ABSTRACT
The role of mobile phones in reducing agricultural information gaps and improving access to wide range of services cannot be underestimated. While climate change poses a serious threat to crop production, mobile phones have steadily been used to provide a solution by facilitating sharing of real time information and enhancing virtual networks beneficial to farmers. However, there is still low application of mobile phone in horticulture. This study analyzed the factors influencing the use of mobile phones on climate-smart horticulture. The study surveyed 403 tomato and green gram farmers randomly drawn from three sub-counties (Wundanyi, Mwatate and Taveta) in Taita-Taveta County. A binary logit model was applied to analyze the factors influencing mobile phone use on climate-smart horticulture. The results showed that gender, trust on the information received through mobile phone, access to electric power (solar and hydro-electricity) and access to credit improved mobile phone use on climatesmart horticulture while farmer’s age exhibited negative influence. National and County governments should partner with local telecommunication service providers and other agricultural stakeholders to educate farmers and extension agents on mobile phone use on farming and develop a mobile phone digital platform that would provide real time and credible weather, agronomic, market and price information.
Key words: Mobile phone, climate-smart, binary logit, influence, digital platform