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2. Empowering farmers to learn and innovate through integration of video-mediated and face-to-face extension approaches: the case of rice farmers in Uganda
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Karubanga, Gabriel (author), Kibwika, Paul (author), Okry, Florent (author), and Sseguya, Haroon (author)
- Format:
- Online journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2016
- Published:
- Taylor & Francis
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 38 Document Number: D10697
- Journal Title:
- Cogent Food & Agriculture
- Journal Title Details:
- 2(1): 1-12
- Notes:
- 12 pages., Article #: 1274944, via online journal., Agricultural extension is perceived as the primary mechanism through which farmers expand their ability to adopt and adapt new technologies and ideas. The use of Information and Communication Technology like videos in extension is being fronted as an alternative to the conventional Face-to face extension approach (F2FEA). A comparison of effectiveness of the Video-mediated extension approach (VMEA) and F2FEA among rice farmers in two districts of Uganda challenges the independent use of the two approaches. A cross-sectional survey of two nonequivalent groups subjected to VMEA in Kamwenge and F2FEA in Hoima districts was conducted with 196 farmers. The results indicate greater potential for integration of VMEA and F2FEA as the two are complementary in the various stages of the farmer learning framework developed. VMEA is significantly better in awareness creation and sharing of knowledge and experiences while the F2FEA is significantly better at enhancing knowledge acquisition and retention and application. The relative strengths of VMEA and F2FEA can best be harnessed through integration of the approaches. The integration will not solve the problem of large farmer to extension ratio common in developing countries but will rather make the extension workers more effective. The integration however calls for rethinking of institutional arrangement, roles of the extension worker, and pragmatic retooling of the extension worker to embrace social learning principles that empower farmers to be more self-directed learners and innovators.
3. The distribution of farmer learning videos: Lessons from non-conventional dissemination networks in Benin
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Zoundji, Gérard C. (author), Okry, Florent (author), Vodouhê, Simplice D. (author), and Bentley, Jeffery W. (author)
- Format:
- Online journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2016-01-01
- Published:
- Taylor & Francis
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 38 Document Number: D10698
- Journal Title:
- Cogent Food & Agriculture
- Journal Title Details:
- 2(1): 1-15
- Notes:
- 15 pages., Article #: 1277838, via online journal., Commercial channels can be non-conventional networks for disseminating agricultural information, especially if farmers are willing to pay for a DVD with learning videos. Using purposive sampling, we selected retailer and involved them in selling videos compiled in a DVD. Inside the jacket of DVD, we pasted a sticker listing a phone number that buyers or video viewers could call for further questions. We interviewed 341 of the buyers who called that number. After the phone interviews, snowball sampling was used to select 180 farmers for face-to-face interviews in order to validate the information collected during the telephone interviews and to understand the behavioural changes triggered by watching the videos. Within four months of first distributing DVDs to retailers, 80% of the 700 DVDs were sold. Distributing videos through commercial channels gives a fair chance to everyone to learn, since the DVDs were sold on the open market at an affordable price. About 84% of the DVDs were sold at 1 USD, suggesting that all of the respondents were willing to pay for learning DVDs; 86% of respondents said they now spent less money on pesticides after watching the videos. Private sector actors can become “new extensionists” and distribute agricultural information to rural populations.