1

TITLE PAGE

INFORMATION NEEDS AND INFORMATION SEEKING BEHAVIOUR OF RURAL

FARMERS IN OKPOKWU LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF BENUE STATE OF
NIGERIA

BY

HELEN EMMANUEL

PG/MLS/10/52653

A PROJECT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS

FOR THE AWARD OF MASTER OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE
(MLS)

DEPARTMENT OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE

UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA

SUPERVISOR: DR .V.N OKAFOR

FEBRUARY, 2012
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APPROVAL PAGE

This work by Helen Emmanuel, (Registration Number PG/MLS/10/52653) has been

approved for the Department of Library and Information Science By:

…………………………….. ………………………………
DR. V.N. Okafor Prof. V.W. Dike
Supervisor Head of Department

…………………………….. ………………………………
Internal Examiner External Examiner

…………………………………
Prof. S.A. Ezeudu
Dean of Faculty
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CERTIFICATION PAGE

Helen Emmanuel, a postgraduate student in the Department of Library and Information

Science with Registration Number PG/MLS/10/52653, has satisfactorily completed research

requirements for the award of Master in Library and Information Science. The work embodied in

this project is original and has not been submitted in part or in full for another degree of this or

any other University.

……………………………… ……………………………….
Helen Emmanuel Dr. V.N.Okafor
Student Supervisor
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DEDICATION

This research work is dedicated to my creator, Jehovah God Almighty for His unfailing

love and mercy.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This work has been made possible through the encouragement and guidance of many

people. The researcher wants to acknowledge the effort of her indefatigable supervisor Dr. V.N.

Okafor for her doggedness, endurance, corrections, advice and directing me to ensure the quality

of this work.

Special thanks go to Dr. F.C. Ekere for his fatherly counsel, both spiritually and

academically. Dr. V.N Nwachukwu is specially remembered for his stimulating, intellectual

advice that kept the researcher on her toes. The researcher is also indebted to Dr. R.E. Ozioko,

Dr. A.J.C.Mole, Dr. E. Omeje, Dr. Pam and Mrs. M. Ngwuchukwu for their willingness to assist

whenever they were approached for guidance.

The Ongajis’ family is also appreciated for their words of encouragement and prayer

throughout the process of this academic exercised. The researcher further expresses her profound

gratitude to her employer, University of Abuja for their approval for me to undertake the course

and my University Librarian Prof. I.I. Ekoja for his support in making sure that all the necessary

assistance from my institution to make this academic pursuit a success is given. The researcher

also expressed her appreciation to Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETF) for the sponsorship.

Also remembered are the researcher’s numerous friends and relatives who contributed in

the development of this work (progamme) prayerfully, Pastor Ngozi, Pastor Chukwuma, Ijeoma.

C, Grace. O, Augustina. A, Mr. Adelusi, Sunday, Sambe, Dogara, Dorathy and Nan’ga.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page ---- ----- ----- ----- ----- ------i

Approval Page ---- ----- ----- ----- ----- ------ii

Certification ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ------iii

Dedication ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ------iv

Acknowledgement- ----- ----- ----- ----- ------v

Table of Contents- ----- ----- ----- ----- -----vi

Abstract ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ------ix

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ----- ----- ----- ------1

Background to the Study ---- ----- ----- ----- ------1

Statement of the Problem ---- ----- ----- ----- ------9

Purpose of the Study ---- ----- ----- ----- -----10

Research Questions ---- ----- ----- ----- -----11

Significance of the Study ---- ----- ----- ----- -----11

Scope of the Study ---- ----- ----- ----- -----13

CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF LITERATURE ----- ----- -----14

Conceptual Framework ---- ----- ----- ----- ----- -----14

An Overview of the Concept of Information, Information Needs and Information

Seeking Behaviour ---- ----- ----- ----- -----14

Information Needs of Farmers ----- ----- ----- -----18

Sources and Channels of Information for Rural Farmers---- ----- -----21

The Extent to which they Use the Information Needs ----- ----- -----24

Methods of Disseminating Information to Rural Farmers--- ----- -----25

Problems Associated with the Information Seeking and meeting the Information
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Needs of the Rural Farmers ---- ----- ----- ----- -----26

Problems of Information Dissemination to Rural Farmers---- ----- -----28

Strategies for reducing the Militating Factors ---- ----- ----- -----31

Review of related Empirical Studies---- ---- ----- ----- ----- -----33

Summary of Literature Review---- ---- ----- ----- ----- -----41

CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHOD ---- ---- ----- -----43

Research Design---- ----- ---- ---- ---- -----43

Area of the Study--- ---- ---- ---- ---- -----43

Population of the Study --- ---- ---- ---- -----43

Sample and Sampling Technique--- ---- ---- ---- -----44

Instrument for Data Collection---- ---- ---- ---- -----44

Validation of the Instrument ---- ---- ---- ---- -----44

Method of Data Collection ---- ---- ---- ---- -----45

Method of Data Analysis ---- ---- ---- ---- -----45

CHAPTER FOUR: PRESENTATION OF RESULTS ---- ---- -----46

Presentation of Results ---- ---- ---- ---- -----46

Summary of Findings ---- ---- ---- ---- -----51

CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION ---- ---- -----52

Discussion of Findings---- ---- ---- ---- ---- -----52

Implications of the Study ---- ---- ---- ---- -----56

Recommendations---- ---- ---- ---- ---- -----57

Limitations of the Study ---- ---- ---- ---- -----58

Suggestions for further Study ----- ---- ---- ---- -----58

Summary ---- ----- ---- ----- ---- -----58

REFERENCES---- ---- ---- ----- ---- -----61

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APPENDIX 1----- ---- ---- ---- ---- -----66

APPENDIX 2---- ---- ---- ---- ---- -----68

APPENDIX 3---- ---- ---- ---- ---- -----69

APPENDIX 4---- ---- ---- ---- ---- -----70

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ABSTRACT

This study is an investigation of Information Needs and Information Seeking Behaviour of Rural
Farmers in Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue State. The study aimed at investigating
the information needs and information seeking behaviour of the rural farmers. Descriptive survey
research design was adopted for the study. A total of 120 rural farmers from the three districts
(Okoga, Edumoga and Ichama) formed the sample population of the study. Purposive sampling
technique was used to select sample for the study. A scheduled Focus Group Discussion (FGD)
technique was used for data collection and the data were qualitatively analyzed and presented
using descriptive illustration of the voice and understandings of the participants. The analyzed
data revealed that the information needs of the rural farmers ranged from farm inputs to
implements such as fertilizers, improved variety seeds, loan/credit facilities, marketing strategies
and adults literacy programmes that will enhance applicability. Friends, age grades members,
elders, neighbours, farmers groups constituted the most available, accessible and used sources in
their information seeking. Based on the results, it is recommended that radio booster and
television stations should be established to stage educative agricultural programmes in local
language, public libraries should provide relevant information materials in local languages for
the rural farmers, provision of more extension and fadama workers and provision of good access
road network.
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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Information can be seen as a resource that can liberate man. In other words, “an informed

mind is an enriched mind”. Every rational being needs some information for his day-to-day

existence and well-being. No society can grow beyond its level of information awareness,

acquisition and appropriation. Due to its importance, all human beings need information, no

matter where they live or find themselves. It is a vital factor that influences all persons be they

rural or urban dwellers, old or young, literate or illiterate.

Information can also be seen as a strategic resource for virtually every person or group of

persons in organizations or establishments, whether public or private and information is valued

as much as human resources, financial resources and material and plant resources, becoming the

fourth factor of production (Popoola, 2002). Similarly, Apata and Ogunrewo (2010) view

information as power and an important working tool for the advancement of human and society.

Societies that do not have access to the information they need will sooner or later be left behind

in terms of cultural and technological development. Information is an important tool used in the

realization of any objective or goal set by individuals, thus it remains the lifeblood of any

individual or organization. It is a valuable resource required in any society; thus acquiring and

using information are critical and important activities.

In a similar vein, Ekoja (2010) said information is required for individual growth and

development and by extension, societal growth and change. He further said it is needed for

personal, social and/or work –related activities of individuals and for the development of
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societies and states. According to Opeke (2004) information has received a widespread

acceptance as the essential feature of production, consumption and exchange in this modern era.

The world is in an era where the source of wealth and power is more from information and

human mental creativity than physical resources. Lack of information is believed to act as a

barrier to development because of the importance of information provision in “capacity building”

and “empowering communities” (Wakelin & Simelane, 1995). The presence of information

creates options, sets the stage for meaningful decision-making and alternative approaches to

problem solving are examined for final decisions. Information constitutes the major raw material

from which options or alternatives emerge.

Information is an important tool used in the realization of any objective or goal set by

individuals. It is a valuable resource required in any society, thus acquiring and using

information are critical and important activities. It is also man’s related knowledge in all subjects

in all forms and from all sources, which will help users to make rational decisions. The rural

farmers need critical information to meet their information needs to enhance their productivity.

For this study, information may be described as the working tools and empowerment for a

change that will lead to enhancement in productivity for the rural farmers, if properly packaged

and disseminated.

To understand information need, it is necessary to understand the context of human needs

that created the need for information. Information users need information for problem solving,

current awareness, recreational purposes and for up-dating of their knowledge. Information need

is construed in the sense of data or a set of data specially required that will enable the user to

make an appropriate decision on any related problem facing him or her at any particular time

(Solomon 2002). Kuhlthau (1993) opined that information needs is often understood as a vague
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awareness of something missing and usually culminating in locating information that will

contribute to understanding and meaning. In the same vein, Case (2009) described information

need as an individual’s or group’s desire to locate and obtain information to satisfy a conscious

or unconscious need. However, Ekoja (2010) explained that information needs are the

information, which information seekers require to conduct their businesses and live their daily

lives. The identification of information needs of a person will lead to the means of seeking for

that information.

Information seeking behaviour is important because it tells how average citizens go about

finding information that are crucial to their everyday life. It is the process in which one goes

about seeking information that will meet his or her need. Information seeking behaviour vary

considerably from one individual to another according to age, gender, level of education,

occupation, location, culture, etc. It is very difficult, if not impossible to identify common

information seeking behaviour for all people most especially in the developing regions of the

world (Ekoja, 2010). He (Ekoja, 2010) further stated that information seeking behaviour are the

tendencies and approaches exhibited by people while seeking out information which also is a

function of the recognition of one’s information needs as perceived by him and that which

propels him to make use of information services and resources to satisfy such perceived needs.

However, Wilson (1997) sees it as a purposeful search for information to inform decision

making. While Apata and Samuel (2010) suggested that information seeking is a fundamental

human process closely related to learning and problem solving. It is a process in which one goes

about seeking information that will meet his or her needs. For this study Information seeking

behaviour encompasses the ways individuals articulate their information needs, seek, evaluate,
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and use the needed information. Information acquisition depends on needs of individuals

involved in special activities such as rural farming and home management.

