Do Mobile Agricultural Technologies Improve Crop Productivity? Evidence from Smallholder Farmers in Nigeria

Do Mobile Agricultural Technologies Improve Crop Productivity? Evidence from Smallholder Farmers in Nigeria | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Do Mobile Agricultural Technologies Improve Crop Productivity? Evidence from Smallholder Farmers in Nigeria Abioye D. O, D.A Fadare, S. Omitoyin, Ogunniyi A. I, P. Olinya, and 3 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6640957/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 16 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This paper examines the effectiveness of mobile agricultural tools in improving crop yields among smallholder farmers in Nigeria. Using primary data collected from 795 smallholder farmers in Ebonyi State, the study evaluates the uptake and impact of the RiceAdvice mobile application, which provides timely agronomic advice. Employing a quasi-experimental design with Propensity Score Matching (PSM) approaches, the findings reveal that access to mobile tools significantly enhances crop yields, with treated farmers recording an average increase of 1907kg/ha of rice productivity compared to non-users. Results also show improved decision-making regarding the adoption of the technology in relation to experience, RiceAdvice training, access to extension service, smartphone ownership, seed entrepreneurship, and farm size. The study highlights the role of digital extension tools in bridging information gaps and promoting agricultural productivity, particularly in resource-constrained settings. Policy implications suggest scaling up mobile advisory platforms to complement traditional extension systems and improve livelihoods in rural communities. Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 20 Aug, 2025 Reviews received at journal 23 Jul, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 14 Jul, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 11 Jul, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 09 Jul, 2025 Reviews received at journal 30 Jun, 2025 Reviews received at journal 22 Jun, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 18 Jun, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 18 Jun, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 16 Jun, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 29 May, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 28 May, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 27 May, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 14 May, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 14 May, 2025 First submitted to journal 11 May, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6640957","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":462891334,"identity":"e1ad5caf-314e-46ae-b1ad-591f10b4688c","order_by":0,"name":"Abioye D. 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