Therefore, the characteristics of good information sources are relevance,timeliness, accuracy, accessibility, cost effectiveness, reliability, usability, exhaustiveness and aggregation levels (Feather & Sturges, 2003). Oladele (1999) stresses that the efficiency of technologies generated and disseminated depend on effective communication which is the key process of information dissemination.Therefore, it is expected that the message from the client should be passed back to the source or researchers for the communication process to be complete.Despite the attempts at technological innovation transfer, the wide gap between the levels of production which research contends is attainable and that which farmers achieve, suggests a missing link (Oladele, 1999). What is more, weak linkages between the farmer, extension workers and researchers mean that farmers are not included in the planning of the innovation, hence they do not know where to get information despite the fact that they are the end users.It is imperative therefore to identify the sources of agricultural information.
Opara (2008) investigated the overall sources of agricultural information available to farmers in Imo State (Nigeria), hydroponic channel as well as the farmers’ preferred sources. The study revealed that 88.1% of the farmers’ source of agricultural information was through extension agents. Similarly, Ozowa (2008) shows that among all the existing channels of communication, Nigerian farmers ranked extension workers the highest in providing credible information and advice. The investigation was carried out on small farmers in Imo state, Nigeria.Mokotjo & Kalusopa (2010) found out that print sources are among the sources of information to farmers in Lesotho. Their study revealed that though most of the farmers have acquired primary education, the agricultural information delivered to them is written in local languages. This enables them to utilize the information effectively. It also demonstrates the high literacy level in Lesotho and according to the literacy rate in Africa, Lesotho occupies the seventh position with a literacy rate of 84.80% (Aneki, 2012) . However, only 13% out of61.7% of the farmers in Lesotho are of the view that prints media is one of the appropriate technologies to disseminate information. However, Lwoga, Stilwell& Ngulube (2011) significantly differ from Mokotjo & Kalusopa (2010). For them, print materials have low usage due to their unavailability and illiteracy levels of most of the farmers in Tanzania.Mass media also provides support for the growing involvement of farmers/producers and their organizations in the information dissemination arena.
The rapid development of information technologies has profoundly changed the media landscape in African countries. Information and Communication Technology(ICT) is a term that combines computer and telecommunications technology in handling, acquiring, processing, storing and disseminating information(Chauhan, 2009; and Malhan, 2007) . Information and Communication Technology is a general or an all-inclusive term that embraces all those technologies that are employed in collecting, storing, organizing and communicating information in various forms (Chisita, 2010) . ICT can become a keyenabler of the agricultural-food sector by making dynamic and real time global level exchange of data. As stated by Rao (2009: p. 492) , “Effective deployment of ICT can lead to increase in agricultural competitiveness through cuts in production and transaction costs, raising production efficiencies and farm incomes,hydroponic dutch buckets conserving natural resources, and by providing more information, choice and value to stakeholders”. In using ICT successfully to support farmers and rural communities, the first step is to empower farming communities to define their own needs (Ballantyne, 2009: p. 356) . With wider access to and use of ICT, the potentials of opening up of communication as well as sharing information would be enhanced so as to assist farmers, researchers, extension workers and policy makers. It will also narrow the information gap that exists between farmers and the researchers because there will be a feedback (Ballantyne, 2009).Similarly, Renwick (2010) , pointed out that most of the small island nations are above the 100% or with some over 200% mobile phone penetration mark.This implies that many people had more than one cell phone and over 100% of the farmers used cell phones to receive agricultural information.