Information needs and seeking behaviour is for all categories of people be they urban or

rural. According to Iwe (2003), the rural area, in Nigerian context, is any area that is far from the

urban city, a village, a hinterland with no good access roads, no pipe-borne water, no electricity,

and no factories and industries. The rural dwellers consist mostly of illiterate, subsistence

farmers and artisans, whose demographic disposition is composed of older people than the young

ones. They live in poor and deprived conditions due to the lack of these basic necessities of life

(Amanze and Samuel 2011).

Farmers are described as people that are engaged in the business of farming operations,

preparation of the products for market, storage or delivery to market etc. (Agpalo, 1997). While,

Gerber (2011) noted that farmers are people who do some combination of raising field crops,

orchards, vineyards, poultry or other livestock. Their products might be sold either to a market,

in a farmers' market or perhaps directly from a farm. In a subsistence economy, farm products

might to some extent be consumed by the farmer's family or pooled by the community. The

researcher describes farmers as people that are involved in the production of food for the

citizenry. In this sense they produce the raw materials that industries used in manufacturing

cloths, foods etc. Without them (farmers) this may not be possible because of the vital role they

play in the production work.

Rural farmers are those subsistence farmers that employ traditional methods and

traditional tools. He and his peers have been categorized as "partial economic men" because of

their duality in goal attainment (Williams, 2000). This makes farming as a means of both
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sustenance and cash income. Thus, he is considered not only as someone outside the country's

monetary economy but also as a poor credit risk. The dual set goal and the farmer's small land

holdings force him into mixed cropping which inevitably reduces his yields even when all

necessary technological inputs have been added. In the same vein, Ilo (1988) reported that rural

farmers use traditional tools and techniques; these tools and techniques are not efficient to

generate the required output. And these kind of people live and work under difficult conditions

making their farming a drudgery and time consuming. Furthermore, the rural farmers work

relentlessly, carrying out the bulk of marketing and processing of produce. For this study,

Nigerian rural farmers are seen as small landowners that engage in farming as an occupation to

cater for themselves and family and act as little source of income when the produce are sold for

the purchase of farm inputs, such as fertilizers for the next farming season.

Rural farmers have suffered a great deal of deprivation because they had been neglected

by successive governments, researchers, extension agents, agricultural input suppliers, banks and

other financial institutions as well as being deprived of basic social amenities like portable water,

electricity supply, hospitals and all-season motorable roads for transporting their produce to

marketing centres. Rural farmers are exploited by middlemen, produce merchants and

opportunist city dwellers who take advantage of the farmer's agricultural of surpluses and lack of

preservatories to pay him ridiculously low prices for their produce.

Farming is described as technical activities in which farmers often encounter some

problems in executing the tasks (Ekoja, 2004). Furthermore, Spore (2001) view farming as

information intensive activity. Similarly, Agpalo (1997) said farming involves the cultivation

and tillage of the soil, dairying, the production of crops, growing and harvesting of any

agricultural products upon forest land, the raising of livestock (cattle, poultry, bees etc) as
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commercial enterprise. Farming in this study is viewed as the act of cultivating crops and rearing

animals for human consumption.

The significance of rural farming, can thus, not be over emphasized as rural areas form

the food basket of the nation, and a major source of export materials. The fortunes of poor rural

farmers can be determined by a number of factors. The initial distribution of income accruing to

the rural farmer stands out as the most accessible determinant of the rural standard of living,

since it is the most quantifiable factor and the most reliable because majority of the people in the

rural areas are predominantly farmers. Territorial social indicators provide a means of measuring

the extent to which various human needs are met. The determinants of income among the target

population therefore serve as social indicators of their standard of living.

Information is an indispensable factor in the practice of farming and it is the basis of

extension service delivery (Goldfarb, 2006). From the above statement the researcher also

observes that rural farmers need agricultural information to boost productivity because it is an

essential tool. For the farmers, regardless of where they operate, there are various channels

through which agricultural information gets to them. Agricultural information, as suggested by

Agbamu (2006), refers to all published or unpublished knowledge in all aspects of agriculture.

He classified agricultural information into four categories namely, technical, commercial, socio-

cultural and legal information. However, to enhance agricultural productivity, farmers should

have access to well organized and relevant information because proper and sufficient utilization

of agricultural information which require good facilitation. The question then, is how can

farmers have access to this vital information that could help increase their agricultural

productivity.
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Farmers get information through certain groups which according to Ofuoke (2008),

include other farmers, non- governmental organizations and that the rural farmers only access

about 10% of information from agricultural research institutes and Universities, while they have

about 45% access to extension services. Megan (2010) showed that farmers information seeking

process usually takes a lot of time and effort. If there is a pattern in the farmers’ information

seeking behavior, extension activities could be designed to enable farmers to obtain the required

information from fewer sources. Farmers would be able to obtain reliable information more

quickly and easily, saving time and avoiding frustration in order to hasten the adoption process

(Solano, 2003). Apart from poor dissemination of information, there are other problems

confronting the local farmers such as: Poor feeder roads or inadequate road network linking the

farming communities and urban markets, lack of appropriate on-farm and off-farm storage

facilities. The rural electrification programmes in Nigeria have not really taken off as the

government battles with the supply of electricity to urban areas (Oluwakemi, 2010).

Information is an essential ingredient in most agricultural development programs

however Nigerian farmers seldom feel the impact of agricultural innovations either because they

have no access to such vital information or because it is poorly disseminated. Recently, high

output of agricultural research has yielded a large pool of new agricultural technologies, which

are yet to be disseminated to farmers, particularly those in the core rural\traditional farm

production centers. In order to bridge this gap and accelerate the pace of dissemination of the

research findings and other necessary information that could be of benefit to farmers, a variety of

communication channels have been adopted in different communities. This is with the

assumption that both the approaches and technical information packages are suitable and

accessible to farmers (Meyer, 2005).

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The information provided is exclusively focused on policy makers, researchers, and those

who manage policy decisions with little attention paid to the information needs of the targeted

beneficiaries of the policy decisions. The paucity of agricultural information is a key factor that

has greatly limited agricultural development in developing countries (Ozowa1995). Since

information is essential to survival, as it provides and keeps farmers abreast with new knowledge

and newer discoveries in their occupation and is also an important factor for any project and

development. It is in view of these facts that make it essential to study the information needs and

seeking behaviour of the rural farms in Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue state.

Okpokwu local government was created out of the former Idoma Native Authority in

1976 as a result of the local government reforms throughout Nigeria by the then Obasanjo

administration. The local government which derives its name from the River Okpokwu, has since

then given birth to two other local governments namely; Ado Local Government Area in 1989

and Ogbadibo Local Government Area in 1991. With headquarters at Okpoga, the Local

Government Area is located about one hundred and seventy (170 km) kilometers Southwest of

Makurdi, the state capital. The Local Government shares land borders with Ohimini Local

Government Area on the North, Ogbadibo Local Government Area on its Western end, Ado and

Otukpo Local Government on the East, Isiuzo Local Government of Enugu state on the South

and Olamaboro Local Government Area of Kogi state on the North West. It has an area of 731

km² and a population of 176,647 as at the 2006 census. The local government is made up of three

main districts, namely: Edumoga, Okpoga and Ichama which together have twelve council wards

(Atim, 2006).
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The vegetation of the area is that of a transition between the deciduous rain forest on the

Southern part of the local government, and the woodland Savannah towards the North. The local

government is surrounded by hills stretching through the Northern part, while the lowland has

fadamas fit for wet cultivation. This makes the local government home for the cultivation of

tubers and grain crops found in the middle belt. This natural blessing makes the adoption of

farming as general occupation in the area (Atim, 2006). The people are predominantly farmers,

growing various food crops in virtually all the areas of the local government. Finished products

like palm oil, palm wine, baskets, brooms and chairs are sold in the various markets. Citrus fruits

are also found in all parts of the local government and are farmed in large quantities. Others

include guinea corn, maize, soybeans, millet, beniseed, pepper, groundnuts, rice and cassava

which are exported in form of the finished goods e.g. such garri, to neighbouring states and

Cameroon.

Statement of the Problem

Information is an important factor in the sustained development of any society because it

reduces uncertainty and broadens the scope of options to take in solving problems. When people

are aware of where to get help they usually go for it to solve their problem. There may be

government programs, even availability of international aid but without information going round,

people will not know about it. Information distribution is a key to eradicating poverty and

hunger. Farmers in the rural areas also need to know what and how their counterparts are doing

in advanced countries and this can improve their harvest and productivity.

Without adequate information, particularly to the rural farmers, there will be lack of

awareness about new developments within the agricultural sector and this may lead to low
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productivity and consequently a danger to the survival of the nation. The inability of the rural

farmers to seek for information may result in poor production output, food insecurity, inability to

feed the nation. Lack of investment in information may also result in the creation of an

information-poor society.

In spite of the relevance of information to rural farmers and the survival of a nation, the

researcher’s pre-observation indicate that most rural farmers have no access to relevant

information that will help them in decision making and to accept new innovation in farming.

This could be attributed to poor information seeking behaviour.

In view of the above, the problem of this study, therefore, put in a question form; is what

are the information needs and seeking behaviour of rural farmers living in Okpokwu local

government area of Benue State?

Purpose of the Study

The general purpose of this research is to investigate the information needs and information-

seeking behavior of the rural farmers. The specific objectives of the study are as follows:

1. Identify the information needs of rural farmers in Okpokwu local Government of Benue

State

2. Identify what are the information seeking behaviours of rural farmers in Okpokwu.

3. Ascertain sources of information used by the rural farmers

4. Determine the extent to which these sources are used

5. Identify the problems affecting the satisfaction of the information needs of the farmers

6. Suggest ways of enhancing the satisfaction of the information needs of the rural farmers.
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Research Questions

The following research questions will guide this study:-

1. What are the information needs of rural farmers in Okpokwu Local Government of

Benue State?

2. What are the information seeking behaviors of rural farmers in Okpokwu?

3. What are the sources of information to the rural farmers?

4. What is the extent to which they use these sources of information?

5. What are the problems affecting the satisfaction of the information needs of the farmers?

6. What are the possible ways for enhancing the satisfaction of the information needs of the

rural farmers?

Significance of the Study

The findings of this study are expected to be of benefit to the rural farmers, extension

workers, government and policy makers, agricultural organizations and research institutes and

Librarians

To farmers, this study is hoped will help in accessing their information needs and their

information seeking behaviour that was not available before now and it will also contribute to

high level of productivity, if the information needs is properly addressed and packaged in the

language they can comprehend to make an impact for them.

