Relationship between Social Media Use and Development of Crop Production Skills in Saudi Arabia

Authors

  • Abdulaziz Thabet Dabiah King Saud University
  • Yahya S. Alotibi King Saud University
  • Muhammad Imran Azeem King Saud University

Keywords:

social media, agricultural skills, advisory services

Abstract

The current study examined the information preferences of social media users and its perceived impact on their crop production skills in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Data were collected using an online survey with the help of a structured questionnaire and a convenient sampling methodology. Both descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation analysis were run for analyzing the data. The findings revealed that a majority (81%) of the respondents preferred agricultural information in the form of videos, followed by photos (75%). Moreover, a moderate to high impact was reported by the respondents on their various agricultural skills. The Pearson correlation analysis showed that trust in social media had a significant negative correlation with respondents’ perceived impact on their crop production skills. The correlation analysis further revealed that respondents’ preferences for a particular type of information had a significant positive correlation with the perceived impact of social media on their crop production skills. We conclude that subscribers’ trust in social media and their preference for agricultural information in the form of videos are the critical factors that may shape their behavior positively. The potential agricultural service providers should consider them for serving their clients amid changing needs and preferences.

References

Al-Wabel, M. I., Sallam, A., Ahmad, M., Elanazi, K., & Usman, A. R. (2020). Extent of climate change in Saudi Arabia and its impacts on agriculture: a case study from Qassim region. Environment, climate, plant and vegetation growth, 635-657.

Ali, M., Mubeen, M., Hussain, N., Wajid, A., Farid, H. U., Awais, M., Hussain, S., Akram, W., Amin, A., & Akram, R. (2019). Role of ICT in crop management. In Agronomic crops (pp. 637-652). Springer.

Alotaibi, B. A., Abbas, A., Ullah, R., Azeem, M. I., Samie, A., Muddassir, M., Dabiah, A. T., Raid, M., & Sadaf, T. (2023). Dynamics and Determinants of Farmers’ Perceptions about Causes and Impacts of Climate Change on Agriculture in Saudi Arabia: Implications for Adaptation, Mitigation, and Sustainability. Atmosphere, 14(6), 917.

Auxier, B., & Anderson, M. (2021). Social media use in 2021. Pew Research Center, 1, 1-4.

Ayim, C., Kassahun, A., Tekinerdogan, B., & Addison, C. (2020). Adoption of ICT innovations in the agriculture sector in Africa: A Systematic Literature Review. arXiv preprint arXiv:2006.13831.

Barasa, P. M., Botai, C. M., Botai, J. O., & Mabhaudhi, T. (2021). A review of climate-smart agriculture research and applications in Africa. Agronomy, 11(6), 1255.

Bucci, G., Bentivoglio, D., & Finco, A. (2019). Factors affecting ICT adoption in agriculture: A case study in Italy. Calitatea, 20(S2), 122-129.

Charan, J., & Biswas, T. (2013). How to calculate sample size for different study designs in medical research? Indian journal of psychological medicine, 35(2), 121-126.

Chen, Q., Min, C., Zhang, W., Wang, G., Ma, X., & Evans, R. (2020). Unpacking the black box: How to promote citizen engagement through government social media during the COVID-19 crisis. Computers in human behavior, 110, 106380.

Chivers, C.-A., Bliss, K., de Boon, A., Lishman, L., Schillings, J., Smith, R., & Rose, D. C. (2021). Videos and podcasts for delivering agricultural extension: achieving credibility, relevance, legitimacy and accessibility. The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension, 1-25.

Chowhan, S., & Ghosh, S. R. (2020). Role of ICT on agriculture and its future scope in Bangladesh. Journal of Scientific Research and Reports, 26(5), 20-35.

Das, U., & Ansari, M. A. (2021). The nexus of climate change, sustainable agriculture and farm livelihood: contextualizing climate smart agriculture. Climate Research, 84, 23-40. https://doi.org/10.3354/cr01648

De Wrachien, D., Schultz, B., & Goli, M. B. (2021). Impacts of population growth and climate change on food production and irrigation and drainage needs: A world?wide view. Irrigation and Drainage, 70(5), 981-995.

Food and Agriculture Organization, UNICEF, WHO, WFP, & IFAD. (2018). The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2018: Building climate resilience for food security and nutrition.

Gebeyehu, M. N. (2019). Remote sensing and GIS application in agriculture and natural resource management. International Journal of Environmental Sciences & Natural Resources, 19(2), 45-49.

