Use of information and communication technology in agricultural area: Example of Adana province

The 21st century we are in can be called the "information age". We can reach the information we need in every sector through communication tools. Communication tools are also important in many issues in the agricultural sector. Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are used to learn about market prices, to reach the market, to market products more quickly and easily, to communicate with traders and intermediaries, to get information on vegetable and animal matters. For this reason, as individuals benefit from ICT tools, their usage rates will also increase. Thus, the income of the farmers who has access to the information faster will increase and the national income will increase accordingly. Although there are difficulties in clear measurement, the contribution of ICT to rural development cannot be ignored. In this study, the usage levels of ICT of the farmers living in rural areas of Adana province, the conditions affecting their use and the usefulness levels of these situations were examined. Enterprises are divided into small, medium and large according to their land size and comparative analysis has been made. In addition, 6 different Ordered Probit Analysis results were presented according to the status of getting various agricultural information from the internet and their usefulness levels. As a result of face-to-face surveys and analyzes conducted with 150 farmers, it is among the results that individuals want to access agricultural information more on the internet as they find the information they receive from the internet useful. As farmers' incomes increase, their possibility to engage in agricultural activities using the internet increases. In addition, it has been observed that as the age increases, the benefit individuals receive from the internet decreases. While a significant result was found between the education level and the size of the enterprise, the biggest problem in farmers' internet use was determined as the lack of foreign languages. The decrease in home telephone subscription and the rapid increase in mobile phone use in turn enable individuals to access information more quickly and effectively. One of the inevitable consequences of the penetration of ICT tools into our lives day by day is that our current living conditions are getting better than in the past. The study showed that individuals' awareness and knowledge of education, law and health issues have increased compared to the past.