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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol. 8, No. 8
Publication Date: August 25, 2021
DOI:10.14738/assrj.88.10719. Mulele, S. C., Kanyamuna, C. S., Kanyamuna, L. M., & Kanyamuna, V. (2021). The Effect of Information Literacy on Maize Production:
Case Study of Small-Scale Farmers in Inonge Village, Kazungula District of Zambia. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal,
8(8). 208-229.
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
The Effect of Information Literacy on Maize Production: Case
Study of Small-Scale Farmers in Inonge Village, Kazungula
District of Zambia
Sylvia Chitola Mulele
City of Hope Secondary School
Ministry of General Education, Lusaka, Zambia
Chuma Sylvin Kanyamuna
Kasisi Girls Secondary School
Ministry of General Education, Chongwe, Zambia
Lubomba Mudenda Kanyamuna
Moniques Pre & Primary School
Ministry of General Education, Lusaka, Zambia
Vincent Kanyamuna School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Department of Development Studies, University of Zambia, Zambia.
Paul Musanda School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Department of Development Studies, University of Zambia, Zambia.
ABSTRACT
The study aimed at exploring the impact of information literacy on maize
production and focused on a case study of small-scale farmers in Inonge village of
Kanzungula District in Southern Province, Zambia. Besides the review of relevant
literature, the study conducted a questionnaire-based case study on 20 small-scale
farmers and conducted an in-depth interview with one agriculturalist from the
Ministry of Agriculture. The analysis of the study showed that farmers need
information for various purposes to enhance their agricultural activities, and they
use different sources and media to access such information. Many of the farmers,
however, are not well aware of modern techniques of agriculture and they seldom
use such techniques for farming. Due to some problems such as high rate of
illiteracy, inadequate contact with agricultural extension officers, language barrier
and bad television and radio reception, farmers are not satisfied in getting
agricultural information. The paper concludes that information literacy has an
effect on maize production and certain recommendations for policy, practice and
further research have been provided for the improvement of information literacy
of the farmers in Inonge village. These include government to reconsider public
agricultural policy reforms on one hand and for the local communities and their
leaderships to reorganize themselves and tackle the information challenges facing
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Mulele, S. C., Kanyamuna, C. S., Kanyamuna, L. M., & Kanyamuna, V. (2021). The Effect of Information Literacy on Maize Production: Case Study of
Small-Scale Farmers in Inonge Village, Kazungula District of Zambia. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 8(8). 208-229.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.88.10719
them on the other. More focused research was still needed to understand and
contextualize Inonge village agricultural challenges and prospects.
Keywords: agriculture; small-scale farmers; information literacy, maize, monitoring and
evaluation, Zambia
INTRODUCTION
This study aimed at exploring the impact of Information Literacy skills (IL) on Maize Production
among small-scale farmers in Inonge village of Kazungula district in Southern Province. Maize
production in Zambia is practiced by both small-scale and commercial farmers. Generally,
productivity levels are very low especially among the small-scale farmers and the medium- scale farmers who together account for over 90 percent of the total maize output [1,43,21,45].
The government and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) have done a lot to try and
improve the production of maize through subsidising agricultural inputs, but the production
keeps on fluctuating. Some NGOs have contributed or donated farm implements such as
animals, improved seeds and other tools to use in the fields to increase production. However,
the improvement has been very insignificant over the years. In addition, there has been little
done to empower farmers with information literacy skills. In an era of knowledge economy,
information plays an increasingly important role in every sphere of the development process
especially agriculture. Although deliberate efforts have been made by the international
community as well as at national level to try and provide information to farmers, the benefits
have continued to be negligible.
For instance, at international level there are programmes set by the Food and Agriculture
Organisation (FAO) under the United Nations (UN) whose interest is in issues of food security
and agriculture. FAO has come up with information systems called AGRIS, this is a global public
domain with information or agriculture schemes and technology [3,13,16,24-27]. At national
level, the ministry of agriculture provides information to farmers through programmes like
Lima a television programme and indeed other radio programmes. However, farmers’
information illiteracy and low yields of maize in Inonge village is not an exceptional.
The [31,28,9,34,36] contends that agriculture remains crucial for pro-poor economic growth in
most African countries, as rural areas support about 70- 80% of the total population. Maize
production is the source of income in the sense that the income generated by selling maize is
used to resolve many household problems like paying school fees for their children, pay for
health bills and other basic needs pertaining to their day-to-day consumption.
