Assessment ofInformation Needs and Information Seeking Behaviour of Rural Farmers in Ikwuano Local Government Area, Abia State, Umuahia:- Nwadinobi, Nnenna P

ABSTRACT

The study was aimed at assessing the information needs and information seeking behaviour of ruralfarmers in Ikwuano Local GovernmentArea ofAbia State, Nigeria. Six (6) specific objectives were framed to guide the study. The study adopted the descriptive survey design. The population ofthe study was thirty-six (36) drawn eleven (11) registeredfarmers associations in the area. The complete census sampling technique was used because the entire population ofthe study was used as the sample size. Data were collected for the study using the self-structured questionnaire designed with the modified 4-pointscale. The data collected were analyzed using the descriptive statistics of mean scores and frequency counts in line with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The findings revealed that the information needs ofrural farmers include: government’s agricultural policies/decisions; information about fertilizers distribution; information about agricultural loans/credit facilities; information on pest/diseases control; information about weather/climate change, etc. It also shows that the information seeking behaviour ofthe ruralfarmers include: asking co-farmers, friends, agricultural extension workers and farmers’ association for information, as well as listening to radio and television for information. The study revealed that the sources of information for rural farmers are: radio; television; farmers’ associations; print sources like textbooks, newspapers, magazines; internet; agricultural cooperative societies; agricultural agents; friends; mobile phones, etc. It identified the problemsfacing the information needs and information seeking behaviour ofruralfarmers to include: poor awareness ofavailable information and when information is actually needed; low level ofliteracy; low level offarmers’ income to obtain needed information; lack oflibraries and community information centers; inadequate agricultural extension agents, etc. Based on the problems, the study revealed that the strategiesfor enhancing information needs and information seeking behaviour of rural farmers are: raising awareness and promoting the available information sources to ruralfarmers; establishment ofcommunity libraries or information centres in the rural areas; provision ofpower supply in the rural communities in order to enable rural farmers use their radio and television set, among others.