The role of radio in agricultural development: an evaluation of The program Me Oboremi B Waito On Egesa Fm in bomachoge Chache constituency

Abstract

The study sought to determine the role of radio in agricultural development in Boma choge Chache Constitu ency by evaluating the program Oborem i Bwai to on Egesa FM. Particularly, the study sought to determine whether radio addresses the needs of the farming community in Bomachoge Chache Constituency. The findings from this study established that farmers adopted the information disseminated through radio , which was found to be highly relevant (51%) to their needs. Furthermore, through this programme, farmers formed a networking organization called the Famers Welfare Forum (FWF) through which they visited each other to exchange agricultural market informat ion and also seek expert advice . The study employed a mixture of qualitative and quantitative research techniques that included the collection of data using key informant interviews, Focus Group D iscussions (FGD s) and questionnaires. A purposive sampling t echnique was used to select respondents for interviews and FGDs from each of the 8 target sub - locations. FGDs were carried out on three main groups - men , women and youths. The data was analyzed by the use of the statistical analysis software called Statist ical pack age for social sciences (SPSS). The findings however established that the time allocated for the pr ogramme was not sufficient. The study therefore recommends that some more time should be allocated to the programme. In addition, the producer shoul d consider airing a repea t of the programme. Also the study found that the program me fails to provide necessary information about markets for t he produce, which at times led to huge losses. This study therefo re recommends that the producer should consider coming up with a program me on agricultural marketing techniques