However, there has been a decline in maize production over the last decade and people were
wandering whether the problem was due to inadequate information on climate change and
crop diseases which threaten household food security. The new technologies that have
increased smallholder maize production and of late the spread of new technologies have been
more important for maize than other food crops. This could provide lessons for further increase
in maize production. Assessing farmers’ information literacy and its effectiveness in maize
production can result in technology adoption [20,11,51,55-58].
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In the past, agricultural extension officers played a vital role in providing information to
farmers on their agricultural related challenges they faced [41,60,18,23]. For Inonge village, the
office of the agriculturalist is established in the neighbouring village called Simango. This focal
point person is charged with the responsible of educating the farmers on the types of seed
varieties, checking their fields and giving technical advice on how to control pests and crop
diseases. Unfortunately, however, all these services are no longer provided for by the
government and farmers have for a long time now been vulnerable and their crop productivity
has continued to deteriorate. At the moment, the agriculturalist in the area only provides ad- hoc and irregular support to farmers leading to negligible impact on yields.
Farmers have to be empowered with information literacy skills to be able to know when there
is a need for information for instance, the information on which type of seed to grow in times
of changes in climate, when to plant, how to control pests and diseases, where to sell produce
just to mention but a few [34,47,49,53]. It is for this reason that this research endeavours to
find out local farmers’ views and perceptions on the impact of information literacy skills on
maize production.
This study therefore gives information collected from farmers about the types of information
needed by farmers themselves, major problems encountered by the farmers when accessing
and using information on maize and suggestions on some effective measures to improve the
overall situation of information literacy of farmers in Inonge village. The ultimate findings are
used to make recommendations regarding the improvement of maize production and
productivity in the area and beyond.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The researchers’ past informal interaction with the people of Inonge village and own
observations revealed that there was inadequate information on farming from the time the
Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock stopped sending them extension officers to work in the
area. This meant that farmers just used the little knowledge they had in farming. As mentioned
earlier that a farmer who is information literate accesses information efficiently and effectively,
evaluates information critically and competently uses information accurately and creatively.
The farmers in Inonge village lack these skills, they are apparently ignorant of where to get
information on appropriate breed of maize to plant, when to plant and how to take care of their
crops until harvest and post-harvest management. Information literacy skills are capable to
improve production in the sense that farmers will on their own access this information and use
it practically on the farm [29,2,10,49]. The cooperatives they form are just to facilitate
accessibility of inputs such as seed and fertilizers, without teaching or providing them with
relevant information needed.
Despite the fertilizers that the government gives every year farming in Inonge keeps
deteriorating, because farmers are not empowered with information literacy skills which could
enable them search for information and solve their current challenges. For instance, the
previous farming season (2019-2020), the rains delayed to come and stopped early leaving
immature maize, this was due to lack of weather focast information made available to farmers.
In the event where farmers have information literacy skills, the solution could have been found
by the farmers themselves. Therefore, a study taken to assess the impact of information literacy
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Mulele, S. C., Kanyamuna, C. S., Kanyamuna, L. M., & Kanyamuna, V. (2021). The Effect of Information Literacy on Maize Production: Case Study of
Small-Scale Farmers in Inonge Village, Kazungula District of Zambia. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 8(8). 208-229.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.88.10719
on maize production aims at lifting the living standards of the local people as well as ensuring
food security in the country.
This research process therefore, will strive to understand the extent to which farmers in Inonge
village have been affected due to less access to agricultural information. The information scope
is taken from a general point of view here, ranging from crop information with regard to
farming technologies, weather, inputs, marketing and indeed animal husbandry and the media
used to access information. Collectively, this information is what makes up the rural welfare
especially that of Inonge village. A lapse in any one of them may have potential negative effects
on the socio-economic welfare of the local people and indeed the nation at large. So, the
investigation is motivated by the realization that Inonge village, a once thriving area in maize
production has over the years become less productive and subjected to food insecurity. In spite
of the various other reasons that may exist to explain this situation, this research zeros down
on the effect of information literacy on food insecurity in Inonge village. In this era of
information explosion, information is plenty and all what farmers need to have are IL skills for
them to select the appropriate information to solve their specific challenges.
