Abstract

This study analysed Local media approaches in agricultural and rural development activities in the study area. Multi stage sampling was employed in the study. TaroYamane formula was used to determine the sample size for the study, hence a total of 379 rural farmers randomly selected and interviewed across the six Agricultural Development Programme zones in Akwa Ibom State. Findings show that the most commonly used local communication instrument for communication in agricultural and rural development activities in the study were boundary trees, injunction palm frond and scrotal hernia and were ranked 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Using factor analysis, the patterns of local media approaches and agricultural and rural development activities data sets were collapsed separately for parsimonious factors. The analysis yielded 4 critical factors for local media approach (cultural and festival factor, folk medium factor, social group factor and personal contact factor) while agricultural and rural development activities yielded 5 critical factors (agronomic activity factor, health sensitization factor, infrastructural development factor entrepreneurial development factor and processing development factor). There was a strong and positive relationship between local media approaches used and agricultural and rural development activities .Integration of local media and modern media is advocated.

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