For the extension workers who are intermediaries between the farmers, research institutes

and agricultural organizations, the findings of this study will review for them ways of packaging

the information needs of the farmers in a manner that will attract the use of their services to meet

the desired goals of its establishment. It is also expected to be an eye opener for them as
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information service providers to the rural farmers to put more effort in carrying out the tasks at

hand.

To government and policy makers, it is hoped that the findings of this study will expose

the need for proper monitoring and implementations of their policies. In the same vein the

government will also see the need to involve the farmers in policy making and not just making

the policy without knowing the farmers information needs. The involvement of the rural farmers

in the policy decision making will help the government to know the existing gap between the

urban and rural farmers in terms of their access to the policies that are on ground for the

enhancement of their productivity.

To agricultural organizations and research institutes, the result of the study is expected

to reveal the right channels of communicating with the rural farmers. This will enable them, as

agricultural information providers, to put more efforts in reaching the rural farmers with timely

information to meet their information needs.

To the researchers in related fields, it will serve as a reference tool for further research in

these areas. This means the findings will expose them to more areas that are yet to be covered.

To the field of Librarianship and Information managers, this study is hoped to add to the existing

literature on the information needs and seeking behaviour of rural farmers when it is displayed at

conferences, workshops and seminars.

It is hoped that at the completion of this study, ways for enhancing the information needs

and information seeking behaviour would be better understood by the beneficiaries and

opportunities for accessing information made more available.

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Scope of the Study

This study focus on the information needs and information seeking behaviour of rural

farmers in the three districts of the Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue in Nigeria. The

study was limited to their information needs, seeking behaviour, sources, problems and strategies

for enhancing their information needs.

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CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

The review of relevant literature on the information needs and seeking behavior of rural

farmers shall be grouped under the following sub – headings:

Conceptual Framework

• An overview of the concept of information, information needs and information seeking

behavior.

• Information needs of farmers

• Sources and channels of information for rural farmers

• The extent to which they use the Information needs

• Methods of disseminating information to rural farmers

• Problems of information dissemination to rural dwellers

• Problems Associated with the Information Seeking Behaviour and meeting the

Information Needs of the rural Farmers

• Strategies for reducing the militating factors

Review of Related Empirical studies

Summary of the literature review

Conceptual Framework

Concept of Information, Information Needs and seeking Behaviour

In today’s world, the rural people’s information requirement is increasing steadily. The

rural dwellers also needs information on multiplicity of issues that border around: Agricultural

related information like supply of fertilizer, supply of other farm inputs, modern methods of

farming, income generation, good roads, health information etc.

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Development communication is the way in which information is communicated in order

to contribute towards development. It is the way in which information is accessible and

disseminated through media in different format, in order to solve problems and to make

decisions which will lead to improved living standards in a development context. (Skosana,

2006). However, agricultural knowledge is changing rapidly and it is obvious that the

development of agriculture is highly dependant on this new knowledge and information.

Agricultural production requires the use of knowledge based technology which requires

understanding some basic information (Nemponya, 1986). According to FAO (2002) Rural

communities need a wide variety of information such as availability of agricultural support

services, government regulations, crop production and management systems, disease outbreaks,

adaptation of technologies by other farmers, wage rates, and so on. The content of the

information services needs to reflect the farmers’ livelihoods and other diverse circumstances.

The concept of information is viewed as a basic resource used by all people to improve

their condition of living and is essential for development. Aluko (1997) observed that the status

and power of a nation by the 21st century will be partly determined by the information at its

disposal and the recognition of the importance of such information to the development of

societies. Information is important and useful to everyone in the society, because information is a

vital resource for development in our fast- growing world. It lifts an individual from a state of

ignorance, illiteracy and poverty to a state of enlightenment, prosperity, and literacy. Ononogbo

(2005) states that, a competitive economy depends on the free flow of information because good

decision-making depends on reliable and timely information.

Information is central to the teaching and learning process and reduces or eliminates

uncertainty, its absence means policy mistakes, educational disparities, slower productivity and
 25

growth as it affects the quantity, success and effectiveness of public policy. In fact, information

is essential to survival; it provides individuals, societies and nations with a second chance for

rediscovering missed opportunities and the means for improving human conditions. Information

is an asset and a resource for development of governments, agencies, and the target population

(Kanba, 2009). Information has received a widespread acceptance as the essential feature of

production, consumption and exchange in this modern era (Opeke, 2004). This means that the

world has entered an era where the source of wealth and power is increasingly attributed to

information and human mental creativity rather than physical resources.

To talk about the requirement is to determine the needs of the users. Kumar (2010) opines

that determining the needs of the users’ means knowing their requirement for information. In

order to determine their requirements, it is essential to know the following; who the users are,

their background (qualification, mastery of language, areas of research and specialization) and

the purpose for which they need the information. According to Laloo (2002), need means what a

person ought to have, circumstance under which something is lacking, that which one cannot do

without and that which is necessary for an organism’s health and wellbeing. He further said that

“information need” is a difficult concept to define, to isolate and especially to measure. It

involves a cognitive process, which may operate on different levels of consciousness and hence

may not be clear even to the inquirer himself. Information needs can therefore be better

understood if the concept of ‘need’ is clearly defined. Aninweze (2004) has highlighted much on

need and to him, need represents an imbalance or lack of adjustment between the present

condition or situation or status quo and a new or changed set of conditions assumed to be more

desirable. More simply, ‘need’ may be looked at as the difference between what is and what

ought to be, hence implying a gap between these two conditions. Aboyede (1987) made it clear
 26

that information needs relate first to the main characteristics of the people – what they are and

what is important to them. The needs reflect the social, cultural, political and economic

dimensions of their development and aspiration. The above statement implies that individuals

differ and so also their approach to issues. The approach people use in tackling assigned task or

issues vary depending on who is involved. For this study, information seeking behaviour is a

purposive way of seeking for information as a consequence of a need to satisfy some goals.

Information seeking behaviour is a function of the recognition of one’s information

needs as perceived by him, which propels him to make use of information services and resources

to satisfy such perceived needs (Ekoja, 2002). He also noted that information seeking behaviour

are the noticeable, and in some instances, the unnoticeable traits and actions an individual

exhibits or adopts in the course of seeking for needed information. To Johnson and Meishke

(1993), information seeking behaviour may be influenced by the characteristics of the individual

seeking information or by the characteristics of the information carrier. Demographic

characteristics, experience, salience and beliefs are individual factors that may affect information

utilization. Information carrier may include message design and utility. While Oketunji (2000),

Afolabi (2003), and Utor (2003) in their studies observed that, information seeking behavior of

people vary according to their age, gender, occupation, location, education, exposure,

enlightenment, religion and even their culture. It can also be influenced by the sources of the

information, content, medium and language of presentation, time and nature of information.

In another development, information seeking behaviour is a broad term encompassing the

ways individuals articulate their information needs, seek, evaluate, select, and use information.

According to Pettigrew (1996), information-seeking behavior involves personal reasons for

seeking information, the kinds of information which is being sought, and the ways and sources
 27

from which the needed information is being sought. In other words, information-seeking

behavior is purposive in nature and is a consequence of the need to satisfy some goal. In the

course of information seeking, the individual may interact with people, manual information

systems, or with computer-oriented information systems.

Information Needs of Farmers

Rural farmers needs information to improve their farming practices and these information

needs may include the use of fertilizers, pest and disease control, higher yield/agricultural

production, planting at the right time, weed control, improved seeds, post-harvest

losses/preservation techniques, agricultural credits, agricultural cooperation etc. The researcher

further observed that rural farmers need agricultural information to enhance or boost their

productivity and also to be informed of modern farming systems in order to meet up with

challenges that may arise in their occupation.

Today, information has assumed greater importance because of the link between the

provision of agricultural information and increased and sustained agricultural productivity

(Ekoja, 2004). While Ozowa (1995) observed that no one can categorically claim to know all the

information needs of farmers especially in an information-dependent sector like agriculture

where there are new and rather complex problems facing farmers every day.

Agricultural information, according to Ofuoku (2008), is all published knowledge in all

aspects of agriculture and that the quality of such information depends on three attributes which

are accuracy, timeliness and relevance. Access to adequate information is very essential to

increase agricultural productivity. While Daniel (2008) is of the view that agricultural
 28

information are operationally the various sets of information and messages that are relevant to

agricultural production activities of farmers such as crop production and protection, animal

production and management, and natural resource production and conservation. Similarly,

Samuel (2001) defined agricultural information as the data necessary for decision-making and as

a resource that must be acquired and used in order to make an informed decision. Umali, (1994)

classified agricultural information into two broad groups: pure agricultural information and

agricultural information inherently tied to new inventions. Pure agricultural information refers to

any information which can be used without the acquisition of a specific physical technology. On

the other hand, agricultural inventions or technologies are those that come in the form of

agricultural inputs, management technologies facilitating farm management, and marketing and

processing equipment.

Small scale farmers also require information according to Munyua (2003) who asserted

that small scale farmers require information on supply of inputs, new technologies, early warning

systems (for drought, pest, and diseases), credit, market, prices and their competitors. Ozowa

(1995) identified the types of information that farmers need. These are information on production

technology, credit and marketing. Production technology, to him, encompasses improved

varieties of inputs, modern farming implements, fertilizers, agrochemicals, weeding and

harvesting. Ozowa further stated that farmers need to be provided information on sources such

loans, location of the lending institutions, interest rates, and amount of credit available and

modes of repayment. Provision of marketing information would enable the farmers make rational

and relevant decisions. These information needs of rural farmers may be grouped into five

headings:
 29

• agricultural inputs

• extension education

• agricultural technology

• agricultural credit

• marketing.

Modern farm inputs are needed to raise small farm productivity. These inputs may include

fertilizers, improved variety of seeds/ seedlings, feeds, plant protection chemicals, agricultural

machinery, and equipment and as well as water (Ozowa, 1995). In another development,

Swanson (2006) identified two main categories of agricultural technologies transferred to

farmers: materials technology and knowledge-based technology. To him, in material technology,

knowledge is embodied in technological products such as tools, equipment, agrochemicals and

plant varieties or hybrids. On the other hand, knowledge-based technology embodies technical

knowledge, management skills and other processes that farmers need to successfully grow a crop

or produce an animal product. Visakhi (2002) said the information needs of farmers may be

divided into six groups.

• Field acquisition: Farmers are required to know the different types of schemes and

subsidies for purchasing of agricultural land.

• Agricultural inputs: Farmers need information about improved variety of seeds,

pesticides, agricultural equipments, weather conditions, harvest and post harvest

technology.

• Agricultural technology: Farmers should be fed with information about innovative

technology in farming.
 30

• Agricultural credit: Farmers need information about credit facilities, terms of loans

etc.

• Agricultural marketing: Day to day market trends on prices of different variety of

crops are necessary for the farmers.

