The diffusion of mobile agricultural information services in Ghana : A case study

Dissemination of information has always been an important topic in agriculture as information educates farmers and helps them to make the right decisions on agricultural practices and marketing. The main objective of this research is to explore how social networks could be deployed in order to stimulate the diffusion of mobile agricultural information services among small scale farmers. A theoretical framework has been built on Rogers' ideas on social systems in relation to the diffusion of innovation complemented by theories on adoption applicable to the agricultural development sector. In addition, two services have served as case studies, namely the Esoko (previously called Ecamic) service in the Eastern Corridor and the Rite FM Farmers Fone in the Eastern Region of Ghana. With respect to social network characteristics, factors which have been addressed are homogeneity, opinion leadership and the strength of ties. This study has resulted in a better understanding of the mechanisms at play in the diffusion of mobile agricultural information services and has shown that social networks influence diffusion differently in different contexts. A better understanding of this helps stakeholders aiming to scale mobile agricultural information services in designing their marketing approach. However, as this study is based on only two cases, more systematic case study analysis is required. © 2013 The Authors