The Role of Cyber-Security in Curbing Online Agricultural Frauds among Small-Scale Farmers in Ogun State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined the role of cyber-security in curbing online agricultural frauds among small-scale farmers in Ogun State, Nigeria. The rapid expansion of mobile phone ownership, mobile money and digital agricultural platforms in Nigeria has created new opportunities for farmers to access market information, inputs, and credit, but has simultaneously exposed them to various online agricultural frauds. A descriptive survey design was adopted, employing a multistage sampling procedure to select 150 small-scale farmers across the four ADP zones of Ogun State. Primary data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings from this study confirmed that there is a significant correlation between respondents’ socio-economic characteristics and cyber-security awareness (r = 0.31, p = 0.004). There is a negative correlation between respondents’ vulnerability to fraud and cyber-security awareness (r = -0.52, p = 0.000) and there is a significant relationship between frequent and infrequent platform users and cyber-security awareness (r = 0.94, p = 0.016) while constraints to the adoption cyber-security practices showed a negative correlation (r = -0.36, p = 0.001) in Ogun State. The study concludes that higher cyber-security awareness and adoption of protective digital practices were significantly associated with lower vulnerability to online agricultural frauds, but awareness levels among small-scale farmers in Ogun State remain generally low, constrained by limited digital literacy, weak extension messaging on cyber-security, and low access to formal cybercrime reporting channels. The study recommends the integration of cyber-security literacy into agricultural extension programmes, and collaborations with consumer-protection agencies.