Intention to participate in smartphone-based data collection: the case of smallholder farmers in Uganda

Abstract

Smartphone technology is increasingly being used to conduct surveys, including in low-income countries where the timely collection of socio-economic data is of great importance. This study investigated the intention of Ugandan smallholder farmers to participate in smartphone-based data collection (SPDC). The data was collected through a cross-sectional survey of 306 smallholder farmers. The results show that the willingness of farmers to participate in SPDC is high. The intention to participate in SPDC is directly influenced by attitude, subjective norms and perceived enjoyment. Indirect influences are perceived usefulness, perceived trustworthiness and perceived cost through their effects on attitude. Similarly, perceived ease of use indirectly influences intention through its effects on perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment. Statistically significant differences were found in terms of age, gender, mobile phone ownership and education. These results show the great potential of SPDC for data collection in Uganda for researchers, policy makers, agribusinesses and stakeholders.