Abstract

Digital Communication Tools (DCTs) are increasingly transforming agricultural production by improving information flow, farm management and market access. This study assessed poultry farmers’ utilisation of DCTs in Ogun State, Nigeria, highlighting their perception, extent of DCTs use and associated challenges. A two-stage sampling procedure was employed to select 120 respondents. Data were collected using a well-structured questionnaire and analysed using descriptive statistics (percentages, frequency counts and mean) and Pearson Product Moment Correlation. Respondents had a mean age of 43±9.55 years, a household size of 6±2.20 persons, and 11±4.69 years of formal education. More than half (60.7%) of the respondents had favourable perceptions of DCTs use. The extent of DCTs use was low among 59.2% of respondents, while a majority (64.9%) experienced a high level of constraints in their use. The major constraints identified were high service costs (x? = 1.58), erratic power supply (x? = 1.26), high initial investment in digital tools (x? = 1.24) and limited internet access (x? = 1.01). Correlation analysis showed that age (r = –0.284) household size (r = 0.011) and years of education (r = 0.052) were significantly related to the extent of DCT utilisation for poultry production. Enhancing poultry farmers’ utilisation of DCTs requires affordable services, reliable electricity, financing support and rural internet. Government and agricultural organisations should address these gaps through targeted interventions to reduce adoption constraints and strengthen digital tool use in poultry production.

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