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
Main/General Objective
The main objective of this study is to assess the impact of information literacy on maize
production in Inonge village of Kazungula district in Southern Province.
Specific objectives
§ To identify different types of information needed by farmers
§ To assess the information literacy skills of the farmers
§ To find out major problems encountered by the farmers when accessing information on
maize.
§ To suggest some effective measures to improve the overall situation of information
literacy of farmers in Inonge village.
RATIONALE
Information Literacy as already elaborated provides a fundamental opportunity not only to the
local farming communities but it also works as a platform for government to share with
farmers’ various news pertaining to agriculture [14,56,46]. The results of this study will
therefore be an important addition to the existing body of knowledge, particularly with regards
to rural and small-scale holder farmers. Consequently, the information will infiltrate in
influencing government policy especially that the bottom-up flow of agricultural information is
usually weak [5,17,37,42].
Furthermore, Information Literacy as a universally applicable concept benefits not only specific
targets in this case rural and small-scale farmers; in fact, it has potential to inform any
profession or field of study [22,38,19]. Thus far, the results of this research will be a useful
complement to the academic field, more so to the future researchers and those interested to
understand the challenges facing rural farmers in Zambia. Another important contribution of
this research study concerns the fulfilment of the researchers’ academic and personal
curiosities on the study topic.
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METHODOLOGY
Research Design
This research study employed the qualitative approach and was based on a social situation with
a view to improve the quality of action within the study area. The method was chosen because
it was appropriate for this Case study since the outcomes will generally increase knowledge,
understanding and improve practice among agriculture stakeholders [32,43,39,50].
Secondary data
Secondary data was collected from books and journals accessed from libraries such as the
University of Zambia (UNZA) library and other information centres, the internet and some
conversations with experts in the field of agriculture. Other sources included the Zambia
Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA), Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Zambia
Information Services (ZANIS) and the Zambia Meteorological Department. Information
collected included the types of information farmers needed and the types of media used to
access such information, information literacy skills of farmers, the major problems encountered
by farmers when accessing and using information and measures taken to control such
problems.
Primary data
Primary data was collected using the questionnaires with closed and open-ended questions.
This research made use of the open-ended questions in order to give respondents freedom to
express themselves when answering the questions. In case of those respondents who were
unable to read and write, the researchers administered the questions in person and recorded
their responses. For the Agriculturist, an in-depth interview guide was used. The interview
guide is interpersonal and allowed the researchers to establish understanding with the
respondent thereby getting detailed information. A list of questions on specific topics was
covered.
Study site and target population
This study was based on farm level data from small scale maize farmers in Inonge village of
Kazungula district in Southern Province. The study area comprised of one village (Inonge)
which is located in rural Zambia, over 400 kilometres south of the capital Lusaka. It has a land
mass of approximately 30 km2 and a population of over 120 households.
Inonge village was founded in 1940 by ten men and women who decided to branch off or
separate from the neighbouring Simukali village. One of the reasons of living Simukali village
was in search of a fertile land for farming and grazing land for their animals. Compared to other
neighbouring and far away villages, Inonge village is relatively smaller yet very productive in
terms of maize and keeping animals.
For many years now, when it is rain season, all the people in this village shift from their
permanent homes to where their fields are located where the land is fertile about 12km, and
only one or two people would remain per household to take care of the livestock. More than 90
percent of the crops grown in this area are maize varieties, which is the staple food of Zambia
and particularly in Southern province. Nevertheless, there are other crops grown and these
include groundnuts, sorghum and finger millet. From its inception, Inonge village was known
to be the highest producer of maize amongst the surrounding villages and was given different
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Mulele, S. C., Kanyamuna, C. S., Kanyamuna, L. M., & Kanyamuna, V. (2021). The Effect of Information Literacy on Maize Production: Case Study of
Small-Scale Farmers in Inonge Village, Kazungula District of Zambia. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 8(8). 208-229.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.88.10719
names such as ‘Kwa Uje’, ‘Kumakalanguzu’ and ‘Kumankolola’ among others. These are praising
names basically coming about as a result of the place being inhibited by strong and productive
people. To date, Inonge village continues to enjoy these names of good will despite the great
deterioration in maize production due to among other factors limited access to information on
how to cope up with drought and animal disease.
