Sources and Channels of Agricultural Information and their Utilization in the Peki Settlement Farm

Abstract

This study sets out to identify the source and channels of communication used in the transmission of agricultural information to settler farmers in the Peki Settlement Farm. It further explores the extent to which such sources and channels contribute to increased food production and investigates the probable causes of apparent low maize production on this farm. The investigation was designed as a cross-sectional study. To ensure representativeness the educational levels of farmers in the settlement were obtained and used as the basis for stratification of the total population of the settlers. Fifty percent of the settlers were then selected through the use of the simple random sampling procedure. The instrument of data collection comprised two sets of questionnaires: one for the Extension Officer and the other for the settler farmers. Those farmers who have very little or no formal education were however interviewed by the investigator. The findings revealed that the farmers obtained information from three main sources in the Settlement, namely, colleague farmers (which includes neighbours and relatives,) the Extension Officer and the weekly meeting of the settlers. Information also flowed into the Settlement through visitors, namely, VORADEP staff, middlemen market women and agro-chemical sellers. Information was obtained through radio, face to face communication, newspapers, magazines and cinema/video. The study further identified a number of factors that hinder information flow through the sources and channels of communication used in the Settlement. Among these are the high cost of newspapers and magazines, the difficulty of understanding language of communication and their inability to receive magazines and newspapers on time. It also identified other problems that face the settlers which could hinder the implementation of agricultural information from the sources and channels of communication mentioned by the farmers. These include the absence of an effective management on the farm, high cost of seeds, fertilizers and agro chemicals. .The work concludes with suggestions for improving information flow on the farm.