An exploratory assessment of the effectiveness of oramedia in communicating new agricultural terminologies and techniques among farmers in Osun State, Nigeria

Abstract The Nigerian government, lately, has prioritized agriculture, following dwindling incomes from its main source of foreign exchange, oil and gas. But the agricultural sector still largely depends on peasant farmers. The present article focuses on how the oramedia (traditional communication) can be used to support agricultural development in the country. Focusing on trainers at selected farm centres in Osun State, the study was guided by four research questions – extent to which current local farmers comprehend agricultural terms in their native Yoruba language; translation difficulties; prospects of oramedia application and translation adoption. The qualitative method (Focus Group Discussion and Key Informant Interviews) was used to gather data. Results reveal that the experts and representative sample of farmers consider the traditional communication model (oramedia) potentially more effective. Among other findings, it was discovered that ability of the farmers to comprehend technical agricultural terms is largely dependent on their levels of formal education.