Technology usage and marketing efficiency: Evidence from farmers in the North West region, Cameroon
Paper Details
Technology usage and marketing efficiency: Evidence from farmers in the North West region, Cameroon
Abstract
Agriculture remains central to livelihoods and economic growth in developing countries, employing over 44% of the workforce in Cameroon and contributing substantially to rural incomes. Smallholder farms, often under two hectares, dominate production but exhibit inefficiencies, producing only one-third of total output despite generating nearly 80% of global food value. Digital technologies, including mobile information services, digital marketplaces, and decision-support tools, have been shown globally to improve market efficiency, reduce transaction costs, and enhance farmer participation in value chains. This study examines the influence of technology usage on the marketing efficiency of smallholder farmers in the North West Region of Cameroon, where adoption remains low due to poor infrastructure, limited digital literacy, high costs of smartphones and internet, and socio-cultural constraints. Employing a quantitative explanatory survey design, data were collected from smallholder farmers across four purposively selected divisions (Ngoketunjia, Bui, Donga-Mantung, Menchum) using structured questionnaires. Key indicators included access to and use of digital tools, transaction costs, price discovery, and farm profitability. Ordinary least squares regression was applied to estimate effects. Results reveal that technology usage significantly improves marketing efficiency by enhancing access to real-time market information, reducing reliance on intermediaries, and increasing farm-gate prices. Farmers using mobile and digital platforms achieved, on average, a 15-20% higher net revenue compared to non-users, and reduced transaction costs by approximately 12%, highlighting the economic benefits of technology adoption. These findings underscore the potential of targeted digital interventions to strengthen market participation, income stability, and competitiveness of smallholders in the North West Region. Policy measures addressing infrastructural, financial, and socio-cultural barriers are recommended to promote sustained technology adoption.
Adebayo SA, Oladele OI, Yusuf OJ. 2021. ICT adoption and market efficiency among farmers in Nigeria. Journal of Agricultural Extension 25(2), 45–56.
Aker JC, Mbiti IM. 2010. Mobile phones and economic development in Africa. Journal of Economic Perspectives 24(3), 207–232.
Aker JC. 2010. Information from markets near and far: mobile phones and agricultural markets in Niger. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics 2(3), 46–59.
Asante BO, Villano RA, Patrick IW. 2021. Determinants of farm technology adoption in developing countries. Agricultural Economics 52(2), 211–224.
Ayim C, Kassahun A, Tekinerdogan B, Addison C. 2020. Adoption of ICT innovations in agriculture: A review. Information Processing in Agriculture 7(4), 541–556.
Barrett CB. 2008. Smallholder market participation: concepts and evidence from eastern and southern Africa. Food Policy 33(4), 299–317.
Bell E, Bryman A. 2007. Business research methods. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Chikanda A, Mabaya E, Obi A. 2020. Digital agriculture and market access in Zimbabwe. African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development 12(6), 725–734.
Creswell JW, Creswell JD. 2018. Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Sage Publications, California.
European Commission. 2019. Digital transformation of agriculture and rural areas. European Commission, Brussels.
Fafchamps M, Minten B. 2012. Impact of SMS-based agricultural information on Indian farmers. The World Bank Economic Review 26(3), 383–414.
Fama EF. 1970. Efficient capital markets: a review of theory and empirical work. Journal of Finance 25(2), 383–417.
FAO. 2023. The state of food and agriculture 2023. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
Goyal A. 2010. Information, direct access to farmers, and rural market performance in India. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics 2(3), 22–45.
Jack W, Suri T. 2014. Risk sharing and transactions costs: Evidence from Kenya’s mobile money revolution. American Economic Review 104(1), 183–223.
Jaidzee RN, Balgah RA. 2021. Drivers of agricultural technology adoption in Cameroon. Sustainability 13(3), 1201.
Jensen R. 2007. The digital provide: information (technology), market performance, and welfare in the South Indian fisheries sector. The Quarterly Journal of Economics 122(3), 879–924.
