NJOMACS

The technical, socio-economic, and knowledge gaps among local farmers in most rural areas of Nigeria are too deafening to ignore. This paper, therefore, employs the use of a qualitative descriptive approach to conduct an in-depth review of available literature to examine agricultural communication and socio-cultural and economic factors that hinder effective farming practices among local farmers in many rural areas and villages in Nigeria. This study is guided by diffusion of innovation theory, which stresses that social change the new ideas and innovations cause, and two-step flow of information theory, which posits that messages of communication media move first to informed and exposed individuals, considered as opinion leaders who regularly get exposed to mass communication messages. This study concluded that video-mediated agricultural extension services should reach a larger number of farmers in the rural areas and villages because it can break illiteracy barriers. Farmers adopt new agricultural technologies and innovations much better when visuals are used to train them on the adoption of certain agricultural technologies and practices. Also, the use of mobile phone by extension workers or personnel to reach a host of local famers is imperative, as on-the-phone conversation enables local farmers to ask questions and answers are supplied on grey areas.