Survey of Indigenous Community Radio Programmes and Public Participation in Agricultural Development Projects in Niger State

Abstract

This work surveys indigenous community radio programmes projecting agricultural development activities in Niger State. The work examines the influence of Radio programmes in facilitating agricultural activities and mitigating the inherent impediment to agricultural production. The study identifies a strong relationship between radio as a communication channel and community development. The research is therefore located within the development media theory as propounded by Dennis McQuail in 1987 and the participatory model propounded by Paulo Freire in 1983. The work concludes that radio remains the most accessible medium for farmers because 75.7% of the respondents have easy access to radio listenership. The study therefore recommends, among others, that radio programme producers should partner with people in the community and agricultural institutions to package more innovative programmes in relation to rural development, especially on agriculture.