ICTs and diffusion of water ICTs and diffusion of water constraints’ adaptation constraints’ adaptation

strategies towards sorghum strategies towards sorghum farmers in the context of farmers in the context of

Climate ChangeClimate Change

(Far-north Cameroon)(Far-north Cameroon)

Salé ABOU, Researcher/Lecturer, IRAD/CRRAD Maroua (Cameroon)

12/12/2014 1

PLANPLAN

I. INTRODUCTION

II. METHODOLOGY

III. RESULTS

IV. CONCLUSIONS

12/12/2014 2

I. INTRODUCTIONI. INTRODUCTIONSorghum, basic food of the population (Minader 2012);

Climate change, water constraints, accentuating inadequacy population/production;

Adaptation stratégies do exist but lack of adoption (GIEC 2007; ECOWAS 2008);

Information access lackings due to many factors among which the diverse limitations of interpersonnal cc (Kaboré 2011);

Contribution of ICTs to the diffusion of water constraints’ adaptation strategies.

12/12/2014 3

II. METHODOLOGYII. METHODOLOGYSites’ choice: Diamaré Division (fig.1), 20 villages (10 Dry season sorghum, 10 rainy season sorghum);

Sampling: randomly 30 sorghum producers per village (600 farmers);

Data collection: focus-groups, questionnaire;

Data analysis: Descriptive stat. (Frequencies and Kendall test of agreement, Crosstabs);

ICTs of interest: radio, telephone and agricultural newspapers

12/12/2014 4

Figure1Research area and

sites

12/12/2014 5

III. RESULTSIII. RESULTSIII.1.Main water constraints and adaptation strategiesIII.1.Main water constraints and adaptation strategies

Water constraintsPerception

rate Adaptation strategies Adoption rate

Delayed rains 80.50 % Crops’ diversification  85.33 %

Rainfall water amount reduction 80 %

Diversification of economic activities  80.50 %

Frequent and longer dry spells 62 %

Diversification of crops’ varieties  71.33 %

Crops’ drying up61.67 %

Sowing/planting of drought resistant crops varieties  62.33 %

Early rainwater cut off 61.33 % Sowing/planting of early matured varieties

61.66 %

Bad water spatial distribution 58.33 % Basins’ building  50.33 %

12/12/2014 6

III. RESULTSIII. RESULTSIII.2. Use of communication channelsIII.2. Use of communication channels

Communication channels Access’ rate

Interpersonnal communication channels (formal and informal)

100 %

Radio 87.50 %

Telephone 71.33 %

Newspapers 33.17 %

12/12/2014 7

III.RESULTSIII.RESULTSIII.3.III.3. Communication channels’ Communication channels’ contribution to improvement of farmers’ contribution to improvement of farmers’ agricultural knowledge agricultural knowledge

Communication channels Mean Rank OrderKendall test of

agreement

Interpersonnal communication channels 1.38 1 N 600

 Kendall W 0.765

 Probability 0.000

Radio 1.99 2

Newspapers 4.02 3

Telephone 4.74 4

12/12/2014 8

III.RESULTSIII.RESULTSIII.4.III.4. Adaptation strategies’ diffusion Adaptation strategies’ diffusion through ICTsthrough ICTs

ICTS

Adaptation strategies

Radio Telephone Newspapers

Sowing/Planting of early matured

varieties

31.17 % 29.67 % 03 %

Basins’ building 39.17 % 14.67 % 17 %

Fertilizer/Organic manure use

64 % 0 25.33 %

Early planting/sowing

20.88 % 64.83 % 0

12/12/2014 9

IV.CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONSIV.CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONSIn order to enhance innovations’ diffusion by ICTs, we suggest that governments :

Invest more in research so as to produce more and new innovations for farmers;

Create conditions that favor farmers’ acces to ICTs (roads, electricity, socioeconomic conditions);

Create more rural radios and support diffusion of innovations through its channel;

Identification of innovations to be diffused as well as the diffusion process should be participative (facilitate farmers access and adoption). 12/12/2014 10

12/12/2014 11

THANK YOU THANK YOU