Target Groups and Sampling procedures
The target group consisted of the small-scale farmers in Inonge village where the research was
undertaken. These are the people who do the actual farming and whose information literacy
levels were explored. This target group was important to study because the respondents gave
information which was primary and consisted the main information required by the study. The
empirical data collected from this primary target group formed the basis of this study and
provided an insight to the study topic. Specifically, twenty (20) small scale farmers were
purposively sampled from the total number of village households and interviewed.
In addition, the second target group involved the Agricultural Extension Officer in charge of the
area based in Livingstone town. The office of the extension officer is an important one in that it
provides information literacy of technical in nature to the farmers of Inonge village and the
surrounding areas. The responsible officer collaborates with the local farmers through
information sharing and various extension works. The researcher deemed this person
resourceful for this research study.
The sampling technique employed in this research study was purposive sampling. This
involved a selection of respondents from the target population, which involved the village
households. This type of sampling was selected out of many types of sampling because the study
had specific characteristics needed for respondents, and these characteristics required that the
respondents should have been maize farmers of small-scale in nature.
Data analysis and interpretation
Data analysis was done after primary data was collected and organized. The answered
questionnaires were checked for uniformity, accuracy and completeness. The researcher
verified the data collected and grouped the open and closed ended questions separately. All
responses to the questions were read through and grouped according to responses by picking
similar ones and grouping them in one category and those not similar were also grouped in
different categories.
Further, the Ms-Excel software was suitable for this study to describe and analyse these data.
The analysed data was systematically presented using frequency tables and graphical
presentations.
Ethical considerations
In this research ethical issues considered included; respecting the culture of the respondents,
confidentiality and the findings of the research were presented as they were collected without
being doctored in any way. The political affiliations of the respondents were respected as well.
Ultimately, the research was conducted with the highest care and desire to produce results of
the highest credibility and reliability. Therefore, ethical considerations of any sort were given
high priority and commitment to safeguard the final findings. These aspects were managed with
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the aim to ensure the research results and recommendations have validity credibility with
potential to be replicated to other areas across the country’s farming communities.
Research Limitations
The study was conducted purely for academic and personal fulfilment purposes on a limited
scope and the findings would not be universally applied in explaining the impact of agricultural
information literacy on maize production. Financial constraints were another challenge faced,
making it difficult to reach out to some organisations and government ministries and
departments during data collection. However, triangulation of methods through use of various
literature assisted to find some useful information to enhance the research.
PRESENTATION OF FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS
This section presents the findings obtained from the field research. A total of 20 questionnaires
were used in this study. Of these, 19 questionnaires representing 95% were administered by
the researchers and one questionnaire accounting for 5% was self-administered to one
respondent. Responses were obtained from all the targeted respondents giving a 100%
response rate and the respondents who participated in the study comprised of both male and
female small-scale farmers.
Information on the sex of respondents
Table 1: Sex frequency distribution
Attributes No. of farmers Percentage
Sex Male 9 45
Female 11 55
Total 20 100
Figure 1: Sex Distribution
Information about the sample of respondents indicated that more women than men were
involved in agriculture. This could be attributed to increased numbers of women involved in
agriculture productivity world-wide and particularly in Africa where over 80 percent of
livelihoods are based on agricultural related activities. The other reason could be that in most
cases especially in a rural set up women are the ones involved in productive activities to ensure
that food is enough for their families. According to [33], a good number of women are in
informal employment such as small businesses and farming, meaning that unemployment is
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Mulele, S. C., Kanyamuna, C. S., Kanyamuna, L. M., & Kanyamuna, V. (2021). The Effect of Information Literacy on Maize Production: Case Study of
Small-Scale Farmers in Inonge Village, Kazungula District of Zambia. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 8(8). 208-229.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.88.10719
another factor that is making women to be more involved in farming. [35] have observed that
women in Less Developed Countries (LDCs) agrarian systems particularly in Africa and Asia
play a crucial role in agriculture production. They asserted that in Africa where subsistence is
predominant, nearly all tasks associated with subsistence food production about 70% or 80%
are performed by women. Generally men perform the initial task of cutting trees and bushes on
a potentially cultivable plot of land, women are responsible for all subsequent operations,
including removing and burning felled trees, sowing or planting the plot, weeding, harvesting,
and preparing the crop for storage or immediate consumption.
