

41-50 (Early adulthood) 28

51-60 (Middle adulthood) 24

< 61 (Late adulthood0 4

Mean 42

Religion

Christianity 41

Muslim 59

Traditional 0

Marital status

Single 21

Married 75

Widow 4

Divorced 0

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Personal profile continuesYears of experience in fish farming %

1 – 3 344 – 6 507 – 9 1110 – 12 313 - 15 2Education

No school 2Primary 0JSS 0SSS 14NCE/ND 33BSc 35MSc 16Gender

Men 82Women 18

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Personal profile continues

Language skill No (%) Partial (%) very well (%)

Speak Good English 2 7 91

Category speak Low=29%; High=71%

Read Good English 2 7 91

Category read Low=29%; High=71%

Write Good English 2 6 92

Category write Low=29%; High=71%

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Table 5: Correlation analysis between gratification sought and obtained with selected personal characteristics

Personal variables Correlation coefficient (r)

p-value (r2) Remarks

Age -.151sought

.083obtain

.133

.412

negative & weak NSpositive & weak NS

Gender -.152sought

-.059obtain

.132

.562

negative & weak NSnegative & weak NS

Marital status -.218 Sought

-.015obtain

.029

.88

Negative & positive s*Negative & weak

Religion -.417 sought

-.023obtain

.000

.821

Negative & stable*Negative and weak

Education 239 obtained .017 Positive & strong S*

Significant; *= 0.05 levels; **=0.001 levels

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Conclusion

• Outcome of the study was useful for better understanding of;– Antecedents behaviour showed high awareness of paid

mobile phone services but interested in development issues

– Received job related gratifications in fish farming – Fish farmers communication behaviour with mobile

phone (written & verbal)– Their readiness to participate and pay for mobile phone

advisory services– Personal profile that will affect behaviour of subjects in

participating and better management of mobile phone platform

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Recommendations

• Some suggestions based on the result are;– The stage is ripe for government and private service

providers to set up mobile phone innovate platform for aquaculture farmers

– Simple model should be developed for mobile phone innovative platform in aquaculture

– Government agencies that are weak should be strengthen to be able to deliver quality services.

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End of presentationQ & RAnd

Merci &Thanks for listening