Ibeawuchi, B., Adisa, P., Gbede, O., Bilisuma, K., Derara, S., & Aminu, H. (2021). REVIEW OF THE USE OF VIDEO IN AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION TO INCREASE THE ADOPTION OF AGRICULTURAL INNOVATION. JCCR| Journal of Community & Communication Research, 6(2), 110-118.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2022). Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg3/

Jamil, I., Jun, W., Mughal, B., Raza, M. H., Imran, M. A., & Waheed, A. (2021). Does the adaptation of climate-smart agricultural practices increase farmers’ resilience to climate change? Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 28(21), 27238-27249.

Karavolias, N. G., Horner, W., Abugu, M. N., & Evanega, S. N. (2021). Application of Gene Editing for Climate Change in Agriculture. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 5, Article 685801. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2021.685801

Kumar, S., Meena, R. S., & Jhariya, M. K. (2020). Resources use efficiency in agriculture. Springer.

Lubell, M., & McRoberts, N. (2018). Closing the extension gap: Information and communication technology in sustainable agriculture. California Agriculture, 72(4), 236-242.

Maja, C., Marko, C., Boris, K., & Ana, Z. (2018). Farmer innovativeness and its impact on internet and social media adoption. Economics of Agriculture, 65(1), 243-256.

Mansoor, M. (2021). Citizens' trust in government as a function of good governance and government agency's provision of quality information on social media during COVID-19. Government Information Quarterly, 38(4), 101597.

Mensah, H., Ahadzie, D. K., Takyi, S. A., & Amponsah, O. (2021). Climate change resilience: Lessons from local climate-smart agricultural practices in Ghana. Energy, Ecology and Environment, 6(3), 271-284.

Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. (2023). Saudi Arabia ICT Sector Strategy 2023: A Summary. Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. Retrieved 15 July from https://www.mcit.gov.sa/sites/default/files/ict_strategy_summary.pdf

Mishra, A., Ketelaar, J. W., Uphoff, N., & Whitten, M. (2021). Food security and climate-smart agriculture in the lower Mekong basin of Southeast Asia: evaluating impacts of system of rice intensification with special reference to rainfed agriculture. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 19(2), 152-174.

Mohammed, A., & Ferraris, A. (2021). Factors influencing user participation in social media: Evidence from twitter usage during COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia. Technology in Society, 66, 101651.

Molotoks, A., Smith, P., & Dawson, T. P. (2021). Impacts of land use, population, and climate change on global food security. Food and Energy Security, 10(1), e261.

Naing, L., Nordin, R. B., Abdul Rahman, H., & Naing, Y. T. (2022). Sample size calculation for prevalence studies using Scalex and ScalaR calculators. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 22(1), 1-8.

Norton, G. W., & Alwang, J. (2020). Changes in agricultural extension and implications for farmer adoption of new practices. Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, 42(1), 8-20.

Skaalsveen, K., Ingram, J., & Urquhart, J. (2020). The role of farmers' social networks in the implementation of no-till farming practices. Agricultural Systems, 181, 102824.

Spielman, D., Lecoutere, E., Makhija, S., & Van Campenhout, B. (2021). Information and communications technology (ICT) and agricultural extension in developing countries. Annual Review of Resource Economics, 13, 177-201.

Steinke, J., van Etten, J., Müller, A., Ortiz-Crespo, B., van de Gevel, J., Silvestri, S., & Priebe, J. (2021). Tapping the full potential of the digital revolution for agricultural extension: an emerging innovation agenda. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 19(5-6), 549-565.

Taherdoost, H. (2017). Determining sample size; how to calculate survey sample size. International Journal of Economics and Management Systems, 2.

Tata, J. S., & McNamara, P. E. (2018). Impact of ICT on agricultural extension services delivery: evidence from the Catholic Relief Services SMART skills and Farmbook project in Kenya. The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension, 24(1), 89-110.

Thakur, D., & Chander, M. (2018). Use of social media in agricultural extension: Some evidences from India. International Journal of Science, Environment and Technology, 7(4), 1334-1346.

Thomas, J. L., Bowling, R., & Brewer, M. J. (2018). Learning experiences in IPM through concise instructional videos. Journal of Integrated Pest Management, 9(1), 2.

United Nations. (2019). World population prospects 2019: Highlights.

Zougmoré, R. B., Läderach, P., & Campbell, B. M. (2021). Transforming food systems in Africa under climate change pressure: Role of climate-smart agriculture. Sustainability, 13(8), 4305.

Downloads

Published

2024-01-09

How to Cite

Dabiah, A. T., Alotibi, Y. S., & Azeem, M. I. (2024). Relationship between Social Media Use and Development of Crop Production Skills in Saudi Arabia. Journal of Agricultural Extension, 28(1), 19–28. Retrieved from https://journal.aesonnigeria.org/index.php/jae/article/view/3692

Issue

Section

General Extension and Teaching Methods