The digital shift in agricultural extension: social media adoption in Ashanti region, Ghana

The incorporation of social media into agricultural extension services offers a significant opportunity to improve communication, information dissemination, and outreach among Agricultural Extension Agents (AEAs). In Ghana, where agriculture is fundamental to the economy and a principal source of livelihood for many, efficient communication and information distribution are essential for enhancing agricultural practices and securing food availability. Despite the growing relevance of digital technologies, the extent to which AEAs understand and utilize social media tools in their professional activities remains insufficiently explored. This research therefore examined the knowledge, use and determinants of social media adoption by Agricultural Extension Agents from Ashanti Region in Ghana. We used a quantitative methodology and administered a structured questionnaire to 444 Agricultural Extension Agents by snowball sampling. The results indicate that majority (94.4%) of AEAs comprehend social media as a medium for user engagement, and 96.2% acknowledge the requirement of an email account for access. WhatsApp was the most utilised platform, with a mean score of 4.48, followed by Facebook at 3.98, whilst networks such as YouTube and TikTok were less commonly employed. The research additionally revealed socio-economic factors affecting social media use; gender, education, training, and age. The findings suggest that social media should be formally integrated into agricultural extension policy frameworks in Ghana. Given the high awareness and usage among Agricultural Extension Agents, policymakers can leverage platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook as official communication channels for extension delivery. This implies a shift from purely face-to-face models toward hybrid digital extension systems, which can improve reach, timeliness, and cost efficiency.