Age Distribution
Table 2: Age Frequency Distribution
Attributes No. of farmers Percentage
Age < or = 20 years 1 5
20-39 years 6 30
40-59 years 11 55
60 years and above 2 10
Total 20 100
Figure 2: Age Distribution of the respondents
On finding out about the age of the respondents, most of the respondents were between the
ages of forty (40) and fifty-nine (59), implying that there were more old people involved in
agriculture in Inonge village. The other reason could be rural-urban migration in which the
majority of the young people have migrated to urban areas to look for formal employment living
old men and women in farming. The age of the respondents was important because the study
was on the information literacy skills and its impact on maize production. The age could be a
factor in the sense that eldest people are not very much up to date with technology and may not
be interested in searching for new information.
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Level of education
Table 3: Level of Education frequency distribution
Attributes No. of farmers Percentage
Level of
education
Primary 13 65
Secondary 5 25
Tertiary 0 0
None of the above 2 10
Total 20 100
Figure 3: Level of Education of Respondents by percentage
The table and graph above shows that most of the farmers in Inonge village only attained
primary education. Concerning the relationship between sex and education attainment, the
study revealed that more males attended secondary school than females who are the majority
in agriculture. The level of education attainment of respondents was an important factor as it
had influence on respondents’ perceptions and attitudes towards searching for agricultural
information. It could be said that production levels in Inonge keeps on going down because of
high illiteracy levels in the area. It is easy to disseminate agricultural information to relatively
educated farmers as they will follow and apply better farming methods that would eventually
lead to good farming yields. It is therefore, imperative that farmers attain some level of
education for them to participate in the farming activities successfully.
Experience in farming
Table 4: Experience of respondents in farming
Attributes No. of farmers Percentage
Experience in
farming
5 years and less 2 10
6-10 years 3 15
11-15years 3 15
16 years and
above
12 60
Total 20 100
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Mulele, S. C., Kanyamuna, C. S., Kanyamuna, L. M., & Kanyamuna, V. (2021). The Effect of Information Literacy on Maize Production: Case Study of
Small-Scale Farmers in Inonge Village, Kazungula District of Zambia. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 8(8). 208-229.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.88.10719
Figure 4: Years of experience of respondents in farming by percentage
When asked how long farmers have been involved in farming, the study showed that most of
the farmers have been into farming for sixteen (16) years and above. This implies that it does
not matter how long one has been in farming, agricultural information is relevant to all farmers
in the world of technology. It could be concluded that farmers should be information literate
and skilled for them to access agricultural information such as modern farming techniques and
information on climate change which are necessary in maize production. There are changes in
rainfall patterns almost every year which can lead to low yields if the farmers are not aware of
the changes. Therefore, it could be said that Inonge village farmers are producing low yields
despite their long experience in maize farming because of changing climatic conditions which
comes with its new pests and diseases that consequently attack crops.
Information needs of farmers
Table 5: Information needs of respondents
Type of response Number of
respondents
Percentage
Seeds and Planting Material 15 75
Modern technology 12 60
Fertilizer management (organic and
chemical)
10 50
Diseases and pest management 9 45
Marketing information 7 35
Weather information 7 35
Storage of crops 6 30
Others 4 20
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Figure 5: Information needs of respondents distribution by percentage
When farmers were asked to list the types of information they needed in Inonge village to do
their farming, the table and graph above show various categories of information farmers
indicated. The majority indicated that they needed information on seeds and planting materials,
Modern technology, Fertilizer management (organic and chemical), Diseases and pest
management, Marketing information, Weather information, Storage of crops and others. Each
respondent listed as many as possible the information they needed in their maize production.
The findings of this research are in line with [4,54,44,59] who argued that farmers need various
types of information such as information on modern cultivation system, seeds and planting
materials, diseases and pest management, manure and fertilizer management, weather
information, soil and water conservation, irrigation, government schemes on agriculture, post- harvest techniques, market information, weeding and Storage of crops. The results of an
interview with an agriculturalist revealed that farmers need different types of information such
as climate change which can give insight on the weather pattern and what crops should be
planted in case of drought. A farmer with information literacy skills would access the required
information and use it appropriately hence, improvement in productivity and production.
These results entail that agricultural information has a bearing on the production of maize.
Media and tools for accessing agricultural information
Table 6: Media and tools for accessing agricultural information distribution
Type of response Number of
respondents
percentage
Agriculture Extension officers 9 45
Television and radio 5 25
Community leaders 3 15
Others 3 15
Total 20 100
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Seeds and Planting...
