EFFECTIVENESS OF MOBILE PHONE IN IMPROVING SOCIOECONOMIC CONDITION OF THE WOMEN FARMERS

Abstract

The purposes of this study were to measure the effectiveness of mobile phone in improving their socio-economic condition, to explore the relationship between each of the selected characteristics of the women farmers and effectiveness of mobile phone in improving their socio-economic condition and to identify different constraints that might reduce the effectiveness of the mobile phone in improving their socio-economic condition. The study was conducted in Tepa Kharibari union (Dakkhin kharibari village) of Dimla Upazila under Nilphamari district. A sample of 85 women farmers (around 50 percent) out of 170 was selected by following simple random sampling method for this study. Data were collected by an interview schedule during 10 February to 10 March 2018. Besides the usual descriptive statistical parameter, Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (r) was used for the statistical analysis. Majority (45.9 percent) of the women farmers opined medium effectiveness of mobile phone in improving socio-economic condition while 36.5 percent of the women farmers given responses as low effectiveness and only 17.6 percent opined high effectiveness of mobile phone in improving socio-economic condition. Effectiveness of individual items rank order was made based on Cumulative Effectiveness Score (CES). The statement ‘Increase the overall income’ obtained the highest score (CES=213) and thus, considered the 1st ranked socio-economic condition according to effectiveness of mobile phone for its improvement. The statement ‘Arbitration in family quarrel of neighbors and relatives’ obtained the last ranked (15th) socio-economic statement in the rank table with CES value of 105 in which effectiveness of mobile phone is least for its improvement. Among the ten characteristics of the women farmer’s age, savings, extension media contact, training received and aspiration showed significant positive relationship with the effectiveness of mobile phone in improving their socio-economic condition, while education, family size, annual income, farm size and credit received had no significant relationships. ‘Lack of knowledge about handling of mobile phone’ (64.70 percent) emerged as the most important constraints opined by the women farmers. The least (25.5 percent) perceived barrier mentioned by the women farmer was ‘Network problem of cell phone operators’.