Impact of Mobile Phone Use on Agricultural Market Information Access in Ogun State

This study examines the impact of mobile phone use on agricultural market information access and price realisation among farmers in Ogun State, South West Nigeria. Mobile phone penetration among Nigerian farmers has grown dramatically in recent years, and agricultural economists have increasingly recognised mobile phones as a low-cost mechanism for improving farmer market information access and reducing price discovery costs. Ogun State's farming communities, with their proximity to Lagos metropolitan markets, provide a useful context for assessing mobile phone-market information linkages. This study uses a quasi-experimental design, comparing market information access and price outcomes between 180 active mobile phone-using farmers and 120 non-mobile phone-using farmers in Abeokuta South, Ewekoro, and Ijebu East local government areas. Mobile phone use is assessed by call frequency to traders, price checking behaviour, and use of agricultural information platforms. Price realisation is measured as the ratio of price received to prevailing wholesale market price. Findings reveal that mobile phone-using farmers receive prices averaging 14 percent higher than non-users, attributable to improved ability to compare buyer offers, negotiate, and choose market channels based on up-to-date price information. The effect is strongest for perishable produce including vegetables and fruits. The study concludes that mobile phone use is a cost-effective market information tool for Ogun State farmers. It recommends agricultural price information services via SMS and WhatsApp delivery.

Keywords: mobile phones, market information, agricultural prices, Ogun State, digital extension.