Access to Dry Season Agricultural Content in the Broadcast Media and Dry Season Irrigation Farming among Smallholder Farmers in Nigeria

Abstract

Inaccessibility to information could hinder the adoption of dry season agriculture which is very significant to ending the spate of food insecurity in Nigeria. This cross-sectional survey examined access to broadcast media agricultural content and the effect of such information on dry season agriculture practice among smallholder farmers in Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Participants consisted of 381 smallholder farmers selected from rural settlements in Kuje and Kwali Area councils, through a multi-stage sampling procedure. Data for the study was generated via a self-designed questionnaire. The findings of this study show that access to the broadcast media agricultural content is high (94.2%) in the FCT and the majority (83.1%) of the farmers are particularly exposed to agricultural programmes on dry season farming. However, the regularity of exposure to such programmes is considered rare/occasional by a sizable proportion (44.8%) of the selected farmers. The research further confirms the general acceptability of the broadcast programmes on dry season agriculture but the major snag is that the majority (>50%) of the farmers think that the time at which the information is broadcast is inappropriate. In terms of the practical implications of the programmes, findings also revealed that <50% of the respondents believe that exposure to broadcast media content on dry season farming has helped them to improve their knowledge of dry season farming practices. Nonetheless, most respondents (>50%) remain adamant that dry-season farming is not achievable and productive; therefore, they have not engaged in dry season irrigation agriculture. We concluded that the knowledge gained from the dry season agricultural programmes in the broadcast media is not sufficient for farmers to successfully engage in dry season irrigation farming. The study recommends a long-term and sustained media campaign on dry season farming, the use of interactive programme content, and rescheduling agricultural programmes to farmers’ preferred time could yield the desired impact on dry season irrigation farming and food security in Nigeria.