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Effect of Agricultural Advisory Helplines on Farmers’ Access to Technical Farm Information

Abstract

Agricultural advisory helplines are communication channels that allow farmers to obtain technical agricultural information and advice through telephone calls, text messages, or other remote communication platforms. They can provide farmers with timely access to information on production challenges, farm inputs, pest management, weather conditions, soil management, livestock practices, and other agricultural activities without requiring physical visits to extension offices. Agricultural advisory helplines can therefore complement conventional extension services and improve the accessibility of technical information, particularly for farmers in remote areas. This study will examine the effect of agricultural advisory helplines on farmers’ access to technical farm information. The study will assess farmers’ awareness and use of agricultural advisory helplines, determine their level of access to technical farm information, and examine the influence of helpline use on the availability and timeliness of agricultural information. It will also identify challenges that may affect farmers’ effective use of agricultural advisory helplines. The study will focus on farmers’ use of helplines for obtaining information on crop production, livestock management, pest and disease control, farm inputs, soil fertility, irrigation, weather information, agricultural marketing, post-harvest management, and other farm-related issues. It will also examine accessibility, frequency of use, response time, quality of information received, clarity of advice, follow-up support, and farmers’ satisfaction with advisory helpline services. Access to mobile phones, network connectivity, language, and digital communication skills will also be considered. A quantitative research approach will be adopted for the study. Data will be collected from farmers using structured questionnaires designed to obtain information on awareness, access, frequency of use, and experiences with agricultural advisory helplines, as well as farmers’ access to technical farm information. The data will be analysed using frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations, correlation analysis, and regression analysis to determine the relationship between agricultural advisory helpline use and farmers’ access to technical farm information. The study is expected to reveal that farmers who use agricultural advisory helplines may have improved access to timely and relevant technical farm information compared with farmers who have limited access to such services. Helplines may provide quick responses to production problems and reduce the difficulties associated with distance from extension offices or limited physical extension visits. However, poor network coverage, limited awareness, language barriers, inadequate response capacity, unreliable electricity, and farmers’ limited familiarity with telephone-based advisory services may constrain effective use. The study will be useful to farmers, agricultural extension agents, agricultural development agencies, advisory service providers, telecommunication stakeholders, farmers’ associations, policymakers, and agricultural researchers. The findings may provide useful information for strengthening digital and telephone-based agricultural advisory systems and improving farmers’ access to reliable technical information, particularly where conventional extension services have limited geographical coverage. The study concludes that agricultural advisory helplines can contribute to improving farmers’ access to technical farm information by providing convenient and timely communication with advisory service providers. It is therefore recommended that agricultural extension authorities strengthen helpline infrastructure, improve response capacity, provide multilingual advisory services, and promote awareness of available helplines among farmers. Adequate technical support, reliable communication networks, and appropriate follow-up mechanisms should also be encouraged to improve the effectiveness of agricultural advisory helplines.

Keywords: Agricultural advisory helplines, farmers’ access, technical farm information, agricultural extension, advisory services, telephone-based extension, agricultural information, digital extension, farmer communication, information access, mobile advisory services, extension communication, farm information, rural farmers, agricultural development.