The use of radio and television as sources of agricultural information among poultry farmers in Egbeda local government area of Oyo State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined the use of radio and television as sources of agricultural information among poultry farmers in Egbeda Local Government area of Oyo State. Sixty farmers from 4 villages namely: Egbeda, Erunmu, Olode and Owobale were selected for this study. Primary data were collected from the respondents by interview and a 5 point rating scale was used to determine the level of use of radio and television as sources of agricultural information among the respondents based on 4 programmes on radio and television stations covering the area. The findings show that the respondents' level of use of these media was on the average. Also, the various use of information obtained from these media ranged from acquiring new skills and knowledge to getting information on input. The average age and years of formal education of the respondents were 38.7 years and 10.8 years respectively. Also thirty seven percent had a very high level of cosmopoliteness and 51.7% had production size of less than 500 birds. A significant relationship was also established between respondents' level of production and their level of use of radio and television at 5 percent confidence interval. With increased agricultural programmes and increased information on poultry management on the existing programmes, there is a high tendency of increased use of radio and television for overall development of agriculture and national food security.


Key Words: Radio; television; agricultural information; poultry


Moor J. Agric. Res. Vol.4(1) 2003: 164-169