ROLE OF COMMUNITY RADIO IN PROMOTING MODERN AGRICULTURAL PROCESS

ROLE OF COMMUNITY RADIO IN PROMOTING MODERN AGRICULTURAL PROCESS

ABSTRACT

The attention of the global community has in the recent past been shifted from the conventional radio broadcast media system to the community based radio stations which is regarded to many scholars of communication as the third tier of broadcasting. Nigeria has already joined the world in harnessing the potentiality of community radio, which led to the issuance of licences to various state Governments, Higher institutions of learning and communities by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), to establish community radio stations in their domains. Bauchi state Government had in 2013 established community radio stations in Ten (10) out of the Twenty (20) Local Government Areas of the state in order to carter for the communication needs of the local communities. Bununu Community radio station is one of such community radio stations saddled with the responsibility of disseminating information aim at promoting rural development. It is expected that the community radio station will produce and present programme on agriculture since it is the main source of income to the rural dwellers in Nigeria.  This study seeks to find out the role being played by the community radio station Bununu in the development of rural agriculture in the areas covered by its operations viz: Tafawa Balewa, Dass and Bogoro Local Governments as a case study. The study will specifically examine whether the community radio station presents programme on agriculture, the audience perception and participation on the programmes among others, by using structured questionnaire and personal interviews. The study will later bring out its analysis and findings using the descriptive data analysis tools and finally comes up with recommendations on the best way community radio stations will be utilized in the promotion of rural agriculture in Nigeria.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0     INTRODUCTION

One of the functions of Government is the provision of social amenities to the citizenry. The role of the mass media in enhancing, actualisation and sustenance of these amenities cannot be over-emphasized. The Media is recognised as the major means of disseminating valuable information that will bring rapid development in all the sectors of the economy and human endeavours. Radio is considered among the mass media of communication as the fastest and cheapest means of dissemination of information to both urban and rural areas.

 As agriculture remains the single source of food throughout the whole world and major source of income to rural communities in Nigeria, Chinedun (2008), states that “Agricultural sector provides the highest employment opportunity in the Nigerian economy”. Philip et al (2009) support this when they said that “Agriculture remains the main stray of Nigerian economy in terms of its share in the employment generation”.

This research project has given emphasis to communication on agricultural sector by looking at the development plans and annual estimates of many countries both developed and