Media Performance And Rural Development In Developing Countries: Effects Of Mass Media On Inculcating, Adoption Of Innovation And Challenges In Agricultural Development

Abstract

The results of a study that evaluated small- scale farmers’ access to and usage of mass media for agricultural information sharing, innovation adoption and constraints related to Tanzanian agricultural development are presented in this paper. The Gairo district, Morogoro region, had two specifically chosen villages where the study was conducted. A sample size of 384 respondents was employed in the investigation. It used a combination of quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques along with a case study research design. Questionnaires, focus groups, and observations were used to gather data. Version 16.1 of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to examine the quantitative data, while content analysis was applied to the qualitative data. In the study area, radio was the most popular information channel when compared to television, newspapers and new media according to the study’s findings. In general, the respondents' radio-based agricultural information was pertinent to their farming endeavors. Furthermore, the respondents' use of newspapers and television to obtain agricultural information was only partially relevant to their farming activities. The study's conclusions also showed that the study area's low power supply, weak signals, high cost of buying mass media sources, and insufficient feedback mechanism were the main obstacles to receiving agricultural information through the media. It is therefore advised that the government encourage rural electrification and enhance the signals, internet and transportation infrastructure in order to increase the availability and usage of contemporary agricultural mass media sources and facilitators in these areas compared to their current state.