Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to assess the perception of farmers about the role of radio
programmes in promoting agricultural development. The study also sought to discover the
perceived effects of radio programmes on farmers' knowledge, find out the factors that limit
farmers from listening to the radio programmes, evaluate the perceptions of Essera district
farmers about the role of Waka FM radio programmes in promoting agricultural development,
and investigate if there is a relationship between the profiles of farmers and their perceptions
about radio's role in promoting agricultural development. Both qualitative and quantitative
research methods were used, and questionnaires and interviews were the instruments used to
collect data. The target populations of the study were Essera district farmers who listen to Waka
FM radio programmes and are aged above 20 years. The study used purposive sampling
techniques to select respondents. The qualitative data was analyzed in the form of words and
narratives, and the quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and presented in
the form of frequency and percentage. The main findings of the study revealed that the farmers of
Essera district have a positive perception of the role of radio in promoting agricultural
development. Gender, Age, and Education levels of farmers have discrete and combined effects
on their perceptions. Inconvenience of the program broadcasting time, insufficiencies of
allocated airtime for the programmes, a dialect difference, and not providing farmers with
current and updated agricultural information are some of the factors that limit farmers from
listening to the radio programmes. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that
Waka FM consider broadcasting evening programmes. It is better that the program producers
broadcast up-to-date information on improved farming techniques and technologies. It is better
that more airtime be allocated to the programmes.