• Food technology: Information on post harvest food technology is needed by the

farmers to get optimum benefit out of their crop.

Sources and Channels of Information for Rural Farmers

The worth of agricultural information lies in its application. The effective communication

of information to the ultimate end user is just as important as the information itself. In providing

information to users, the information officer and librarian must come up with clients-centered

information services that can meet the needs of users in terms of both the content of the

information and the channel(s) by which it is communicated (Ekoja, 2002). He also noted that all

farmers especially the Nigeria farmers require a lot of information in order to develop successful

practices. Information managers i.e. those in extension service, librarian and information officers

must know the kind of information packages and communication channels that farmers prefer in

order to communicate the desired information to them effectively.

A number of channels exist in communicating information to the rural farmers.

According to Abraham (2009), who identified several channels and sources used to bring

information to the audience such as the media, internet, institutions, social functions, town-

criers, but in the traditional African settings, where most residence are illiterates, the mode of

communicating information to such categories of people is through “Town-criers”, While Zaniki

(1991) in his study found that the source of agricultural information most often used by farmers
 31

is personal experience (74.7%). The second and third most often used sources of agricultural

information are friends/relatives/neighbours (34.9%) and the radio (20.9%).

In his study of the rural communities in Africa, Odini (1990) identified the fact that oral

communication from neighbours tends to be the primary source of information due to a shortage

of more standard organized information services. In addition to this Ofuoku (2008) said sources

of information among rural farmers include other farmers, farmers groups, extension agents,

research institutes, universities and NGOs. Radio is one of the fastest and most powerful

channels and in many countries has been used in communicating farm information to farmers.

Radio reaches people at all levels that understand the language of transmission. The use of radio

as mass communication tool for agricultural development has long been recognized. Radio has

been used as a tool for learning and community address system. Bereh, (2002) suggested that in

remote regions, without telephones, people use radio to announce meetings, funerals and

weddings. People learn about their government programmes and policies on radio and hear about

events and issues in their communities. They also use their local or community radio stations to

voice their own views. Television adds another dimension to radio broadcasting, thus increasing

the range of methods available to extension workers. The agricultural extension agent can

present a whole series of demonstration results through pictures thus emphasizing differences

over time. Pineapple farmers obtain information daily from radio, television and neighbors and

less often (weekly/ monthly) from newspapers and extension agents. Consequently, extension

agencies and related organizations should ensure that more information is disseminated through

these channels to pineapple farmers.

In Fawole study (2008) it was suggested that usage of available information among

respondent is frequent, except for treatment of planting material with benomyl fungicide and that
 32

contact farmers are the main intermediaries between pineapple farmers and extension agents. He

also suggested that more extension agents be trained to reinforce information obtained from mass

media sources. The sources and channel through which the rural women satisfy their information

needs are available both formally and informally. The formal channels include radio and

television, Local Government information office, agricultural extension workers, primary health

care workers, and the Public Libraries. The informal channels on the other hand comprise

Village or Ward Heads, the School Headmaster, The Imams (Religious Leaders) and other elite

group in the community others include Friends and relatives, market women, as well as Non-

Governmental Organizations (NGOs) e.g. the Kanem Women, have been cited as important

informal channels of information (Gambo, 2011).

This calls for a new approach to information dissemination in the rural communities. The

use of audio-visual materials in preference to information of the print format should be adapted

for the rural communities. This is because even when the information is available in the non-

print format it will be useless unless it can be understood. In view of this, the on-farm

demonstrations, films shows, Radio and television progammes become very strong electronic

media for information dissemination to the rural people. According to Ekoja (2000), is of the

view that Information, if effectively communicated, plays a big role in getting farmers to accept

and adopt new technologies and innovations. This implies that the inability to manage and

coordinate agricultural information is one of the major constraints besting agricultural

development in a country.
 33

The Extent to which Rural Farmers use the Information Sources

Access to information that is put to use in order to derive the end result is very important,

which is the desire of communicators of such information for the end users. Information is the

use of the knowledge or experience arising from the communicated information. Information can

only be said to have been used when the knowledge or experiences embedded in the information

accessed (shared or exchanged) are put to practical and relevant effect, resulting in changing

farm/agricultural practices for the better (Ekoja, 2004). It is also hoped that the use of relevant

information would increase the productivity of the farmers.

The information source most preferred by farmers in a country is a function of how

farmers have been sensitized to the usage of the various media and their educational status –

whether literate or illiterate (Ekoja, 2002). Farmers would prefer and use information sources

that are readily available and discuss interesting and credible topics that are applicable to their

practices (Onweagba and Anyanwu, 1992). This is much supported by Stefi-Mabry (2003) who

was discussing information users generally, asserted that information satisfaction, and in

consequence channels preference is a function of the accuracy, reliability, and meaningfulness of

information sources consulted.

From the foregoing, it is not enough to know the most popular channels for

communicating information to farmers but also important to know whether the use of the

preferred channels to communicate information to farmers would lead to their quest for

information, and in some instances increased information use.

 34

Methods of Disseminating Information to Rural Farmers

Rural farmers need information for their day-to- day farming work for enhancement of

productivity and this information needs to be well packaged in a way that will make great impact

on them. In packaging the information, the language of communication needs to be properly

addressed, bearing in mind that most of the rural farmers are not learned. The researcher

observed that most of the rural dwellers embrace educative programs that are being broadcast in

their local language more than the English language because of inability to understand or

comprehend the message. Effective access to accurate and comprehensive information enhanced

agricultural or farming practices (Andre, 1996). This statement agreed with the researcher’s view

of well packaging information for achieving its goal.

Agricultural information is very important to farmers of all categories. Aina (1990)

averred that farmers need agricultural information because it has assumed greater importance in

view of the link between the provision of agricultural information and increased and sustainable

agricultural productivity. In recognition of the above, Ekoja (2002) stated that having recognized

the importance of information to farming or agriculture. Agricultural information practitioners

have equally accepted the need for efforts to improve transformation in this sector by building

links between those who generate information and those who need it. These links ensure

sustainable agricultural production, which according to the International Agricultural Center and

Royal Tropical institute (1998), holds the key to food security, poverty alleviation and

sustainable management of natural resources.

One of the agencies or services put in place to diffuse agricultural information is the

agricultural extension services. Agricultural extension is a service meant to educate the farmers

and encourage them to adopt new technologies. The work of extension service revolves around
 35

information diffusion because information communication is the process through which

innovation, agricultural knowledge, etc is passed on from researchers, policy makers. etc. to the

frontline people or farmers (Ekoja, 2002). The common meaning made out for extension is that it

involves the conscious use of communication of information.

This information can be disseminated to the rural farmers through the following media:-

Farm broadcasts, extension publication, training, extension advisory services, demonstrations

and exhibitions including those mounted at agricultural shows, farmers’ field days etc.

Problems Associated with the Information Seeking Behaviour and Meeting the Information

Needs of the Rural Farmers

Most rural farming communities have the basic issue of lack of community infrastructure to

overcome; the provision of infrastructural materials alone however, does not guarantee adequate

information that should satisfy the needs of rural communities.

A number of studies on the problems affecting the provision, dissemination, and utilization

of information at grassroots have been carried out, where the following obstacles to information

flow emerged. (Aina 1990, Kirk 1991, Olunlade 1991 and Ugoji 1991). These studies asserted

that the provision of information on any area of need of the rural community depends on the

existence of relevant matters on the said areas of need and recognition of fiscal barriers. It also

depends on institutional inertia such as inadequate service, information gap, leadership gap, and

relationship with other similar organizations, reading problems and education and training for

information work. In addition to that, Adimorah (1995) postulated that information provision to

rural communities should be coordinated for the following reasons: effectiveness, focus on

national objectives, political implications, monitoring and evaluation. The national rural

information policy should therefore include the coordinating agency since the change agents may
 36

not have been trained for evaluating the use of information at grassroots. Opportunities also exist

for the rural libraries to become involved in community information services. Some of these

barriers have also been identified by Aina (1990) who sees low literacy level, inadequate number

of trained personnel and poor access to mass media as factors inhibiting the flow of agricultural

information to farmers. Dissatisfied with reaction for these barriers, Dutta (2009) attributes the

barriers to information needs of rural women to high rate of illiteracy, inability to access formal

channels of information due to poverty, lack of adequate and efficient information delivery

mechanism, ignorance of government’s responsibilities to its citizens, skepticism of the rural

woman towards government and its information agencies, attitude of extension workers towards

effective rural information service as well as inaccessibility of the rural areas by NGOs

The information needs of an individual or group of individuals depend on the vocational

activities of such an individual or group of individuals. The information needs of a Medical

doctor will definitely be associated with the treatment of sicknesses and correction of anomalies

in the state of health of his patients while that of a student is all about his/her academic work.

For the rural farmers, their information need will be based on how to improve their crop yield.

This agrees with the postulation of Okwilagwe and Opeke (1998) who stressed that the five

factors which affect the information needs of human beings are:

• Their background: Information is culture-dependent: There is also the problem of cultural

dependence. If it is accepted that information is socially conditioned and shaped by social

environment from which it originated (Shields and Servaes, 1989), it should be

remembered that if that information is transferred to a rural community with a different

social background and environment, chances are that the information will not be
 37

understood in the way it was intended to. This is because background knowledge is not

transferred along with the information.

• Professional orientation

• The full array of information sources available

• Motivation and other individual characteristics such as the social, political, economic and

other systems that affect the users and their functions.

• Illiteracy: The factor of illiteracy or low level of illiteracy acts as a great inhibitor to

information access and assimilation in rural communities in Nigeria (Samuel, 2011).

To achieve high productivities by the rural farmers however, there is need to develop the

information consciousness of the rural men and women by the provision of efficient, effective

and reliable formal and informal information delivery mechanisms.

Problems of Information Dissemination to Rural Farmers

Rural dwellers in their search for information encounter some problems. Kizilaslan

(2006) argues that proper dissemination of information for agricultural and rural communities is

a crucial tool in the fight against poverty and deprivation. Information helps the poor to avail

themselves of opportunities and also reduce their vulnerability. Kiplang’at (1999) postulates that

dissemination of relevant information to the farming communities can facilitate the effective

adoption of agricultural inputs, decision making on markets and adoption of scientific methods.

However, lack of dissemination of information across the agricultural supply chain is a major

concern in the developing world. According to Dauda (2008), Problems confronting the local

farmers include: Poor feeder roads and inadequate road network between the rural areas where

agricultural production mainly takes place and the urban areas; lack of appropriate on farm and

off-farm storage facilities; the rural electrification programmes in Nigeria have not fully taken
 38

off as the government battles with the supply of electricity in urban areas. She further said that

the absence of all these lead to poor dissemination of agricultural information.

