Acceptance and adoption of mobile telephony by Bangladeshi farmers: a qualitative enquiry

It is argued that the use of mobile telephony can enhance farmers' productivity by bringing efficiency in the production and marketing of agricultural commodities. However, existing literature offers scant evidence of why and how farmers in developing countries adopt such technologies. This paper examines the factors that influence Bangladeshi farmers' acceptance of mobile telephony. Triangulated methodology was employed by combining ethnographic observation, interviews and Focus Group Discussions (FGD) during a fieldwork conducted in Bangladeshi villages. The findings suggest that the intention to accept a new technology is determined by users' positive perceived value, perceived ease of use and the availability of social and infrastructural support. Based on these findings this paper presents a dynamic model of technology acceptance which complements the existing understandings of technology adoption by less affluent users and also fills a gap in relevant literature to yield strategic implications for the government, commercial entities and above all small farmers' business ability towards economic development.