The role of television in the enhancement of farmers’ agricultural knowledge

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of television as an educational tool to the enhancement of
farmers’ knowledge. This study was a randomized subject, pretest-posttest design among farmers who were
working and residing in Kohgiluyeh va Buyer Ahmad province, Iran. The subjects of the study included 161
farmers who were selected randomly from rural areas. After determining the educational goals of the study, a
questionnaire was designed as pre and post test. Based on educational contents, one TV program was
produced with emphasis on fighting against agricultural pests, and correct method of using agricultural
poisons. Participants responded to the pre and post test before and after broadcasting the television program
through the provincial broadcast center. Almost all farmers in this study were male (90.1%) and married (80%)
with mean age of 41.65 ±14.69 years. The finding of the study showed that educational intervention through a
TV program resulted in a significant knowledge enhancement from 3.73 to 6.26 (p<0.001). Mass media offer
effective channels for communicating agricultural messages, which can increase knowledge and influence
behavior of audience members.