Exploring Cereal Smallholders’ Adoption of Mobile Phones for Marketing in Quang Dien District of Vietnam

Abstract

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) enable smallholders in developing countries access to timely and reliable agricultural market information, allowing them to make viable decisions and hence improve their income. This research investigates factors that shape the Vietnamese smallholders’ adoption of mobile phones for marketing. A random sample of 161 smallholders was drawn from a total of 275 smallholders who produced and marketed cereals in Quang Dien district of Vietnam. Descriptive statistics, inferential statistics and a binary logistic regression model were applied to analyse the data. The research found that the young male smallholders with a higher education level, who live far from an electricity base, have high income, participate in credit programs and who are members of CBOs, have a greater tendency to adopt mobile phones for marketing. Lack of knowledge/skills to use applications on mobile phones, together with language barriers and mobile phone network problems are hindering smallholder adoption of mobile phones for marketing.