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Background

Technological improvements in the 21st century have allowed for greater global connectivity and provided a platform for information dissemination on an unprecedented scale. Research shows Africa to be the world’s fastest growing telecommunications market. Mobile phone usage has grown from less than 2 million subscriptions in 1998 to over 778 million (70% of the population) users in 2013 (Chavula, 2014 & Informa Telecom, 2014). Improving mobile network connectivity and smartphone availability are set to improve the accessibility of technology and information across Africa (Deloitte, 2012).

For remote and underserved rural communities, these developments bring new opportunities to access agricultural extension services and information, which were previously out of reach. For example, ICT has enabled the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange to transmit commodity prices to farmers in real time via mobile phone, message board or online; similar market based extension services exist in Kenya, Malawi, Uganda and Mozambique amongst others (UNDP, 2012 & USAID, 2011). ICT-based agricultural extension may allow development agents to better tackle issues of gender bias within extension services and marginalisation of smallholders from decision making processes through greater flexibility and the decentralisation of information (Christoplos, 2010 & USAID, 2013).

However, the role of ICT in agricultural extension services is still relatively untested and some key questions remain around its optimal use. Almost all ICT based extension services are subsidised and the sustainability of this model falls within the larger debate of public-private partnerships and responsibility for service delivery (APPG, 2014). Furthermore, quality assurance of content delivered through ICT will necessitate revision and adaption of monitoring and evaluation practices. While multiple text or voice-based information management networks are increasingly available to smallholder farmers (Nyirenda-Jere & Kazembe, 2014), little research has yet been done to test the effectiveness of ICT as a training tool.

This paper aims to contribute to the emerging evidence base on the role of ICT within agriculture by summarising Farm Africa’s initial experience of testing mobile technology in the sesame value chain. Though small scale, our research demonstrates the potential benefits ICT can bring to smallholders through flexible training adjusted to the learner’s pace and provides a comparison against a traditional non-ICT training approach. When incorporated into participatory and government supported initiatives, the adoption of ICT as a platform for smallholder training can contribute to the equalisation of access to information; supporting all smallholders, men and women, to make informed decisions about their livelihoods.

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