Social media utilization level among South African smallholder farmers: a case study of Mopani District, Limpopo Province

This study assessed the use of social media among smallholder farmers using the Mopani district, Limpopo, in South Africa, as a case study. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain information from 383 randomly sampled smallholder farmers in the study area. Data were analyzed with SPSS version 28 and STATA version 14 using descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression analysis. The findings revealed that most farmers had positive perceptions of the benefits and ease of using social media platforms. However, the usage of social media platforms is still low, especially for agricultural purposes, as most farmers are yet to leverage the potential benefits of using social media for marketing, advertising and facilitating linkages with extension agents and other agricultural institutions. The multiple linear regression model revealed that farmers' age, educational qualification, frequency of visits to other locations, perceived benefit index, constraint index and secondary occupation were significant factors influencing the usage of social media in the study area. The study recommends that the government should facilitate social media platforms' cost subsidization policies to promote inclusive technology for smallholder farmers. In addition, extension organizations and other rural advisory service stakeholders should package capacity-building programs to educate farmers on maximizing the benefits of social media platforms for agricultural purposes. This will greatly improve their access to vital and timely information, resources, and linkage with extension agencies, and expand opportunities for marketing their farm produce to more profitable outlets beyond the farm gate.