Modern technology
Fertilizer management
Disease and Pest...
Market information
Weather information
Storage of crops
Others
Information Needs of Farmers
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Mulele, S. C., Kanyamuna, C. S., Kanyamuna, L. M., & Kanyamuna, V. (2021). The Effect of Information Literacy on Maize Production: Case Study of
Small-Scale Farmers in Inonge Village, Kazungula District of Zambia. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 8(8). 208-229.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.88.10719
Figure 6: Media of accessing agricultural information
Farmers were asked to state the media or tool they use to get agricultural information and the
majority indicated that they got agricultural information from the extension officers. While
others stated that they got agricultural information through television and radio, community
leaders and others media. These results entails that farmers are only accessing information
using audio-visual media, which could mean that farmers shunned electronic and printed
materials due to low levels of education.
The agriculturist confirmed that they could only disseminate information through open
community meetings, workshops and trainings. The findings agree with [7,1,37,48] who
observed that farmers lacked computer skills and he asserted that computer skills are a must
for farmers to compete in today’s marketplace and in the world of information age. These
findings could be also likened to [28,40,12] study results who discovered that one-on-one and
personalized communications were preferred by farmers, and any electronic information was
not welcomed by farmers because they were not able to read and apply the knowledge
acquired. The results of this research entails that farmers in Inonge village are limited in their
information search because they are not able to use other Medias to access, process and
transmit information especially computer technology.
Places where to access agricultural information
Table 7: Places where to access agricultural information from
Places of access to information Number of
respondents
Percentages
Govt. Agricultural information
centre
0 0
Community information centre 0 0
Library 0 0
None of the above 19 95
Others 1 5
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Figure 7: Places where respondents access agricultural information
When farmers were asked to tick information centres found in Inonge village, a good number
of them indicated that there was no information centre of any kind, not even a library in the
area. The finding of this research could entail that, maize production has deteriorated over the
years due to lack of agricultural information centres where farmers could get information. The
changes in the onset and cessation of rain have negative impact on maize production over the
years and this pose a serious threat to household food security since maize is the staple food of
most Zambians. Consequently, effective and efficient agricultural information centres should
be promoted to prepare stakeholders in maize production systems to enhance their resilience
and flexibility. The provision of agricultural information centres in the area would improve the
poor information seeking patterns among farmers and eventually increase maize production.
Skills in using information tools
Table 8: Skills in using information tools
Skills in using information tools Number of
respondents
percentage
s
Using mobile phone to communicate 16 80
Using internet 0 0
Using computer, multimedia & AV equipment 4 20
Retrieving information from online 0 0
Total 20 100
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Govt.
Agricultural
information
centre
Community
information
centre
Library None of the
above
Others
Number of Respondents by Percentage
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Mulele, S. C., Kanyamuna, C. S., Kanyamuna, L. M., & Kanyamuna, V. (2021). The Effect of Information Literacy on Maize Production: Case Study of
Small-Scale Farmers in Inonge Village, Kazungula District of Zambia. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 8(8). 208-229.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.88.10719
Figure 8: Information literacy skills of farmers
With regards to the information literacy skills, farmers were asked to tick the information tools
they were able to use without problems. Most of the farmers indicated that they were able to
use mobile phones to communicate and few were able to use computer, multimedia and AV
equipment to access information. The above findings could entail that the availability of
information online does not matter, what matters is whether farmers have the skills to retrieve
the right information and use it appropriately. The majority farmers in Inonge village are not
able to use computers to access agricultural information. The results concur with [17,46,21,52]
who argued that the flow of information is incomplete because the farmers cannot access this
information because it is published online and most farmers do not know how to search for
information because their skills are poor. The results entails that agricultural information could
be available but farmers are not able to use the tools at their disposal to get information on how
to improve their maize production.
Modern agriculture techniques used in farming
Table 9: Modern agriculture techniques used in farming
Modern techniques No of respondents percentages
Improved seeds 8 40
Not used any modern agriculture techniques 6 30
Modern agriculture equipment and technology 3 15
Others 3 15
Total 20 100
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Using mobile
phone to
communicate
Using internet Using computer,
multimedia & AV
equipment
Retrieving
information from
online
Skills by Percentage
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Figure 9: Modern agriculture techniques used in farming
When finding out about the modern techniques farmers used, the study revealed that a good
number of farmers used improved seeds, amid those who did not use any modern agriculture
technique. A few also indicated that they used modern agricultural equipment and other
technologies. The study revealed that some respondents were informed on the benefits of using
improved seeds. The relationship between education and the use of improved farming
techniques, the study revealed that most of those who practised new techniques were those
who attained secondary level of education.
