Impact of Agricultural Programs on Dairy Farmers (a Case Study of Kass Audiences in Uasin Gishu County)

Abstract

There is no doubt that agriculture is back on the development agenda. But despite the promises and the rhetoric from governments worldwide, investment in agriculture and rural development is still lagging. Communication for agriculture is also not seen as a major priority at either national or international level and the role of the media as an effective player in agricultural and rural development is undervalued. Reporting on agriculture is largely restricted to natural disasters, food shortages and rising food prices. Some argue, however, that the media has a potentially broader role in raising the profile of agriculture amongst decision-makers as well as the wider public, and in communicating farmers' needs. In Kenya, vernacular stations have played a major role in dissemination agricultural information due to their audience needs. How.ever, little scholarly research explores the impact of these programs on audiences. This study calls attention to this gap. This paper therefore asses the impact of agricultural programs on Kass Fm's radio on dairy farmer audiences in Uasin Gishu County. The specific objectives of the study are to: 1. To examine modern dairy farming methods discussed on Kass FM radio. 2. To investigate patterns of radio listening habits among dairy farmers in Uasin Gishu County. 3. To find out which radio informational programs Uasin Gishu County audiences listen to on Kass FM. To examine these factors, diffusion of innovations theory is significant in the study. Data was collected from 120 respondents using questionnaires and personal interviews.