Waithera, Rachel Simon(Daystar University, School of Communication, October , 2021)
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Abstract:
Visibility is a vital aspect of any corporate in the contemporary world as there is massive competition. Are the channels or tools used to communicate to the farmers on research discoveries effective? Do ICIPE and KALRO deliver the intended message at the right time, and is the understanding between the research institutions and the farmers at the same level? The study was undertaken to answer these questions. This research was informed by the media dependency theory, and data was collected using questionnaires and focus group discussions. The target population was farmers from Ngewa Ward in Githunguri Constituency, Kiambu County. A sample of 122 was selected through simple random sampling, and the collected data was analyzed with the aid of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The findings indicated that farmers obtained agricultural information mostly from radio, although some were dependent on other channels such as Television (TV), newspaper websites, social media, and friends. The tools used influenced the farmers in agricultural technology adoption choices. It was also revealed that though very few farmers knew of the existence of agricultural technologies provided by the research organizations, the farmers had a positive attitude towards technologies. They always looked forward to the innovation of new technologies and believed that technologies from the research organizations played a role in increasing food production. The study concluded that the two research organizations in Kenya (ICIPE and KALRO) used different tools of communication, with the most effective tool being the radio since it is affordable and easily portable. One of the study's recommendations is that the research organizations’ managements need to strengthen their communication departments to help assess appropriate and effective tools for use in communicating new technologies.