Information technologies as a tool for agricultural extension and farmer-to-farmer exchange: Mobile-phone video use in Mali and Burkina Faso

1. INTRODUCTIONResearchers and other developers of new technologies in agriculture face the issue of how to promote uptake of their innovations. Although Kiptot et al. (2007) found that the process of adoption of new technologies is highly dynamic and variable, Aguilar- Gallegos et al. (2015) point out that adoption of new or improved technologies tends to be quite low. Kiptot et al. (2007) reported several factors that influence uptake of innovations, including financial incentives and practical issues, but also including information transfer. They point out that researchers who wish to see their research findings widely adopted must attune themselves to the needs and demands of farmers and convince them of tangible benefits (Kiptot et al., 2007). Innovation is often the result of informal learning processes, in which social networks play an important role, with farm managers learning by creating networks of colleagues and advisers (Gielen et al., 2003). Early adopters tend to be those with better information networks, which suggests that information flow between different growers and other actors should be encouraged if innovations are to be adopted (Aguilar-Gallegos et al., 2015). A range of information transfer techniques has been reported in the literature. For example, Ramkumar (2007) implemented a farmer-usable touch screen information kiosk in a veterinary institution, which helped cattle owners treat their animals at an early stage of disease condition. Farmers in the U.K. were found to be informed by a relatively stable network of other communities of practice (or networks of practice), which Oreszczyn et al. (2010) called a 'web of influencers on practice'. However these techniques may not be suitable in environments such as in rural Mali and Burkina Faso, which have neither a developed web of influencers nor an institution that could host an information kiosk. Aguilar-Gallegos et al. (2015) point out that diversified and tailor- made extension strategies should be designed for the conditions of specific target groups. One such extension strategy is the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) for dissemination of information to farmers.A number of projects using ICT have taken place in different rural areas around the globe. Digital Green in India produces videos and provides public screenings in villages to transfer information and enable exchange of best agricultural practices that can boost farm productivity and improve nutrition (Gandhi et al. 2009). The African Cashew Initiative provided an ICT-based pricing and weighing system that can be used by farmers during the marketing season, with farmers being updated directly via their mobile phones (Kachelriess-Mathess et al. 2011). The Lifelong Learning for Farmers program in Uganda provides an interactive SMS service with relevant agricultural information for farmers (SIANI 2012). Mobile phones have been successfully used in Niger to communicate prices of agricultural products directly to farmers (Aker 2008). Baributsa et al. (2010) showed that videos on mobile phones were an effective tool for spreading information on cowpea hermetic storage practices and other agricultural innovations. Cai and Abbott (2013) demonstrated that the use of video in farmer training is a useful complement to agricultural extension strategies and that it can help overcome the gender barriers in information access.Sulaiman et al. (2012) reviewed the use of ICT as a tool for enabling innovation in South Asia and found that the potential of ICT as a communication tool had not been adequately utilized. They argue ICTs could better reach their potential by acknowledging and integrating the roles of intermediaries and their capacities for innovation, and by enabling networks so that communities can make use of the information provided (Sulaiman et al., 2012). A successful application of ICT was achieved by Van Mele et al. (2010), who found that open-air video presentations facilitated unsupervised learning; unleashed local creativity and experimentation; and built confidence, trust, and group cohesion among rural people, including the poor, youth, and women. …