ABSTRACT
Inadequate access to agricultural information contributes largely to low productivity among farmers in Nigeria. The print media has been especially implicated on its low coverage and provision of agricultural information, thus limiting readership among farmers. To validate this observation, the extent of coverage of agricultural news in print media and farmer’s readership were therefore assessed.
Content analyses of Nigerian Tribune, New Nigerian, This Day, The Punch and The Comet newspapers as well as questionnaire survey methods were used for carrying out the study. Fett’s seven categories of General news, Pricing and marketing, Government policy, Editorials, Commentaries, Special recommendations and Human interest were used for content analysis. Six hundred and ninety-three agricultural news columns in 960 newspaper editions published between 1999 and 2003 were analysed.Katsina and Lagos states were purposively selected for questionnaire survey. 50 percent of the blocks and cells in the states’ Agricultural Development Projects (ADPs) were randomly selected and 50 percent of farmers’ groups in selected cells were chosen for questionnaire administration resulting in 160 respondents. Personal characteristics and readership of agricultural news were assessed. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square and ANOVA at p=0.05. 80 percent of the farmers were male and 84% were married. Thirty-four percent were in the age bracket of 41-50. Thirty-three percent had between 11 and 14years farming experience and were predominantly crop and livestock farmers. Thirty–three percent of the respondents (33%) purchased and read newspapers. Majority (86.9%) read all categories of agricultural news. Agricultural news was generally not prominently placed in 69.3% of the newspapers. The few prominently placed had 66.8% of them located at the center pages. Government policy category was the most published in the New Nigerian (34.0%), The Punch (33.7%) and This Day(24.4%) newspapers. Special recommendation category was the most published in The Nigerian Tribune newspaper (35%) while general news was the most published in The Comet (21.9%). Clarity of message ranked first in variables that influenced readership of agricultural news while the length of publication ranked least. The Comet had a significantly higher (287.1±2.1) mean number of agricultural news than the New Nigerian (150.0±4.3), The Punch (92.0 ±1.6), ThisDay (91.0±3.7) and Nigerian Tribune (74.1±6.5). ThisDay had a significantly higher (405.2 ±3.1) mean size of agricultural news than the Nigerian Tribune (224.2 ±3.5), The Punch (213.1±3.4),The Comet (184.6±3.7) and the New Nigerian (164.6±3.1). Government policy category also had a higher (23.2±2.1) mean than Human interest (17.5±1.9), Special recommendation and General news (16.7±3.9), Pricing and marketing (15.3±2.8), Commentaries (8.51±2.1) and Editorials (2.1±3.2). A significant relationship existed in readership of agricultural news and age χ2=57.9; number of children χ2=28.7, as well as religion χ2=0.357 but not with educational status. A relationship was also identified between the farmers’ readership of agricultural news and categories of agricultural news covered (χ2=.128.7). Reportage and placement of agricultural news were generally poor with differences in number of agricultural news covered across the newspapers; most farmers read all categories of agricultural news published.
Keywords: Newspaper readership, Content analysis, Agricultural news and News coverage.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Content Pages
Title page i
Abstract ii
Acknowledgements iv
Dedication v
Certification vi
Table of contents vii
List of tables xi
List of figures xiii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the study 1
1.2 Statement of the research problem 3
1.3 Objectives of the study 6
1.4. Hypotheses of the study 7
1.5 Justification of the study 7
1.6 Scope and limitations of the study 8 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 9
2.1 Communication as a concept 9
2.2 Information knowledge 12
2.2.1 The status of the literature utilization 17
2.2.2 Knowledge use as a learning process 19
2.2.3 Four dimension of knowledge utilization 23
2.3 Agricultural Knowledge System (AKS) 23
2.3.1Knowledge generation (research sub-system) 24
2.3.2 Adaptive research 25
- 3Research Extension Farmer Inputs Linkage System (REFILS) 26
2.3.4 Knowledge dissemination 27
- 5 Agricultural information 28
- Coverage of agricultural news in newspapers 30
- Readership of newspapers 33
- Global newspaper trends 33
- Readership (2012, World Press Trends) 34
- Famers’ readership of newspapers 35
- Factors affecting farmers’ readership of newspapers 36
- Agricultural development 37
CHAPTER THREE: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
3.1. Theory of information source and dissemination 43
3.2 Theory of media use and message relevance 44
3.3. Theory of diffusion of innovations 47
3.4 Conceptual framework for the study 48
CHAPTER FOUR: METHODOLOGY
4.1 Area of study 51
4.2 Sources of data collected 53
4.3 Section 1: Content analysis 53
4.3.1 Study period 53
4.3.2 Population of the study 53
4.3.3 Sampling procedure 54 4.3.4Unit of analysis 57
4.3.5Content categories of agricultural news in Nigerian newspaper 57
- 6Coding 59
4.3.7 Inter-coder reliability 59
- Section 2: Cross sectional survey 61
- Population of the study 61
- Sampling procedure and sample size 61
- Instrument for data collection 63
- Measurement of variables 63
- Reliability and validity of the instrument 65
- Measurement of variables 65
- Pre- testing of measuring instrument 68
- Reliability and validity of the instrument 68
- Validity of the instrument 69
- Administration of questionnaire 69
4.5 METHOD OF DATA ANALYSIS CHAPTER FIVE: RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
5.1 Findings and discussion for content analysis 72
5.1.1 Agricultural news in the Nigerian daily newspapers. 72
5.1.2 Distribution of agricultural news in newspapers with and without
agriculturalcolumns in Nigeria. 73
5.1.3 Yearly agricultural news coverage in Nigerian newspapers 76
5.1.4 Prominence ofagricultural news in Nigerian newspapers 78
5.1.5 Distribution of news by categories in Nigerian newspapers 80
5.1.6. Categories of agricultural news in newspapers with and without columns 82
5.2 Section 2: Description of cross sectional survey 84
5.2.1 Sex of the respondents 84
5.2.2 Age of the respondents 84
5.2.3 Marital status of the respondents 85
5.2.4 Educational level of the respondents 85
5.2.5 Off farm working experience of the respondents 86
5.2.6 Farmers’ enterprise combination 86
5.2.7 Farmers years of experience 87
5.3 Farmers’newspaper-related characteristics 89
5.3.1 Sources of newspapers read 89
5.3.2 Farmers’ readership of newspapers 91
5.3.3 Newspapers read by the farmers 93
5.3.4 Categories of news farmers read 95
5.3.5 Household members’ readership of agricultural news 97
5.3.6 Specific house members’ agricultural readership 99
5.3.7 Household members’source of newspapers 101
5.3.8 Household members’ discussion of agricultural News Usefulness,
Correctness and timeliness of newspaper read to household members 103
5.3.9 Factors influencing farmers’ readership of newspapers. 105
5.4 Hypotheses testing 107
5.4.1Hypothesis 1 107
5.4.2 Hypothesis2 109
5.4.3Hypothesis 3 113
5.4.4Hypothesis 4 115
5.4.5Hypothesis 5 117
CHAPTER SIX: SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
6.1 Summary 119
6.2 Conclusions 121
6.3 Recommendations 123
6.4 Areas of Further Research 124
REFERENCES 125
APPENDIX 139
Interview Schedule 139
CONTENT ANALYSIS OF NEWSPAPER COVERAGE AND FARMERS’ READERSHIP OF AGRICULTURAL NEWS IN NIGERIA
