Effectiveness of radio in the dissemination of agricultural information among farmers in Edu Local Government Area of Kwara State, Nigeria

Abstract

The broad objective of the study is to determine the effectiveness of radio in the dissemination of agricultural information. Specific objectives arc to examine the socio - economic characteristics of the farmers, their sources of agricultural information and effectiveness of radio in the dissemination of agricultural information as well as the related problems. The study was carried out in Edu local government area of Kwara state, Nigeria. A total of 150 farmers were randomly selected from different villages within the ten political wards of the local government.' Interview schedule was used to collect relevant data from the respondents. The instrument for data collection was validated and subjected to reliability test .Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analysed data collected. Results showed that majority of the farmers were males, mostly 50 years and below in age with little formal education. Though most of the farmers got agricultural information through radio but some had to depend 'on friends / relations and Extension Agents(EAs) for agricultural information. Despite the advantages of the use of radio on this issue, 47.9% of the farmers considered it ineffective and some of the problems identified include language barrier, clarity of messages and improper interpretation of scientific terms / units of measurement as contained in the messages to be disseminated .In view of all these, more than one - half of the respondents did not record significant improvement in their farming activities. Furthermore, Chi Square analysis showed that only gender and level of improvement in farming had positive and significant relationship with the effectiveness of radio in the dissemination of agricultural information to targeted farmers, It can be concluded that radio is a useful source of agricultural information but it needs improvement in the areas of service delivery with a view to overcoming language barrier, poor presentation of key points and improper interpretation of scientific terms / units of measurements. It is recommended that radio station agricultural presenters should be trained, specifically on modern ways of presenting agricultural information to the rural people who are mostly illiterates.