International Journal of Research and Review DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijrr.20210820 Vol.8; Issue: 8; August 2021 Website: www.ijrrjournal.com Research Paper E-ISSN: 2349-9788; P-ISSN: 2454-2237 Socioeconomic Determinants of Farmers using Social Network in Advancing Agribusiness in Anambra State, Nigeria Ekeke, N.C1, Isibor, C.A.2, Nkamigbo, D.C.3 1,2,3 Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, Faculty of Agriculture, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria. Corresponding Author: Nkamigbo, D.C. ABSTRACT the main constraints affecting agribusiness. Measures will be taken by appropriate The study examined socioeconomic authorities to reduce the tariff of data in determinants of farmers’ using social network in accessing social network. Farmers should be advancing agribusiness in Anambra State, trained more on the use of social network to Nigeria. Specifically, it described the socio- advance their produce to the world. Network economic characteristics of the respondents, providers should of necessity improve their identified various social networks available and services to enable social network users to be level of usage among the respondents, effective. determined the influence of socio-economic factors on net marketing income among the Keywords: Determinants, Social network, respondents and identified the challenges of Agribusiness social network in advancing agribusiness by the respondents. Multi-stage, purposive and simple INTRODUCTION random methods were used to select one Agriculture is an engine room for hundred and sixty respondents for the study. sustaining growth of Nigeria economy and Data were collected from primary source. still remains the mainstay of our economy Primary data were collected using structured by providing food for the teeming questionnaire. Collected data were analyzed by means of descriptive statistics, and multiple population, creates jobs as well as wealth, regression techniques. From the result, findings raw material for the industrial sector and on the socioeconomic characteristics showed foreign earnings (Isibor and Nkamigbo, that farmers are relatively young, energetic, are 2019). Agriculture is one of the affective in computer age and able to use phone and other ways to alleviate hunger, poverty and devices to advance agribusiness in their area and remained one of the top and widely beyond for optimum profit. Farmers are profitable business sector (Amungwa and educated, married and there is male dominance Baye, 2014 and Idu, Ajah, Alabi and Nnaji, in the use of social network in advancing 2021). Over the years, agriculture has agribusiness in the study area. The result evolved from subsistence to modern showed that WhatsApp, Facebook, You Tube agriculture, whereby farmers are involved in and messenger were mostly used in advancing agribusiness in the study. Marital status, the business of agriculture. Agribusiness is education, household size, means of delivery the business sector encompassing farming and marketing cost influenced net marketing and farming-related commercial activities. It income earned by the respondents. involves all the steps required to send Lack of awareness, poor assessment of social agricultural produce from the farm to the network and costly charge of data when consumer. Agribusiness is encompassing as accessing the social network were perceived as it covers all aspects of commercial International Journal of Research and Review (ijrrjournal.com) 138 Vol.8; Issue: 8; August 2021 Ekeke, N.C et.al. Socioeconomic determinants of farmers using social network in advancing agribusiness in Anambra state, Nigeria. agriculture. In the past few years, policies which are specifically tailored to suit some have been put in place to ensure the rapid projects. growth and development of the Nigerian Agricultural business includes all the agribusiness sector. However in Agriculture, activities within the agricultural food and the use of Social network has become a natural resource industries that are involve powerful tool that connects millions of in the production of food and fiber. people globally from the comfort of our Individual agribusiness may sell items to homes, social network is revolutionizing the farmers for production, provide service to way business is carried out, bringing new other agricultural business or be engaged in ways of communication and exchange of the marketing, transporting, processing and information across the globe. Social distribution of agricultural products network is now a mainstream form of (Saunders, 2012). In Nigeria, Agribusiness communication around the world, and provides people with food, clothing and continues to grow in popularity with the shelter. It helps in Nigeria economy by increase in the number of smart phones, and providing jobs for millions of people in the ease of use (Kipkurgat, Michael and science, research, engineering, education, Silas, 2016). Social network is different advertisement, government agencies, trade from social media. Social network is a organizations and commodity. In platform for communicating with one Agricultural business activities, social another. network cannot be left behind to achieve Guarino (2012) opined that social agricultural development. The use of social network is a medium for interaction using network in agricultural business is communication technologies that is mostly increasing rapidly nowadays. Many service internet based and involves participatory provider companies are giving better and user generated content. (Balkrishna and facilities to the farmers (Mburu, 2013). Deshmukh, 2017) viewed social network as There are needs for dynamism in web-based services that allow individuals to agricultural sector in Nigeria, especially in (1) construct a public or semi-public profile Anambra State. Nigeria has a total land area within a bounded system, (2) articulate a list of 82 million arable hectares out of its total of other users with whom they share a land area of 91 million hectares. There are connection, and (3) view and traverse their hundreds of different food crops like maize, list of connections and those made by others yam, millet, beans and potatoes that are within the system. The nature and being produced by Nigerians farmers each nomenclature of these connections may vary year. However, their output is not enough to from site to site. Social network increases meet the nations demand. Also, Nigerian two way communications. Farmers are population is increasing rapidly and there is using social network because it has ability need for effective communication through to connect with farmers, agribusiness and networking and information (Mudiwa, agricultural experts over a geographical 2017) distance. Up to certain extent, social network in agricultural marketing provides MATERIAL AND METHODS solutions to the agribusiness problems The study was carried out in (Balkrishna and Deshmukh, 2017). Anambra State. Anambra is a state in According to (Amade, 2017), social southeastern Nigeria. The Sate is known for network is usually adjudged as a major production and marketing of several raw external platform consisting of such tools as materials and agro products in different Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, parts of the state. Some of the crops produce Messenger, Wichteh, Google Plus, and marketed in the state include oil palm, WhatsApp, However, a handful of internal maize, rice, yam, groundnut, cassava, garri, social platforms exist within organizations cucumber, watermelon, melon, potato, International Journal of Research and Review (ijrrjournal.com) 139 Vol.8; Issue: 8; August 2021 Ekeke, N.C et.al. Socioeconomic determinants of farmers using social network in advancing agribusiness in Anambra state, Nigeria. greenbeans (akidi), pigeon pea, soyabean ranges from 1400 mm in the North to2500 and livestock such as fish, goat, sheep, mm in the South with temperature of 25oC poultry and cattle are also raised. It is an – 35OC. agrarian state with high crop production and Population of the Study marketing activities. It is situated on a The population of the study was the generally low elevation on the eastern side entire registered farmers in the State. of the river Niger, sharing boundaries with According to Anambra State Agricultural Delta State to the west Imo, Abia and Rivers Development Programme, the State have States to the south, Enugu state to the East over (120401) one hundred and twenty and Kogi State to the North. The state thousand, four hundred and one registered occupies an area of about 4,844km2. farmers that have access to modern social Geographically, the state lies within networks. longitude 50551 and 60421N. Sampling techniques The population of the state is A multi-stage sampling procedure 4,182,232 with 863 sqkm density (NPC, was used to select respondents for the study. 2006). The state has several daily markets Stage1: Two Agricultural zones namely both in the rural and urban areas where Aguata and Onitsha zones were purposively agricultural products are sold. It consists of selected due to high activity of farming twenty-one (21) Local government areas operations and dense populations that can (LGAs) and four agricultural zones namely generate disposable farm produce and profit. Awka (Awka North, Awka South, Stage II: Two blocks were randomly Dunukofia, Njikoka, Aniocha), Aguata selected from each zone making it a total of (Orumba south, Orumba North, Aguata, 4 blocks (Orumba North, Orumba South, Nnewi North, Nnewi South), Onitsha Ogbaru and Ekwusigo)