The extension service delivery system still suffers from the inadequate number of

extension men and women. The few that are in place, lack mobility to improve on extension-

farmer contact while women extensionists are too few to handle gender issues. The frequency of

extension message discovery is limited by poor research situations in universities and research

institutes, shortage of experienced professional and technical manpower, especially for

tractorisation and mechanization, most especially when, able-bodied people are leaving

farming/rural areas. This has negative effects on labour availability, productivity and production.

The wage rates have increased, thereby increasing the cost of food production; the land tenure

systems in this part of the country, limit land availability to would be farmers, women and the

landless, hence, low returns and low farmers income (Dauda, 2008). A major constraint to

agricultural information dissemination is the inadequacy of existing extension programs. Some

of these extension programs are conceived without well thought out plans and are prepared in a

hurry without consulting the farmers whose attitudes are to be changed. Such agricultural

information packages can neither sustain the farmers' interest nor effect the desired attitudinal

change. Farmers' interests are disregarded considering the fact that most of the agricultural

innovations are written and broadcast in English instead of the local language (Ozowa, 1995).

This implies that agricultural innovations should not only be written and broadcast in English but

also in local languages for the interest of the rural farmers.

The major challenge is that small, rural farmers have trouble keeping up with the big

croppers. One of the problems is that many rural farmers do not have the same communication or

information options as the larger companies. For a farmer to stay competitive, he needs to
 39

understand market prices, growing trends, product information, potential crop problems, and he

must be able to reach his buyers. Unless the farmer has a way to communicate and receive

information rapidly, he/she misses great opportunities. The best way to connect to the outside

world and stay on top of the competition is via computer and internet. However, because such

services are virtually non-existent in the rural areas, this has made farming difficult (Satellite

Internet, 2009)

There are some limiting factors and constraints in agricultural information dissemination

in Nigeria, including status differences between extension agents and their clients; agents'

inadequate knowledge of how communication works lack of interagency cooperation both in

program planning and implementation and the conventional extension's general lack of interest

in traditional media. e.g. town criers, group meeting etc.

Well intentioned agricultural programs can be marred by poor implementation and too

much bureaucracy. For example, the Cooperative Extension Centre of the University of

Agriculture, Makurdi, has a competent crop of subject specialists without adequate funding,

facilities and logistic support like visual aids, equipment, transportation and adequate

communication channels, the Centre has not been able to achieve the expected impact on the

immediate university community (Ozowa, 1995). He further noted that the present ratio of 1

extension worker to 3,000 farmers is inadequate for effective agricultural information diffusion.

The problem is compounded by the paucity of women as extension agents especially in a society

where cultural and religious taboos make it impossible for male extension workers to reach

women farmers who outnumber male small scale farmers.

 40

Many people in extension are ill-prepared for extension and extension communication

job. The emphasis in their training is more on technical proficiency rather than on rhetorical and

persuasive skills. An extensionist trained in this way, is unlikely to make an impact on a

conservative farmer who is not likely to put his farm inputs at risk by trying the extensionist's

improved technique. There is real need for extension agents training to be relevant to their jobs at

the grass root.

Strategies for Reducing the Militating Factors

The factors militating dissemination agricultural information to rural farmers can be

reduced through the following:

Agricultural shows: An agricultural show is a public event showcasing the equipment,

animals, sports and recreation associated with agriculture and animal husbandry. The work and

practices of farmers, animal fanciers, cowboys and zoologists may be displayed. The events are

good sources of agricultural information, as organizers can arrange for guest speakers to talk on a

range of topics of farming (Osdell, 2008). In addition Southwest research and the extension

center (1998) see demonstrations and on-farm field trials as another strategy: field trials fall into

one of two categories: side-by-side trials (often referred to as strip trials) or small-plot replicated

trials. Side-by-side trials are the most common form of on-farm tests. As the name suggests,

these trials involve testing practices or products against one another in plots arrayed across a

field, often in strips, the width of the harvesting equipment. These strips should be replicated

across the field or repeated at several locations to increase reliability. Small-plot replicated trials

often are conducted by universities and companies at central locations because of the complexity

of managing them and the special planting and harvesting equipment often required. Replicated
 41

treatments increase the reliability of an experiment. They compare practices or products against

one another in multiplicative under uniform growing conditions in several randomized small

plots in the same field or location. Both types of plots can provide good information.

In another development Guenter (2007) view demonstration plots as a strategy for

reducing militating factors that affects the satisfaction of the information needs of rural farmers.

The demonstration is a time of the year when many farmers visit and evaluate hybrid

demonstration plots planted by seed companies and country extension personnel, among others.

When checking out these plots, it’s important to keep in mind their relative value and limitations.

Demonstration plots may be useful in providing information on certain hybrid traits and field

variability in growing conditions and crop performance.

Extension education: Extension is a type of education which is functional rather than

formal. It is better provided by extension workers whose main task is to convey information in a

meaningful form to farmers. One of the ways they do this is by training a group of model farmers

with the hope that such farmers come in contact with other farmers. This is particularly necessary

because farmers outnumber available extension workers with the present ratio of 1.3000 (Ozowa,

1995).

Institutional and governmental organs have been put in place to ensure that farmers get to

know and adopt agricultural innovations relevant to their situations, e.g. the National

Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services (NAERLS), the extension services of the

Agricultural Development Project (ADPs) etc. These bodies serve as facilitators of agricultural

messages by acting as communication departments. They use media such as leaflets, newsletters,

posters, exhibits, visual aids and radio programs in communicating agricultural information
 42

(Ozowa, 1995). This gives one a picture of communicating agricultural information to farmers of

all categories using the media to satisfy the information needs of the farmers.

Review of Related Empirical Studies

This section is concerned with the empirical studies done in the area of information needs

and information seeking behavior of rural farmers. A number of studies have been conducted by

different people and organizations on the adoption of different agricultural technologies both

within and outside Nigeria. On the other hand, there is limitation of empirical studies related to

the factors influencing access to and utilization of agricultural information.

Ekoja (2004) carried out a study titled Sensitizing Users for Increased Information Use:

The Case of Nigerian Farmers. His aim was to find out how much Nigerian farmers know about,

and access, the NAERLS information services, and how much their desire for increased

information use as evident in their articulated information needs. The research design used for

this study was the descriptive survey. The population comprised the NAERLS and Nigerian

farmers (including fishermen, livestock farmers and agro-foresters), found in the five ecological

zones are Bida, Ibadan, Maiduguri, Umudike and Zaria. The sample was made up of farmers

found in and around the zonal headquarters. A sample of 100 farmers was studied in each zone,

making a total of 500. The research instruments for data collection were questionnaire and

documentary sources and both were complemented by interviews. The findings of the research

are that the little known and accessed information services were television programmes, English

language radio programmes, and most extension publications. As a result, most Nigerian farmers

have great desire for agricultural information which is attested to by the findings relating to their

information needs in this study. The work of Ekoja reviewed above is similar to this study
 43

because it is all about farmers. The difference between this and the current study is that it is

limited on sensitizing users for increased information use in Nigeria in general where as the

present concerns itself with information needs and information seeking behaviour of rural

farmers in Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue State.

In other study, Njoku (2004) investigated the Information Needs and Information

Seeking Behaviour of Fishermen in Lagos State, Nigeria. The survey was carried out in the rural

fishing communities of the state. Using questionnaire supported with interviews, personal

observation and examination of relevant records, data were collected from 500 fishermen in the

different fishing communities in the state. The simple percentage was used to analyze the data.

The study examined information needs, sources and information seeking behaviour as well as

problems encountered by the fishermen in a bid to obtain information. Results show that the

information needs of fishermen in Lagos state are mostly occupation directed. Their chief

sources of information include colleagues, friends, neighbours and relatives. Results also show

that the fishermen in Lagos State are mostly illiterate, married and male adults in their middle

ages; where and how to obtain credit facilities remain the most important information need of the

fishermen; lack of awareness about where to obtain information on modern fishing technology is

the most common problem of the fishermen in their attempt to seek information. This shows that

there is acute shortage of information and fisheries extension officers in the field of information

dissemination. It was concluded that the means and sources of information sort after by

fishermen in Lagos State are no longer adequate to meet advanced technology in the field and

this can be detrimental to the profession. Suggestions that would facilitate information seeking

and use among fishermen in Lagos state were given. Njoku’s work reviewed above is related to

the present study in the sense that the researcher investigated information needs and seeking
 44

behaviour like the on-going study. The study adopted survey design, as well as questionnaire,

interview and personal observation were used as instrument for data collection, while the current

shall adopt complete focus group discussion for data collection. Both studies are on farmers but

in different geo-political zones of Nigeria as well as different farming system/practices.

In a similar view, Ozioko (2007) studied the Reproductive Health Information Needs of

Rural Women in Enugu State. The survey research technique was used while five research

questions were formulated to guide the study. A reproductive health information needs

questionnaire (RHIQ) was developed and focus group discussion (FGD) schedule was also

formulated to guide discussions with the rural women. Means were used to analyze data while

responses from the focus group/discussion were qualitatively analyzed. The objectives of the

study were: to find out the reproductive health information needs on maternal mortality, anemia,

sexually transmitted infections, HIV/AIDS, pregnancy compilations and menopause of women

living in the rural areas of Enugu state, to find out the extent that lack of information has

contributed to these problems such as maternal mortality, anemia, sexually transmitted

infections, HIV/AIDS, pregnancy complications, to determine the sources of satisfying their

reproductive health information needs. To find out the problems encountered in the process of

meeting these needs and to determine how such problems could be overcome. The findings of

the study were: that rural women in Enugu State have many reproductive health information

needs, they are not aware of many reproductive health problems and sometimes do not believe in

their existence, lack of adequate reproductive health information has led to high incidence of

reproductive health problems among them, and there are many barriers to meeting their

reproductive health information needs. The implication of these findings for government and

other stakeholders were discussed. The recommendations based on the findings were that: Both
 45

the state and federal governments and their relevant agencies should embark on an aggressive

sensitization of the rural women through seminars and workshops on the prevalence of

reproductive health problems; the rural dwellers should be re-oriented on their cultural beliefs to

erase the misconceptions they hold about certain diseases and infections, the government should

provide more health centers, clinics and hospitals to the rural communities, Adult education

programmes should emphasize reproductive health problems. Public libraries should in addition

to repacking information materials, provide relevant information materials that would help to

eradicate illiteracy as well as create awareness on some of the devastating reproductive health

problems. In a striking relationship, Ozioko’s work share the present is about information need.

The work also adopted a descriptive survey design and the instruments for data collection focus

group discussion (FGD) will be employed in the on-going study. However, Ozioko’s work is

about the reproductive health information needs of rural women restricting it to Enugu State

whereas the on-going focused more on information needs and seeking behaviour of rural farmers

in a different geo-political zone, State and Local government.

