Evaluation of Effectiveness of Communication Channels Used to Create Awareness About Plant Clinics: Case of Kiambu County, Kenya

Abstract

Plant clinics were modeled to bridge the gaps in access to extension services besides providing real-time plant health diagnostic services to farmers in timely and appropriate ways. However, studies show that awareness about the clinics is still very low among the smallholders‘ farmers. This is despite the adoption by stakeholders, communication channels supposed appropriate to create awareness about the clinics. This study strove to evaluate the effectiveness of these channels to create awareness about plant clinics particularly in Kiambu County. It also strove to assess the effects of farmers‘ socio-demographic characteristics on their analysis and intentions to access information from awareness creation channels. Probability proportional to size sampling was used to sample 130 farmers for household interviews. Purposive and snow-balling sampling techniques were also used to sample 56 respondents for focus group discussions (FGDs) and four respondents for key informant interviews (KIIs). Quantitative data from the household interviews were coded to form indices for effectiveness of the communication channels. These were reinforced with qualitative data from KIIs and FGDs and coherently evaluated to address the study objectives. It also adopted a multiple regression model to determine the causal relationships between farmers‘ socio-demographics characteristics and their evaluation index for effectiveness of the channels. The study established that the communication channels used in creating awareness about plant clinics are not very effective with mass media channels being less effective than interpersonal channels. It also affirmed that farmers‘ socio-demographic characteristics have significance on their analysis and intentions to access information from channels of awareness creation. The study recommends capacity building to the players in interpersonal channels on communication skills to create awareness effectively. It also proposes the need to redesign most of the mass media channels and adopt awareness creation policies and frameworks that meet the dynamics of the present communication setups