Vol. 7, Issue 7, Part A (2025)

This study explores the socio-economic determinants of social media usage among poultry farmers in the Delta Central Agricultural Zone of Nigeria. Data were collected from 240 respondents using structured questionnaires. Key variables examined include age, gender, education, farming experience, household size, and income, with a focus on their influence on the adoption of social media for poultry farming. Descriptive analysis revealed that most poultry farmers were aged 31-45 (42.5%), male (70%), and well-educated, with 75% having at least secondary education. Most had 5-10 years of farming experience and earned between ₦50,000-₦100,000 monthly. A binary logistic regression model (Nagelkerke R² = 0.48; ROC AUC = 0.86) identified significant predictors of social media usage: age (p = 0.004), gender (p = 0.028), education (p < 0.001), income (p = 0.012), farm size (p = 0.046), and access to extension services (p < 0.001). Younger, male farmers with higher education and income, larger farms, and access to extension services were more likely to use platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and YouTube. These platforms were mainly used for poultry health information, market access, networking, and innovation learning. The study also identified key barriers to social media use: limited access to digital devices (Mean = 3.92), privacy/security concerns (Mean = 3.79), and high internet/device costs (Mean = 3.73). Other notable constraints included digital literacy gaps and distrust of online agricultural content, while cultural and language barriers were minimal. Findings suggest that improving digital access and literacy could enhance information flow, productivity, and market integration, strengthening the economic resilience of smallholder poultry farmers in the region.