CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
The success of agricultural development programmes in developing countries largely depends on the nature and extent of use of mass media in mobilizing farmers who live mostly in rural areas for the need for development. Communication has been acknowledged for playing, a prominent role in the success of agricultural production and adoption of innovations through programmes aired. The planners in developing countries realized that the development of agriculture could be hastened with the effective use of mass media (GCRA, 2003). Mass media has been defined as any material, objects, instruments or system which serves to communicate information including letters, pamphlets, and other written and printed materials, all types of cinema films, radio, television and video system (Adams, 1982).
Several channels such as the extension agent, individuals, farmers-to-farmers contact, print media (news papers, magazines, news letter, pamphlet and posters) and electronics media (Radio, television, and film schedules and films trips) have been widely used to disseminate information to farmers in rural area (Van & Hawkins, 1992; Olowu & Oyedokun, 2000).
Among the mass media means of communication, radio is found to be the most important means of communicating agricultural information to the rural farmers. In the opinion of (Kuponiyi, 2000), radio is one of the broadcast medium which the rural populations are very familiar with and which almost all experts identified to be the most appropriate for rural emancipation programme. This is because radio beats distance and has immediate effect on farmers. Furthermore, radio is favored as a medium of communication in rural communities because of the advantages ascribed to it, inform of transcending the barrier of illiteracy and demanding less intellectual exertion than the print media massages (Folarin, 1990).
Absence of a functional agricultural information delivery system is a major constraint to agricultural development in Nigeria. Aina, (1989) identified non-provision of necessary agricultural information as a key factor limiting agricultural development in Nigeria. According to Youdeowei (1995), lack of access to relevant agricultural information by farmers in developing countries cuts across all subsectors of agriculture and different stages of agricultural production process.
Farmers need to be informed and educated about improved agricultural practices to enable them increase their productivity and income. Radio is one broadcast medium which almost all experts identify to be the most appropriate for rural emancipation programme. This is because a radio set is cheap to obtain and is widely owned in the rural areas. This is made possible by the advent of the battery-operated transistorized sets.
The terms rural radio have come to be used to describe FM stations established to broadcast to a local and predominantly rural audience. The growth of rural radio stations over the past few decades reflects both the improvements in information technologies and the shifting development paradigm towards a more participatory style of information and knowledge transfer.
Rural area based radio is the focus of this study because the predominantly agricultural audiences of these stations can benefit from information to improve their livelihoods. Radio initiatives as part of broader communication for development strategies have been used by international organizations such as the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations since the late 1960s.
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