The agriculturist admitted that farmers do not use spraying machines and portable trailers and
neither do they use effective pesticides, mechanized land preparation nor gloves when dealing
with DDT despite providing information to them. These results are in line with [30] who
asserted that there is a huge knowledge gap between what is demonstrated at experimental
farms and what is actually practiced by farmers in their fields. Even when farmers are aware
about the effects of some pesticides they do not protect themselves by using gloves. This could
be attributed to widespread illiteracy as a major factor for lack of use of agricultural
information.
Farmers’ satisfaction in getting agricultural information
Table 10: Farmers’ satisfaction in getting agricultural information
Satisfaction Number of
respondents
percentages
Satisfied 2 10
Not satisfied 18 90
Total 40 100
40%
30%
15%
15%
Use of Modern Techniques by Percentage
Improved seeds
Not used any modern agriculture techniques
Modern agriculture equipment and technology
Others
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Mulele, S. C., Kanyamuna, C. S., Kanyamuna, L. M., & Kanyamuna, V. (2021). The Effect of Information Literacy on Maize Production: Case Study of
Small-Scale Farmers in Inonge Village, Kazungula District of Zambia. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 8(8). 208-229.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.88.10719
Figure 10: Farmers’ satisfaction in getting agricultural information
When finding out whether respondents were satisfied in getting agricultural information,
almost all the farmers indicated that they were not satisfied. The agriculturist explained that
they only provided information to farmers once every year due to inadequate funding from
government. This scenario could be among the various reasons behind poor or low agricultural
productivity among the farmers in Inonge village. Therefore, it is in this regard that it could be
concluded that for agricultural information to be effective and of good use to small-scale
farmers in Inonge village, it must be delivered to them on a regular basis and at appropriate
times. This could entail that maize production in Inonge village has gone done because of lack
of agricultural information provided to them or the high levels of illiteracy in the area.
Major problems encountered in accessing agricultural information
Table 11: Major problems encountered in accessing agricultural information
Problems Frequency percentages
High rate of illiteracy 7 35
Inadequate contact to extension agents 3 15
Language barrier 4 20
Bad TV & Radio reception 6 30
Total 20 100
Figure 11: Major problems encountered in accessing agricultural information
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When finding out the problems small scale farmers faced in accessing or obtaining agricultural
information in Inonge village, the study revealed that most of the farmers had problems with
reading and writing (high levels of illiteracy. This study also pointed out language barrier as
another hindrance to accessing agricultural information. Most of agricultural information is
published in English language and in inappropriate formats in some instances. Those farmers
who owned radios and television sets faced a problem of poor receptivity.
Some farmers indicated that inadequate contact to extension agents, as it has already been
alluded to receive information once a year, and therefore Extension Agents and specialists
should expand their role in building relationships with farmers. When looking at the
relationship between education and problems faced in accessing agricultural information, more
than 60 percent of farmers who did not attain any education and those who only attained
primary education faced problems of language. The study findings showed that there is a
significant relationship between education levels and problems faced by farmers. Therefore, it
could be said that vast majority of agricultural producers are not educated, which makes it
difficult to disseminate agricultural information as farmers may not follow or apply extension
methods eventually leading to poor farming yields and long term productivity.
Interventions to solve the problems
Table 12: Interventions to solve the problems
Types of responses Number of
respondents
Percentage
Extension officers reintroduced 10 50
Farming information should be
Tonga
3 15
Improve TV & Radio reception 4 20
Others 3 15
Total 20 100
Figure 12: Interventions to solve the problems
When finding out the interventions to the problems identified in table 11 above, most of the
farmers suggested as shown in Table 12 that agricultural extension officers should be
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Mulele, S. C., Kanyamuna, C. S., Kanyamuna, L. M., & Kanyamuna, V. (2021). The Effect of Information Literacy on Maize Production: Case Study of
Small-Scale Farmers in Inonge Village, Kazungula District of Zambia. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 8(8). 208-229.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.88.10719
reintroduced with the view to give technical advices to farmers in the area, they emphasized on
the regular provision of agricultural information. Most of the farmers suggested in addition that
any agricultural information should be published in their local language which is Toka (a Tonga
dialect) and that the radio and TV receptions should be improved. On the high levels of
illiteracy, farmers suggested that their information literate can improve if education was done
on the basis of one-on-one and face-to-face educational delivery arrangements.
