CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 DEFINITION OF INFORMATION
Information is referred to anything that you are capable of perceiving, this can include written communication. Speaking communication, photographs, art, music nearly anything that is perceivable. This includes enormous assortment of stimuli, but realizable, everything we come in contact, which is capable of providing and does provides us with some sort of information.
INFORMATION ACCORDING TO WEBSITES THIRD NEW INTERNATIONAL DICTIONARY DEFINED:
Information as a process by which the form of an object of knowledge is impressed upon the apprehending mind so as to bring about the state of knowing it. This also includes some thing received or perceived or obtained- through information eg. Knowledge communicated by others or obtained from investigation, study or instruction.
FUNK AND WAGNALLS ENCYCLOPEDIA
Sees information as timely or specific knowledge acquired or derived signal element forming parts of massage or communication especially one assembled and made available for use by automatic machines, as in a digital computer usually machined in bits.
The Encyclopedia Biotical; Also defined agriculture as the science of cultivating the soil, growing and harvesting crop and raising livestock.
- A. Iwena (2002) Defied agriculture as the production of crops and animals for man’s use in other words, agriculture is defied as the deliberate effort made by man to till the soil, cultivate crops and rear animals for food and other purposes.
TYPES OF AGRICULTURE
There are two major types of agriculture namely:
- Subsistence agriculture and
- Commercial agriculture.
SUBSISTENCE AGRICULTURE:
It is the type of agriculture which is concerned with the production of finding a farmer to feed himself and his family. In order word subsistence agriculture is a system of farming where by a farmer cultivates crops and rear animals in order to provide food for use by himself and his family only.
COMMERCIAL AGRICULTURE
This is the type of agriculture which is concerned with production of food. Animals and cash crops in large quantities for sale. It makes use of modern and complex tools and implement like tractors, plough, harrows, ridges, planters, which are required for successfulness of it’s practice.
AGRICULTURAL INFORMATION
It is a process or methods used in disseminating new ideas, techniques to farmers. This methods is grouped into (3) three classes:
- a) INDIVIDUAL METHOD:
The individual method includes farmer home visits aimed at direct contact between farmers and the extension agents. The purpose is to give advice or assist on wide range of farm and its problem. In order to succeed, it may require the assistance of volunteer leader to arrange meetings as to develop public relations with organization and important individuals.
- b) GROUP METHOD:
The group method involves the works together with groups of farmer supervision of the extension worker. (Eg)
- Symposia
- Lectures
iii. Debates
- Group demonstration
- Extrusion
- Field trips
vii. Agricultural show.
Agriculture show is usually organized by state or even federal government and it includes demonstration/ Exhibition of farmer product from improved agricultural practices.
- c) MASS MEDIA:
This method is used to awareness and interest in new ideas and technique among the majority of farmers. In order words, this method enables many people to know about the new innovation. Mass media includes CD ROM, radio, Television, Newspaper, Film show, Computer show case, Pamphlets, Banners, Hand bills and Handouts.
APPLICATION OF AGRICULTURAL INFORMATION
Over the years faculty members at university of Nebraska have designed computer network system for direct use by farmer’s along with wished agricultural specialists. There are now more than a thousand users of the system. The system disseminates/delivers information to Canada.
There are two board classes of the users:
- Agricultural specialist:- who advices other farmers
- Individual farmers, business and agencies making use of system directly.
In African, a deliberate effort/attempt have been by African governments to bring about agricultural development without much to show for these efforts. This can be attributed to the treatment of information delivery as matter of course by most African government. As often happens agricultural information is not integrated with other development programs to address the numerous related problem that face farmers.
Information is an essential ingredient in agricultural development programmes but Nigeria farmers seldomly feel the impact of agricultural innovation either because they have no access to such vital information or because it is poorly disseminated. The information provided is exclusively focused on policy maker’s researchers and those who manage policy decisions with scant attention paid to the information need of the largest beneficiaries of the policy decision. The non-provision of agricultural information is a key factor that has greatly limited agricultural development in development countries.
If the approaches to agricultural development programmes are to work, African governments needs to take new approaches to information dissemination and management that grow out from a clear understanding of what farmers information need are. For instance a researcher might use beef grower to estimate when a particular cattle will be ready for sale and what cost and gain of selling will be.
The cost of production for various crops can be calculated using crop budget and the economic value of land estimate with bay land. This programme also provided new items and message services.
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