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 an agricultural journalist and communications instructor based in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. He is a trustee on the Global Foundation for Agricultural Journalism and an associate editor (communications) for the Journal of Agromedicine. Previously, Owen was president of the International Forum for Agricultural Journalists, an agricultural communications faculty member at the University of Illinois, and research communications director at the University of Guelph. His programs and research papers have been recognized through awards from the Journal of Applied Communications, the National Agri-Marketing Association, the Association for Communications Excellence and the Canadian Farm Writers' Federation.