In another development, Opara (2008) carried out a study on Agricultural Information

Provision to Farmers. The study adopted ex- post facto research design based on a survey of

agricultural development programme zones of Imo State. A total of 1386 farmers formed the

sample population for the study. Stratified proportionate sampling technique was used to select

sample of the study. The methods of data collection were questionnaire as interview schedule or

non- self administered questionnaire in situations where farmers could not read and write in

English. The data collected was analyzed using frequency tables and percentages. In the study, it

was found that their information needs were mostly marketing and processing cooperative

attributable to small scale level of farming operations, credit facilities, improved crop varieties,
 46

agrochemicals, agro- machinery, inputs and implements and how to access them and provision of

information on government fiscal policies and environmental policy and laws are other areas of

information needs of the farmers. The work of Opara is also related to the current study because

it dealt with rural farmers. The differences that exist however between the former and the current

is that, Opara’s work was on agricultural information provision for farmers while the present

study is on information needs and information seeking behaviour of rural farmers, the former

employed ex-post facto research design, the present will adopt descriptive survey research

design. In addition, while the present work adopts purposive sampling technique to select

sample, the former adopted stratified proportionate sampling technique. The former study was

also conducted in a different state (Imo) in rain forest different agricultural programme zone

while the current study is in Benue state a savanna transition zone.

Similarly, Olabode (2008) studied the Information Needs of Selected Rural Communities

in Ekiti East Local Government Area of Ekiti state. The study was aimed at identifying the

information needs of the selected rural communities, how these information needs are met as

well as problems militating against access to information needs and possible solutions to these

problems. The study employed survey research method and the total sample of the comprised

120 opinion leaders which include civil servants, farmers, traders, and among others. The

instrument for data collection was questionnaire and structured oral focus grouped interviews

schedule with 12 questions on agriculture, politics, education and health. The study discovered

that majority of the respondents had secondary education and few with university education. The

main occupation of the respondents is farming, while few engaged in teaching, trading, civil

service and others. The study also discovered that the rural community needs information on

agriculture, health, politics, education and employment. The findings also shows that the
 47

problems of the rural dwellers include high illiteracy rate, absence of rural public libraries and

information centers, absence of radio and TV broadcast in local dialect among others. The

sources of information available include radio/TV broadcast, traditional ruler’s friends,

billboard/posters and magazines. And majorities do not use these information services and the

researcher attributes this lack awareness of such information services provided to the high cost of

information materials. Suggested solutions include, motivating the educated people in rural

communities to assist the illiterate people to have access to the information, order translation of

information on radio and TV into local dialect which rural dwellers understand, create awareness

of available information centers and provision of good roads. Olabode’s work reviewed above is

akin to the present study in the sense that the researcher studied information needs in selected

rural Communities in Ekiti East Local Government Area of Ekiti State. The study also employed

the same design and one of the instruments for data collection (Focus Group Discussion

interview) that will be used in the present study. However, the difference between the former and

the present work is that Olabode’s work was carried out in a different agro-ecological and

geopolitical location from my study. He used both the questionnaires and structured oral focus

grouped interviewed schedule for data collection.

In addition, Aniogbolu (2010) studied the Information Needs of Rural Communities

dwellers in Ika –North East L.G.A of Delta State with particular focus on Umunede kingdom.

The study found out: the Information Needs of the people living in these Rural Communities,

how Information Needs of these people are provided, and the problems that militate against

access to the Information by the rural dwellers and possible solutions to these problems. The

research design used for the study was the survey method. The sample for the study consisted of

320 respondents randomly selected from the villages that made up the kingdom. The instrument
 48

for data collections were researcher developed questionnaire titled Information Needs

identification, Oral interview, and a structured focus group interview schedule. The simple

percentage and frequency count were used for data analysis. The study revealed that Rural

Communities dwellers need information on multi-plicity of issues and that various factors

militate against their access to the information they need. The study concluded that information

is a vital resource for every individual and noted that these information needs are not met as a

result of the failure of those that are supposed to make them available to the rural dwellers.

Recommendations were made in order to find a lasting solution to the identified problems.

Aniogbolu’s work reviewed above concerns itself with information needs like the present study.

It also adopted survey design, as well as structured focus group interview as one of the

instruments for data collection which shall be adopted by the present study. However,

Aniogbolu’s work was carried out in Ika-North Local Government Area of Delta State with

focus on Umunede Kingdom while the present study is to be carried out in Okpokwu Local

Government Area of Benue state. The former study also employed random sampling technique

to select its sample; questionnaire and oral interview as part of the instrument for data collection

which this study will not adopt.

In another study, Nazari (2011) studied the Role of Television in the Enhancement of

Farmers’ Agricultural Knowledge. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of

television as an educational tool for the enhancement of farmers’ knowledge. This study was a

randomized subject, pre-test-post-test design among farmers who were working and residing in

Kohgiluyeh va Buyer Ahmad province, Iran. The subjects of the study included 161 farmers who

were selected randomly from rural areas. After determining the educational goals of the study, a

questionnaire was designed as pre and post test. Based on educational contents, one TV program
 49

was produced with emphasis on fighting against agricultural pests, and correct method of using

agricultural poisons. Participants responded to the pre and post test before and after broadcasting

the television program through the provincial broadcast center. Almost all farmers in this study

were male (90.1%) and married (80%) with mean age of 41.65 ±14.69 years. The finding of the

study showed that educational intervention through a TV program resulted in a significant

knowledge enhancement from 3.73 to 6.26 (p<0.001). Mass media offer effective channels for

communicating agricultural messages, which can increase knowledge and influence behavior of

audience members. The above work has a striking relationship with the ongoing study by sharing

the same subject matter. However, it was carried out in a different country (Iran) with a different

sampling technique, and different instrument (a questionnaire was designed as pre and post test).

Similarly, Okwu and Daudu (2011) carried out a study of Extension communication

channels’ usage and preference by farmers in Benue State, Nigeria. The objectives of the study

were: Examine the socio-economic characteristics of the farmers in the study area, find out the

level of communication channels’ availability and accessibility to farmers, assess the relative

usage by farmers of the available extension communication channels, determine communication

channel preference of farmers, determine the relationship between farmers’ personal and social

characteristics and frequency of use of communication channels as sources of agricultural

information. A sample of 316 farmers was selected through a stratified random sampling

technique and interview schedule was used in eliciting information from them. Descriptive and

inferential statistics were used for data analyses. Interpersonal communication channels were

generally found to be more available, accessible and used by the farmers than the mass media to

obtain information on improved farm technologies. Relatives/friends/neighbours constituted the

most regularly available, accessible and used interpersonal channels although extension agents
 50

and television were mentioned by the farmers as the most preferred interpersonal channel and

mass medium, respectively. Chi-square analysis shows that there is significant relationship

between frequency of communication channels use by farmers and their educational level, sex,

farm size and farming experience. It was recommended that rural radio booster stations and

community rural television stations be established to feature special programmes targeted at rural

farmers. To ensure regular availability and accessibility of extension agents (the farmers’ most-

preferred channel), efforts should be made to employ more extension agents. Okwu and Dauda’s

work also dealt with farmers in Benue state like the present study. Although Okwu and Dauda’s

work is similar to the ongoing study, it was carried out in Benue as a whole while the present is

in Benue but Okpokwu Local Government Area in particular. The former also employed a

different method of data analysis.

Summary of Literature Review

The review discussed the information needs and information seeking behaviour of rural

farmers. It sees information as an important factor in the sustained development of any society

because it reduces uncertainty, and enhances awareness of possible actions to take to solve

problems. The literature reviewed focused on the general overview of the information needs and

seeking behaviour among rural farmers. It also highlighted the types of information needed by

farmers: varieties of inputs, modern farming implements, fertilizer, agrochemical, weeding,

harvesting, loans and marketing etc.

Some sources and channels of information commonly used in rural communities as

follows: town criers, group meetings, neighbours, elders, television, radio, extension services

and less of printed materials. The review further focuses on discussing ways and strategies for

disseminating information and reducing factors militating against access to information needs of
 51

the rural farmers to include increasing the number of extension workers, research institutes and

universities so as to carry out more research on needs of the farmers. Other ways forward are

open show farmers’ day, e.g. on-farm field trials, and demonstration progamms.

It is evident that previous related studies have been carried out in this area of information

needs and information seeking behaviour of rural farmers and some of the work are in this

research. However, from the researcher’s best of knowledge and literature, no research has been

carried out on the information need and seeking behaviour of rural farmers in Okpokwu Local

Government Area of Benue State, to be precise. Such study is very useful especially in

determining the information needs and information seeking behaviour of the rural farmers. It is

hoped that the study will fill in perceived gaps in knowledge of this subject matter.
 52

CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH METHODS

This chapter discusses methods and procedures to be used in collecting and analyzing

data. It comprises the following: research design, area of study, population of the study, sample

and sampling technique, instrument for data collection, validation of the instrument, procedure

for data collection and method of data analysis.

Research Design

The research adopted is the descriptive survey design. According to Nworgu (2006)

descriptive survey is aimed at collecting data on something and describing it in a systematic

manner, the characteristics, and facts about a given population. The study of information needs

and information seeking behaviour of rural farmers necessitated the use of descriptive survey,

because it involved observing, and describing the situation that involved large population.

Area of the Study

The study was conducted in Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue state which is in

North Central geopolitical zone of Nigeria. The Local Government Area comprises of only three

districts namely Okpoga, Edumoga and Ichama. The choice of Okpokwu local government is

due to the fact that farming is the predominant occupation of the people there.

Population of the Study

The population of the study consists of all farmers in Okpokwu Local Government Area

of Benue state. According to the National Population Commission (2006), Men’s population in

the Local Government stands at 91563 while that of Women stands at 85084 bringing the total to

176,647. In Okpokwu Local Government Area, there are 132 autonomous communities (see

Appendix 1and 2) on page 66 – 68.

 53

Sample and Sampling Technique

One hundred and twenty (120) farmers from the three districts of the Local Government

were sampled for this study including 40 from each district. Purposive sampling technique was

used to select a total sample of 120 farmers. Purposive sampling is a technique in elements that

satisfy some predetermined criteria are selected. The criteria to be used are usually a matter of

the researcher’s judgement, he exercise the judgement in relation to what he thinks will

constitute a representative sample with respect to the research purpose (Nworgu, 2006). See

appendix 3 for sample representation on page 69.

Instrument for Data Collection

The instrument for data collection was Focus Group Discussion schedule. A focus Group

Discussion schedule was designed by the researcher based on the six research questions to aid

good interaction with the rural farmers among the three districts of the Okpokwu Local

government.

A Focus Group Discussion schedule is divided into two parts. Part one sought to appeal

for the cooperation of the rural farmers with the researcher by providing valuable answers during

the session or discussion, while part two which contains six questions to be discussed and those

questions may generate other questions (See Appendix 4) on page 70.

