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The Impact of Internet Use on Income: The Case of Rural Ghana

Author

Listed:
  • Anthony Siaw

    (College of Economics, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China)

  • Yuansheng Jiang

    (College of Economics, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China)

  • Martinson Ankrah Twumasi

    (College of Economics, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China)

  • Wonder Agbenyo

    (College of Economics, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China)

Abstract

This study analyzed the effects of internet use on farm income and household income using survey data from 478 rural farmers from two regions in Ghana. An endogenous switching regression (ESR) model and probit models were employed to achieve the aims of the study. The results revealed that internet use was influenced by off-farm employment, education, access to credit, non-fixed asset (NFA), age, and perception variables. We found that internet use increased farm income and household income by 20.1% and 15.47%, respectively. Regarding heterogeneous impacts, the estimates showed that internet use reduced farm income by 18.12% for farm households that participated in off-farm activities but increased farm income by 14.66% for households that had access to NFA. The estimates also indicated that internet use increased household income by 31.77% for farm households that engaged in off-farm employment and by 15.33% for those that had access to NFA. Furthermore, internet use increased the household income for households that did not engage in off-farm activities by 24.85%. The findings of this study will contribute significantly to the existing literature on information communication technology (ICT) in developing countries by providing a new reference for improving rural development and solving the problem of poverty.

Suggested Citation

  • Anthony Siaw & Yuansheng Jiang & Martinson Ankrah Twumasi & Wonder Agbenyo, 2020. "The Impact of Internet Use on Income: The Case of Rural Ghana," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-16, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:8:p:3255-:d:346652
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    9. Mhlanga David & Beneke John, 2021. "The Fourth Industrial Revolution: Exploring the Determinants of Internet Access in Emerging Economies," Studia Universitatis Babeș-Bolyai Oeconomica, Sciendo, vol. 66(3), pages 77-92, December.
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    13. Dela Maria Ardianti & Djoni Hartono & Putu Angga Widyastaman, 2023. "Offline and hungry: the effect of internet use on the food insecurity of Indonesian agricultural households," Agricultural and Food Economics, Springer;Italian Society of Agricultural Economics (SIDEA), vol. 11(1), pages 1-18, December.
    14. Frank Kyei-Arthur, 2024. "Prevalence and predictors of internet use among Ghanaian older adults: evidence from the Ghana 2021 Population and Housing Census," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-9, December.
    15. Khan, Nawab & Ray, Ram L. & Zhang, Shemei & Osabuohien, Evans & Ihtisham, Muhammad, 2022. "Influence of mobile phone and internet technology on income of rural farmers: Evidence from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    16. Nawab Khan & Ram L. Ray & Hazem S. Kassem & Farhat Ullah Khan & Muhammad Ihtisham & Shemei Zhang, 2022. "Does the Adoption of Mobile Internet Technology Promote Wheat Productivity? Evidence from Rural Farmers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-15, June.
    17. Lingpeng Meng & Xiang Yu & Chuanfeng Han & Pihui Liu, 2022. "Does Internet Use Aggravate Public Distrust of Doctors? Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-18, March.
    18. Ankrah Twumasi, Martinson & Jiang, Yuansheng & Asante, Dennis & Addai, Bismark & Akuamoah-Boateng, Samuel & Fosu, Prince, 2021. "Internet use and farm households food and nutrition security nexus: The case of rural Ghana," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    19. Guimin Zhang & Xiangling Wu & Ke Wang, 2022. "Research on the Impact and Mechanism of Internet Use on the Poverty Vulnerability of Farmers in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-16, April.

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