Digital Access among New Shea Farming Entrants in Ghana

Richard Boateng, John Serbe Marfo, Sheena Lovia Boateng, Obed Kwame Adzaku Penu, Pasty Asamoah

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

This chapter seeks to assess the digital device adoption and use behavior among new entrants in the shea value chain. In northern Ghana, shea is a crucial resource for sustaining livelihoods and ensuring food security. The contribution of shea to the income and food security of collectors is reported to be about 21%, and this could be more for some livelihoods. New shea farming entrants refer to shea workers with 5 or fewer years of practice or experience in shea farming. Among the 540 respondents studied, there are more females (over 98%) as new entrants than males. From the device adoption perspective, about 88% own or have access to feature phones. Educated new shea farming entrants dominate those who own or have access to feature phones (89%). However, most of the new farmers do not own or have access to smartphones. Affordability remains the primary reason for the non-adoption, and digital skills literacy is a primary need for all new shea entrants. Improving access to affordable digital devices is a must. There is a need to train them to operate devices with minimal assistance and also to identify and use specific functions and applications which are beneficial to their shea activities. For the not-educated, basic skills training in writing, reading, and numeracy are needed to enhance their capacity to leverage digital devices and services.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationEmpowering Women in the Digital Economy
Subtitle of host publicationA Quest for Meaningful Connectivity and Access in Developing Countries
PublisherTaylor and Francis
Pages131-152
Number of pages22
ISBN (Electronic)9781000933345
ISBN (Print)9781032298504
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2023
Externally publishedYes

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