ANALYSIS OF MULTIMEDIA CHANNELS OF INFORMATION AVAILABLE TO FISH FARMERS IN OGUN STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Fish farmers in Nigeria lack adequate information and their production capacity is low. The study ana-
lyzed the multimedia channels of information available to fish farmers in Ogun State, Nigeria. Multi-
stage sampling techniques was used to select 120 fish farmers in the study area. Primary data were
obtained with interview schedule. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data collected. Most
of the farmers (97.5%) were male and married. Many (43.3%) had primary education while 30.9% had
no formal education. Majority (76.1%) had radio sets while 45.3% and 28.3% had television and
phone respectively. Farmers’ accessibility to information was high in radio (79.2%) and extension
agents (73.3%) but low in television, flyers, trainings, phone, internet and fellow farmers. Most of the
farmers (85.0%) preferred extension agents, radio (71.6%) and television (68.3%) as their source of
information on fish farming. Majority (80.0%) preferred Yoruba as the language of broadcast and pub-
lications, 16.7% preferred English while 3.3% preferred Igbo. Most (83.3%) of the farmers regarded
lack of electricity as the foremost constraint to their access to information on media. Other constraints
identified were non-relevance of information to farmers’ felt needs (73.3%), feedback problem (60.0%),
inadequate fund (40.8%) and illiteracy (23.3%). Chi-square analysis showed a significant association
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at p ≤ 0.05 between farmers’ choice of information channels and age (π=19.60), educational level
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(Ï€=39.82), years of farming (Ï€ = 20.48), income (Ï€ = 34.03), and media related constraints (Ï€ =
6.92). The study established that age, educational level, years of farming, annual income and con-
straints experienced by the farmers played significant roles in their choice and use of information
channels, and that, farmers have more access to extension agents as channel of information. It was
recommended that more information on fish farming should be provided through the multimedia and
be based on farmers’ felt needs. More extension workers should be employed and trained while
phone-in radio and television programmes should be regularly aired and viewing centres and radio
groups established in strategic locations.