Kansiime MK, van Asten P, Sneyers K, Bagamba F, Nunda W, Janssens SRM. 2021. COVID-19 implications on household income and food security in East Africa. Agricultural Systems 188, 103001.
Khan M, Khan SU, Rehman A. 2022. Role of ICT in agricultural marketing efficiency in Pakistan. Sarhad Journal of Agriculture 38(1), 120–130.
Kikulwe EM, Fischer E, Qaim M. 2014. Mobile money, smallholder farmers, and household welfare in Kenya. PLoS ONE 9(10), e109804.
Kohls RL, Uhl JN. 2002. Marketing of agricultural products. Prentice Hall, New Jersey.
Kumar A, Singh P, Sharma R. 2021. Impact of mobile technology on agricultural marketing efficiency in India: A stochastic frontier analysis. International Journal of Agricultural Economics 9(4), 210–225.
Lowder SK, Skoet J, Raney T. 2021. The number, size, and distribution of farms, smallholder farms, and family farms worldwide. World Development 109, 110–122.
Manda J, Chipeta J, Chirwa E. 2020. Digital platforms and agricultural market efficiency in Malawi: A difference-in-differences approach. Agricultural Systems 183, 102875.
Minkoua Nzie JR, Bidogeza JC, Ngum NA. 2018. Determinants of technology adoption among farmers in Cameroon. African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics 13(1), 1–15.
Osei F, Agyeman B, Kwarteng P. 2022. Precision agriculture and market efficiency among smallholder farmers in Ghana. Journal of Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies 12(2), 147–163.
Piabuo SM, Tieguhong JC. 2020. Health expenditure and economic growth in Cameroon. Health Economics Review 10(1), 1–13.
Polit DF, Beck CT. 2004. Nursing research: Principles and methods. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia.
Ricciardi V, Ramankutty N, Mehrabi Z, Jarvis L, Chookolingo B. 2018. How much of the world’s food do smallholders produce? Global Food Security 17, 64–72.
Sharma A, Kamble SS, Gunasekaran A. 2019. Big data-driven analysis of agriculture supply chains. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 164, 104859.
Suri T, Jack W. 2016. The long-run poverty and gender impacts of mobile money. Science 354(6317), 1288–1292.
Tambi NE, Mukum MB. 2024. Agricultural innovation and rural development in Cameroon. African Journal of Agricultural Research 20(2), 45–60.
Trendov NM, Varas S, Zeng M. 2019. Digital technologies in agriculture and rural areas. FAO, Rome.
Wolfert S, Ge L, Verdouw C, Bogaardt MJ. 2017. Big data in smart farming: A review. Agricultural Systems 153, 69–80.
Wooldridge JM. 2010. Econometric analysis of cross section and panel data. MIT Press, Cambridge.
World Bank. 2019. World development report 2019: The changing nature of work. World Bank, Washington, DC.
World Bank. 2020. Digital technologies in agriculture: emerging trends and opportunities. World Bank Group.
World Bank. 2022. Cameroon economic update: special focus on the agricultural sector. World Bank.
World Bank. 2024. World development indicators 2024. World Bank, Washington, DC.
Yin RK. 2018. Case study research and applications: Design and methods. Sage Publications, California.
Zhou Y, Li J, Zhao Q. 2021. Digital technology adoption and agricultural efficiency. China Agricultural Economic Review 13(4), 650–668.
Zhou Y, Li J, Zhao Q. 2023. E-commerce platforms and agricultural market efficiency in China: a structural equation modelling approach. China Agricultural Economic Review 15(1), 55–72.
Moti Wilson John*, Bime Mary Juliet Egwu, Peter Ngek Shillie, Tsi Evaristus Angwafo, 2026. Technology usage and marketing efficiency: Evidence from farmers in the North West region, Cameroon. Int. J. Agron. Agric. Res., 28(4), 23-32.
Copyright © 2026 by the Authors. This article is an open access article and distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) license.