Radio has traditionally been held out as the go-to communications technology for agricultural extension work in underdeveloped countries. Now, a new study is showing the potential for video, too. In central Benin, a study of video in triggering improved rice processing showed a 72 per cent increase in what the authors describe as innovation levels. The research is published in the International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability. I heard about it from the African Rice Center and the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, which issued a news release about it here.
OWEN ROBERTS
Owen Roberts is a faculty member in the Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications program at the University of Illinois. As an agricultural journalist, he is the past president of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists and a lifetime achievement award recipient from the Canadian Farm Writers' Federation. His programs and research papers have been recognized nationally and internationally through awards from the Journal of Applied Communications, the National Agri-Marketing Association, the Association for Communications Excellence, and others.