Authors : B.J. Amujoyegbe, D.O. Torimiro, M.T. Ige, S.K. Subair, N. Tselaesele, T.V. Balole and U. Batlang
Abstract: Sunflower is an alien crop to the tropical and subtropical Africa, especially Nigeria and Botswana. The crop has potential for enhancing farmers’ economic condition if integrated into the existing traditional farming system. Popularization of sunflower intercropping with arable crop production in Nigeria and Botswana using ICT support system was then conceived in this project with a view to collecting and assessing information on production method, processing and marketing with the aim of increasing farm income among the small holder farmers. An E-agriculture model of establishing Young Animators Club to play the role of extension workers was adopted and a total of 200 smallholder farmers (with at least 1 ha of farmland) were randomly selected alongside the 10 young animators in junior secondary schools and four extension workers purposively selected for the project from the two countries. With the backdrop of inadequate and very low extension farm-family ratio, high illiteracy level prevailing among the small holder farmers and zero assess to ICT which have resulted to very low productivity and poverty, ICT structural capacities were built for selected schools. An articulated Sunflower Farmers’ Association (SFA) was formed in two separate agro-ecological regions of Nigeria and Botswana while accompanying Young Animator Club was formed to collate, disseminate information from the selected extension workers to the SFA. The project revealed a high enthusiasm on the part of the selected students and farmers resulting to 98% participation by the participants in all the agro-ecologies of the two countries. Awareness of sunflower intercrop with arable crops increased significantly among farmers while the use internet to assess information on production practices was also improved. Impact assessment of the use of ICT to support sunflower popularization revealed a significant increase in farmers’ income due to their involvement in the project. Although, the adoption experiences varied at different locations in the two countries, the emerging use of hand phone seems to be most effective in information gathering and dissemination among the participatory members of the project. The use of ICT proved to be very effective in popularizing a crop within an intercropping regime.
B.J. Amujoyegbe, D.O. Torimiro, M.T. Ige, S.K. Subair, N. Tselaesele, T.V. Balole and U. Batlang, 2012. ICT Support for Popularization of Sunflower Intercropping with Arable Crops: A Case Study of Nigerian and Batswana. Agricultural Journal, 7: 230-235.