ASSESEMENT OF RURAL COMMUNICATION FOR AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT: THE CASE OF NONNO BENJA WOREDA, JIMMA ZONE, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of rural communication in relation to the agricultural sector in Nonno Benja Woreda, Jimma Zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia from February, 2014 to May, 2014. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to collect data from 124 households in the study area. SPSS Version 20 was used to analyze both the qualitative and quantitative data in a descriptive statistics. The results revealed that the major communication tools used by the government were face to face conferences, local radio and the print media. The methods employed, basically, were face to face conferences and participatory approaches which range from mass gatherings to small groupings as well as individuals assisted by model farmers. More than 70 percent of the respondents took policy trainings of varying level and this enhanced their capacity to undertake development activities. The institutional framework of rural communication was found to comprise the huge extension system which was laid down from center to the villages at the grass root level. The FTC institutions along with the extension agents were in charge of communicating the extension messages to the farming communities. The regional media agency has also its branch at the zonal level whose daily broadcast in the local language was one of the communication channels to provide development messages. The low capacity of the FTCs, the extension agents were overburdened with nonextension activities which rather deteriorated their performance as well as acceptance among the farmers and hence they were rarely heard by the farmers. The importance of local radio in the communication process was highly rated but it suffered low level of access and usage. The study concluded that rural communication should be revisited in such a way that avoids social as well as political barriers in the communicative process; the physical as well as overall institutional capacity of the FTCS should be enhanced so as to be proper schools of technology for rural farmers; and the physical as well as institutional problems that hampered the efficiency and acceptance of the DAs should be resolved by revisiting their assignments. They should also be given attention and offered with some affordable but necessary facilities to help them provide timely support for the farmers.