Validation of the Instrument

The instrument was subjected to face validation by two lecturers in Department of library

and information science, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. They were requested to take critical

examination of the questions with the view to determining their appropriateness to the variable

being investigated. Their comments, suggestions and in-puts were integrated in the final draft of

the instruments (see appendix 5) on page 71.

 54

Method for Data Collection

The data for this study was collected through Focus Groups Discussion schedule (FGD)

of twelve rural farmers in each group. The researcher employed the help of three field assistants

in the Local government. Their assistance was to solicit for data collection after a briefing on

what to do by the researcher on the way of conducting the focus group discussion interview. This

was done to do away with the problems of misunderstanding, misrepresentation of ideas by the

farmers.

The data was collected within one week where the researcher covered one district with

the assistance of trained research assistants in the two other districts. The tape recorded and

jotted information was collected from the research assistants immediately after each session of

the discussion by the researcher in order to avoid distortion and misplacement of the information

collected.

Method of Data Analysis

The data obtained through the Focus Group Discussion interview was qualitatively

analyzed and presented using descriptive illustration of the voice and understandings of the

participants. Qualitative studies are non-manipulative, that is they tend to study situations and

objects intact. The researcher observes, interviews, records, describes, interprets, and appraises

settings as they are.

 55

CHAPTER FOUR

PRESENTATION OF DATA

The results of the study are presented in this chapter. The data obtained are presented

according to the research questions. At the end of the chapter, a summary of the major findings

were presented. Focus Group Discussion interview was conducted with 120 rural farmers.

Research Question 1: What are the information needs of rural farmers in Okpokwu Local

Government Area of Benue State?

The information needs of the rural farmers in Okpokwu are in various categories which

include agricultural information, economic information, educational information, and political

information.

Agricultural information needs include farm inputs and implements such as:

• Fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, improved variety seeds, integrated

pest, disease and weed management systems, value addition and post harvest

processes, resource utilization and sustainable agriculture, global warning and

other climatic changes as it affect agric, harvesters and processing equipment,

storage and preservation facilities and tractors.

• Others are information on animal husbandry such as breeds, feeds, animal

diseases, period of fattening etc.

Economic information needs include loan/ credit facilities, marketing strategy, export

opportunities and organic farming. They are interested in knowing where to get cheap raw
 56

materials for their farming work, access to interest-free loans/ credit facilities and markets for

their finished products at reasonable price.

Educational information: Majority of rural farmers required information in the area of

education, first of all awareness on the importance of education for the development of the

individual and the society. They expressed their need for information on adult literacy

programme to enable them have knowledge on how to test soil fertility, application of fertilizer,

preservation and storage.

It was discovered that most farmers are not politically conscious. They are not aware of

their responsibilities to government neither are they aware of their rights as citizens. The

presence of government is only felt at the time of electioneering campaign when promises are

made and not fulfilled. They need to know what governance is, their rights as citizens, their

powers as electorates and how to use these powers wisely. Other information needs are political

activities which include when to register, when to vote, how to vote, who to vote for, parties

involved in the elections and lastly where to go for the voting.

Research Question 2: What are the information seeking behaviour of the rural farmers in

Okpokwu Local Government?

The Information seeking behaviour of these farmers is mainly informal. They align more

to information obtained from friends, age grades members, elders, neighbors, farmers groups,

sometimes retirees (extension or fadama workers) and printed media. Few of them seem to

occasionally seek for information from the retirees (extension or fadama workers) for update in

current trends in agriculture. The few literate ones among them go to information centers to read

newspapers, books, manual /handbooks, pamphlets etc to meet their information needs.
 57

Research Question 3: What are the sources of information to the rural farmers?

The channels of information available to them are both formal and informal. From the

discussant the following informal sources were cited to include town criers, village meetings

such as village markets, village age grade meetings, farmers associations, church meetings and

sometimes through retirees as educators. Others include neibhbours and rumors popularly known

as gossip. The formal channels include radio and television as well as documentary sources

which are other channels of information available to them. These other sources also include

newspapers, magazines, manuals which are not often current but still useful none the less.

Research Question 4: What is the extent to which the farmers use the sources of information?

From the discussion, it was revealed that majority of the rural farmers in Okpokwu local

government areas of Benue State use the informal sources of information to a very great extent

and the sources include town criers, village age grades, neighbours, churches, farmers

association, retirees. In addition some of the work revealed that radios are not often used because

(agricultural programmes) are only broadcast once in two months. The television as a source is

occasional because most of the farmers do not have television set in their homes, so they only

accessed it when they visit people that have television sets. For documentary sources such as

newspapers, manuals, pamphlets and handbooks the disussant attested to the fact that the usage is

very low due to their unavailability.

Research Question 5: What are the problems affecting the satisfaction of the information needs

of the rural farmers

With respect to the problems that affect the satisfaction of information needs of the

farmers in Okpokwu local government area of Benue State, some of the farmers express their
 58

dissatisfaction with the state and local governments for not meeting their promises. The study

pointed out that during political campaigns, people aspiring for positions such as governorship

and chairmanship seats usually make empty promises such as giving improved seeds and

seedlings, insecticides, herbicides, pesticides and the rest to rural farmers to improve agriculture.

However, when voted to represent the masses they forget about their promises and fail to meet

the needs of the rural farmers.

Another problem affecting the satisfaction of the needs of the farmers is illiteracy. The

study revealed that most of the farmers are illiterate therefore, even if their information needs

are provided by government officials, accessing and putting them into practices is another issue

altogether. Others findings highlighted lack of extension or fadama workers. The rural farmers

exhibited a need to benefited from the services of agricultural extension workers for the past 10-

15years. The extension workers are mediators between them (farmers) and research institutes or

agricultural organizations so their absence is affecting their (farmer’s) productivity negatively.

Finally, it was also discovered that lack of funds was another problem affecting the

satisfaction of their information needs. The investigation sees the establishment of micro-finance

banks by the government as a way to solve the issue by funding and to improve the standard of

living of the poor masses or rural farmers. But the research notes that the farmers are not

benefiting from them because of the collateral demand by these banks. The worst of it all is that

they (farmers) don’t get the money from these banks even when they meet the condition for

loans/ credit facilities most of them lack sufficient information on the bank collateral.

Research Question 6: What are the strategies for enhancing the satisfaction of the information

needs of the rural farmers?

 59

It was discovered that majority of the rural farmers indicated interest in adult education

programme such functional adult education schools should be established to educate them

(farmers) on new trends in agriculture. This will enable them adopt new practices and

innovations in agriculture.

The employment of more able extension and fadama workers is another major factor that

will enhance the satisfaction of their information needs. These extension staff should be properly

equipped with all that is needed to work. These personnel are mediators between the farmers, the

research institutes and agricultural organizations. The research also revealed the need of

government to adopt proper monitoring strategies for timely service delivery to the farmers. This

also calls for the provision of good access roads to enhance efficiency of farmers and farming as

well as marketing products at good price.

This investigation also showed the place agricultural education programs on radio and

television broadcast as another strategy for enhancing the satisfaction of the information needs of

the rural farmers. The farmers suggested that the agricultural educational programs on radio

should be broadcast in their local languages as it will enable them understand the new practices,

technological innovations and the proper application of these implements.

Funding was discovered to be another major factor that will enhance the satisfaction of

the information needs, of the farmers. Soft loan facilities that will demand less collateral or free

interest rate from the beneficiary need to be provided by either government or NGOs. Enhanced

funding may also improve information generation and transmission. Information is a costly

venture.
 60

CHAPTER FIVE

DISCUSSION, RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION

The chapter discusses the results of the findings presented in the previous chapter. The

discussion was organized according to the purpose of the study and the research questions. It also

contains the implications of the findings, recommendations and limitations of the study, and

conclusion of the study.

Discussion of Findings

The Information needs of the Rural Farmers in Okpokwu Local Government Area

of Benue State.

The study identified 24 information needs of rural farmers in Okpokwu local

Government Area of Benue State. They include improved varieties of seed / seedlings,

herbicides, insecticides, pesticides, integrated pest, disease, weed management systems

loan/credit facilities, marketing strategy, export opportunities, organic farming, global warming

and other climatic changes as they affect farming, resource utilization and sustainable

agriculture, value addition and other post harvest processes, education, good access road,

preservation and storage facilities, processing machinery, machinery for checking soil fertility,

breeds, feeds, animal diseases, and period of fattening. This finding is consistent with the finding

of Ozowa (1995), Visakhi (2002), and Munya (2003) who suggested that the information needs

of rural farmers can be summed up as information on agricultural inputs, production technology,

credit, marketing and education. Opara (2008) also said that information needs of farmers on

issues as marketing and processing cooperative is attributed to small scale level of farming
 61

operations, credit facilities, improved crop varieties, agrochemicals, agro-machinery, inputs and

implements and how to access them etc.

Information seeking behaviour of the rural farmers

The information seeking behaviour of the rural farmers include oral discussion with

age grades members, elders who are the custodians of information stored in their brains,

neighbors, friends, farmers groups, through extension or fadama workers, reading newspapers,

books, manual/handbooks and pamphlets. Despite the fact that they align more to information

gotten informally, there was gross dissatisfaction with the informal medium because of

advancement or technological development in agricultural sectors. As for the formal media, the

planning and execution is not achieved with the interest of the farmers, this, thereby discouraged

them from the use. This corresponds with Odini (1990) and Zaniki’s (1991) findings that rural

farmers often get information from friends/ relatives/neigbours and oral communication. In

addition, Ofuoku (2008) found that sources of information for rural farmers include other

farmers, farmers groups and extension agents (fadama workers). In the same vein, Olabode

(2008), Nazan (2011), and Okwu and Dauda (2011) said that farmers seek for information

through interpersonal communication channels, relatives, friends, neigbours, extension agents,

traditional rulers, billboard, posters and magazines.

The sources of information to the rural farmers

The sources of information available for rural farmers in Okpokwu Local Government Area

of Benue State include town criers, village meetings such as village markets, village age grade

meetings, farmers associations, church meetings, educators, neigbours, gossip, electronic media

such as radios and television as well as documentary sources such as newspapers, and
 62

magazines. However, when the formal channels of information are available to them that vital

educate programs on agriculture or farming are usually presented in English language which is

usually very difficult for them to understand except for those who are a bit educated. This

finding is consistent with the discoveries of Odini (1990), Zaniki (1991), Ofuoku (2008), Fawole

(2008) and Abraham (2009) who mentioned town criers, radio, television, neighbours, church

meetings, farmers associations, newspapers and magazines.

