| dc.description.abstract | Over the years, traditional agricultural extension systems have been integrated with mobile
extension technologies. This study aimed to examine the utilisation of mobile agricultural
extension services for household agricultural livelihood improvement in south-central Uganda.
Using the capability approach and actor-oriented perspectives, I assessed the socio-economic
context of households, the effectiveness of mobile extension services in addressing household
agricultural extension needs, examined the socio-economic factors affecting the utilisation of
mobile agricultural extension services, and the perceived livelihood outcomes. A convergent
mixed-methods research design was used, combining the survey and qualitative approaches. Data
was collected from 390 households, nine key informants and seven focus group discussion
participants. Study results show that most households live in precarious conditions due to limited
access to and ownership of economic resources and livelihood assets. Using personal, social and
environmental resources, Village Enterprise Agents as lay extension workers leveraged the Kulima
mobile platform to disseminate agronomic, climate change mitigation, market and financial
services information. Expected economic benefits, social influence, perceived ease of use and
usefulness of mobile platforms were key drivers for utilisation. As a result, utilisation of mobile
agricultural extension services resulted in perceived economic, social and human livelihood
outcomes. However, mobile extension services were hampered by structural challenges such as
the proliferation of uncoordinated extension platforms and technology malfunctioning. Thus,
mobile extension initiatives should be strengthened, translate agricultural extension information
into indigenous languages, ensure effective harmonisation of extension providers, and quality
assurance of extension delivery methods and content packages. | en_US |