CONCLUSION
This paper has presented findings of a field study undertaken in Inonge Village located in
Kazungula District of Southern Province on the subject of the impact of information literacy on
maize production. Information is a vital resource for all socio-economic activities and there is
no such field of human endeavour where information is not a key component. According to this
study, information literacy has an impact on maize production. This is so because findings
revealed that once farmers’ various types of information for farming are met, there is a
possibility that maize yields would be high. The information required ranged from information
on seeds and planting materials, Modern technology, Fertilizer management, Diseases and pest
management, Marketing information, Weather information, Storage of crops and government
schemes. The findings revealed that this information was not provided timely and regularly and
this could be the reason why maize production is deteriorating in Inonge village.
In Inonge village, farmers could only get information from the agriculture extension officers,
community leaders, radio and TV programmes and were not able to get information from
online, books, encyclopaedia and other information sources. The problem perhaps has been
worsened by lack of community information centres were they could access agricultural
information.
The negative impact of information literacy on maize production is felt when farmers fail to use
modern techniques in agriculture because of illiteracy and lack of information literacy skills
hence, low yields. Information literacy impact on maize production positively in the sense that,
informed farmers make right decisions in terms of seeds planted, right application of fertilisers,
crop maintenance, pests and disease control leading to high yields. Therefore, there is a need
for extension agents to lay more emphasis on sustainable practices and also to disseminate
information to farmers and address their needs properly. Based on the prevailing situation,
improvement of overall information literacy of farmers in Inonge village is basic.
Therefore, Small-scale farmers in Inonge village in this information age need to be information
literate if they are to make use of modern technology, interpret market signals, remain
competitive and increase their production.
RECOMMENDATIONS
From the research findings, the following recommendations at policy, practice and research
levels should be taken into account so as to improve the information literacy of farmers and
ensure food security in Inonge village particularly and the country at large.
At Policy level
The government through the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock should come up with
educational programs designed for farmers so that they could improve their information
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literacy skills and access to agricultural information easily. The Ministry should ensure that
farmers receive adequate training by the agricultural extension agents on regular basis. For
this, extension agents who are professionally trained for information dissemination to farmers
should be sent to the villages frequently or better still become residents to these productive
locations.
Governments should take proper initiatives to encourage and assist farmers, increase
agricultural education among youth in rural areas and make agriculture an attractive and
economically viable option for them to improving food security and livelihoods.
The government should ensure that all information providers reach the rural areas by
providing necessary infrastructure such as good road network, libraries, community
information centres, rural electrification and other internet facilities to small-scale farmers.
Development of rural electrification is required in order to render modern agricultural
information services or facilities to farmers on a door to door basis.
At Practice level
Government through the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock should assist farmers by
considering granting incentives and assistance to the agricultural sub-sector and to the farmers
in form of credit as these would enable them take action to use sustainable agricultural
practices.
Adult literacy programs are required to help the farmers acquire basic skills and abilities to
seek and receive needed agricultural information through modern communication channels.
Joint training and information literacy awareness programs between the government,
organization and foreign research institutes should be promoted to strengthen farmers’
capability in the production system. There is a need to broadcast agricultural information on
radio and television frequently, in local languages, to enable the illiterate farmers understand
and apply the innovations.
Community outreach programmes should equally be organized and used to disseminate
information that would aid the socio-economic, political and general enlightenment of the rural
farmers. Finally, and probably the most urgent effort is for local leaders in Inonge village and
surrounding areas to structure their communities into functional cooperatives and farmer
groups to institutionalize agricultural information sharing. Through these groupings,
sustainability of information sharing and practice become possible and intergenerational.
At Research level
The government must through funded research seek and accommodate research needs of small
farmers, moving away from the agricultural research agendas that are mainly set with an
orientation to the wishes of commercial farmers. This applies just as much to weather patterns,
seed varieties, pesticides and disease control and marketing research.
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