Extent of information sources used by the rural farmers

From the discussion, it was discovered that the rural farmers in Okpokwu local government

areas of Benue State use the following sources of information to a very great extent; town criers,

village age grades, neighbours, churches, farmers association, retirees. Furthermore the work

revealed that radios are not often used because (agricultural programmes) are only broadcast

once in two months. Television is occasionally a source of information because some of rural

farmers do not have television set in their homes, so they only have access to it when they visit

people that have television. For documentary sources such as newspapers, manuals, handbooks

and pamphlets the only a few farmers use it to a very little extent. The findings correspond with

that of Ekoja (2002) that farmers would prefer and use information sources that are readily

available.

The problems affecting the satisfaction of the needs of the farmers

This study done in Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue State identified four

problems affecting the farmers information needs satisfaction. They include dissatisfaction with

the Governors and chairmen who made promises during political campaigns and never fulfill,

illiteracy, lack of extension or fadama workers, and lack of fund. The finding of Olabode (2008)
 63

has also identified the problems to be high rate illiteracy, absence of radios and television

broadcast in local dialect among others. In another study Okwilagwe and Opere (1998) identified

cultural dependence, lack of professional orientation, lack of motivation, illiteracy etc as the

problems affecting the rural farmers.

The possible ways of enhancing the satisfaction of the information needs of the rural

farmers

In order to satisfy the information needs of the rural farmers in Okpokwu Local

Government Area of Benue State, the farmers suggested that the government should keep to their

promises by providing fertilizers, improved seeds / seedlings, herbicides, pesticides, insecticides,

adult education, employment of able extension and fadama workers as well as provision of good

access roads to enhance efficiency of their work, agricultural education programmes on radios

and television which should be broadcast in their local languages. This education should be on

new practices, technological innovations, application of fertilizers, how to use herbicides,

insecticides and provision of loan facilities by the government to the rural farmers. Presently

banks are unwilling to give farmers loan without demanding high collateral and interest rates and

rural farmers cannot afford any collateral. The finding agrees with Olabode (2008) and Opera

(2008) who identified the strategies to include good marketing and processing strategies, credit

facilities, improved crop varieties, agro-chemicals, agro- machinery, inputs and implements,

provision of information on government fiscal policies and environmental policy and laws,

motivation of the educated people in rural communities to assist the illiterate people to have

access to the information, transmission of information in radio and television in local dialects,

provision of good roads.

 64

Implications of the Study

The rural farmers form about 90% of the population in Okpokwu Local Government Area of

Benue State. This highlights importance of their information needs, since relevant information is

the principal ingredient for improved agricultural output, everything possible to ensure steady

flow of information to farmers should be done.

The findings of this study will serve as a guide for government officials/ functionaries, as a

valuable tool for planning and improving information provision to the rural farmers. It will serve

as an eye opener to the government and its agencies, for them to make available the necessary

facilities and structures needed in meeting the information needs of the rural farmers. Otherwise

the nation may continue to suffer from low productivity of food and raw materials for industries.

The findings of this study also have implication for the rural farmers, because if their information

needs are met, they will be informed and this will help to reduce the level of poverty among rural

farmers, improve agricultural productivity and their participation in other activities in the State,

be it economical, social or political.

It also has implications for public libraries with regards to dissemination of information,

repackaging of information and adult education programmes. The public libraries should

endeavour to provide relevant information to farmers through their extension programme as well

as functional adult literacy classes without which, the high rate of literacy among the rural

farmers will remain high and adopting newer innovation in agriculture will continue to be a

problem. The findings of this investigation also have implications for the management of

broadcasting and television houses with regards to repackaging their agricultural programmes

especially translation of programmes to local languages, if not their objective for the targeted
 65

audiences may not be achieved. And this may also amount to waste of resources and time,

because no impacts will be felt by the rural farmer due the language barrier.

Furthermore, the findings of this study have implications for the rural farmers who would

part-take in any agricultural programme which will enable them acquire knowledge and

technologies (modern technology knowledge).

Recommendations

Based on the findings, the following recommended are therefore suggested.

1. The politician in the three tiers of government should keep- to their promises during

political campaigns.

2. Adult literacy classes should be organized in the rural areas by the Ministry of Education

so that the rural farmers will be educated and be able to access information in the printed

media such as magazines, newspapers, posters, handbills etc.

3. There should be provision of agricultural agents in every rural area like fadama workers.

4. Able famada workers should be employed and deployed to the rural areas by the

government for better agricultural products.

5. Government should provide good roads in the rural areas, to enable them transport their

farm products.

6. The management of the television and broadcasting houses should come-up with

agricultural programmes in local languages and it should be broadcast at list once in a

week.

7. Public libraries should provide relevant information materials in local languages for the

rural farmers.
 66

8. The microfinance banks should provide soft loan/ credit facilities to the rural farmers.

9. The Ministry of Agriculture should translate agricultural programmes in local languages.

Limitations to the Study

One major limitation observed was that the rural farmers used for the study were very

reluctant to discuss their information needs because of the disappointment they had from the

government of the State. Another limitation to the study was lack of access road to the villages

covered. There were no motorable roads to the villages. Therefore access to respondents was by

trekking. Finally, the researcher experienced technical problems. This was because of the tape

recorder that could not effectively record the entire responses thereby forcing the researcher and

the field assistants to take note of the farmers’ responses.

Suggestions for further Studies

The following are suggestions made for other researchers to carry out further research

work:

1. Similar study can be carried out in other Local Government Areas of the State.

2. A comparative study of the information needs and information seeking behaviour of rural

and urban farmers. Can also be undertaken by interested researches.

3. The study could be replicated in other States of the federation to determine what

constitute their information seeking behaviour.

Summary

The importance of rural farmers to the national economy cannot be over emphasized as

rural areas form the food basket of the nation, and a major source of export materials. The
 67

information needs of these rural farmers if met will help them to overcome the challenges of low

productivity and loss of harvest due to poor preservation methods.

The objectives of this study were to:

1. Identify the information needs of rural farmers in Okpokwu local Government of Benue

State

2. Identify what constitutes the information seeking behaviour of rural farmers.

3. Ascertain sources of information used by the rural farmers

4. Determine the extent to which they use these sources

5. Identify the problems affecting satisfaction of the information needs of the farmers

6. Suggest ways for enhancing the satisfaction of the information needs of the rural

farmers.

To achieve these objectives, six research questions were formulated. Focus Group

Discussion (FGD) was used for the purpose of data collection. The data generated were

qualitatively analyzed.

The findings of the study include:

1. The rural farmers in Okpokwu Local Government Areas of Benue State have twenty four

information needs.

2. The information seeking behaviour of the rural farmers include oral discussion with age

grades, elders, extension or fadama (retirees) workers, reading newspapers, manuals and

pamphlets.

3. Available sources of information include town criers; villages age grades meetings,

farmers associations, church meetings, neigbours, gossip, radios, and newspapers.

 68

4. Problems affecting their information needs satisfactions includes the dissatisfaction with

the political leaders promises that are never fulfilled, illiteracy, lack of extension or

fadama workers, lack of fund.

5. Ways of enhancing the satisfaction of the information needs are that government should

keep their promises by providing farm inputs, adult education, employment of able

extension and fadama workers, provision of good access roads and agricultural education

programmes on radios should be broadcast in local languages.

The implications of these findings for government agencies, libraries as well as rural

farmers were highlighted. Based on the findings of the study, recommendations, for

improvement such as establishment of functional adult education classes, employment of

able extension or fadama workers were made and the limitations of the study were discussed.
 69

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APPENDIX 1

LOCAL GOVERNMENT DISTRICTS AND COMMUNITIES IN OKPOKWU, BENUE

STATE

EDUMOGA DISTRICT ICHAMA OKPOGA

1. Agamudu 1. Ojoga 1. Ugwu Centre

2. Effiom 2. Ipole- Ai Okpe 2. Aidogodo

3. Effeche 3. Ipole-Aiebiega 3. Ogwuche Akpa

4. Amufu 4. Ipole Aiona 4. Ikomija

5. Otobi 5. Ipole Ohebe 5. Idobe

6. Igama 6. Ijaju 6. Okpudu

7. Ojigo 7. Iwewe 7. Abosa

8. Eke 8. Ojocha 8. Effehe Igberi

9. Akpoga 9. Olaidu 9. Adiga

10. Akpodo 10.Oma 10. Odokpo

11. Ugbokolo 11. Ogba 11. Akpakpa

12. Opialu 12. Okpoo 12. Ogbaga

13. Oladegbo 13. Ukpor 13. Otto

14. Akpuneje 14. Ekor 14. Agado etc.

15. Okana 15. Achi 15. Olagbenu

16. Ipoya 16. Ai Ejeh 16. Idiri

17. Ejema 17. Madiko 17. OKadoga

18. Ingle 18. Odukow 18. Ogene

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19. Omusu 19. Ogirewu

20. Olayenga 20. Ajaha

21. Okpliho

22. Olaidu

23. Olaleje

24. Ogomotu

25. Okpolikpo

26. Ingle

27. Akpoga

28. Ijeha

29. Oklenyi

30. Odokpo etc.

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APPENDIX 2

DISTRIBUTION OF AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITIES BY DISTRICTS IN OKPOKWU

LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA

S\N DISTRICTS NO Of AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITES

1 Edumoga 88

2 Ichama 26

3 Okpoga 18

Total 132

Source: Traditional Council Office (2011)

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APPENDIX 3

A TABULAR REPRESENTATION OF THE SAMPLE

S\N DISTRICTS No OF FARMERS SELECTED

1 Edumoga 40

2 Ichama 40

3 Okpoga 40

ToTal 120
 79

APPENDIX 4

Department of Library and Information Science

University of Nigeria,

Nsukka.

Date

Sir/ Madam

FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION WITH RURAL FARMERS

I am a post-graduate student of the above named address, carrying out a research on the

topic “information needs and information seeking behaviour of rural farmers in Okpokwu Local

Government Area of Benue State. Please be objective in providing the response to the questions

during the discussion as much as possible. Any information received shall be treated with strict

confidentiality. They are purely for academic purpose.

Thanks in anticipation of your cooperation

Emmanuel Helen

PG/MLS/10/52653
 80

Discussion Schedule

1. What kinds of information do you need as farmers to improve your farming practices?

PROBE: Other kinds not talks about

2. What are the ways you as farmers seek for information to improve productivity?

PROBE: Are there other ways not discussed?

“ “ What are the ways you use in sharing the information among yourselves?

3. What are the ways you (farmers) use in getting the information you need (sources)

PROBE: Are there other sources?

4. To what extent are these sources accessed or used by the rural farmers?

PROBE: Are the sources available always or occasionally?

5. What are the problems that are making you as farmers not to be happy with the

information needs?

PROBE: Are there other problems not discussed?

6. What other ways do you think can help improve the satisfaction of your information

needs?

PROBE: Other possible ways not mentioned.

81