Sunday Ughwubetine, Irighweferhe
Department of Educational Foundations, Faculty of Education, University of Delta Agbor, Nigeria
sunday.irighweferhe@unidel.edu.ng
The study was carried out from September 2024 to April 2025. It evaluated the role of ICT in improving agricultural extension delivery in rural areas in Delta North Senatorial District, Delta State, Nigeria. Its major aim was to evaluate how ICT tools can be used to improve farmers’ knowledge and productivity in rural communities. A correlational research design was adopted to examine relationships between ICT usage and agricultural outcomes. A total of 120 rural farmers were selected using a three-stage multi-sampling technique. The instrument used for data collection was a 30-item structured interview validated by experts in agricultural extension and Measurement and Evaluation. A reliability coefficient of 0.79 was obtained using the split-half method. The results obtained revealed that ICT infrastructure and usage in rural areas were poor, with a limited impact on farmers’ knowledge and agricultural productivity. The results further revealed that ICT delivery services have a significant relationship with agricultural productivity (r = -0.245; p = 0.007). The study concluded that ICT significantly improved agricultural productivity when effectively implemented but was affected by poor infrastructure, inadequate training for rural farmers, low digital literacy, and inadequate government support.