Use of community radio to communicate agricultural information to Zimbabwe's peasant farmers

PURPOSE – This paper aims to report an investigation into the benefits and limitations of radio to communicate agricultural information to peasant farmers, and how it can be successfully incorporated into agricultural extension service programs in Zimbabwe. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH – Quantitative and qualitative research techniques were applied to gather, analyse and interpret data. A total of 25 semi-structured interviews were conducted with peasant farmers in Ward 16 of the Buhera South Constituency, and four in-depth interviews were conducted with key informants in agricultural extension and radio services. FINDINGS – Extension service programs do not satisfy the agricultural information needs of peasant farmers because: there are not enough extension workers; they do not have the means of transport to reach all households; they lack the communication skills to interact effectively with the peasant farmers; and they lack the motivation to carry out their work. A community radio service was the most preferred medium of communication for rural peasant farmers. The farming radio programs are relevant to their agricultural activities, their language and accents are used, and they can contribute to the program content. ORIGINALITY/VALUE – The study proposes a suitable model for communicating agricultural information effectively to the peasant farmers. The model elaborates how the community radio service should be set up, what the important components are, and how the community radio service can be incorporated into extension service programs.