Video as a tool for agricultural extension in Africa: A case study from Ghana

This publication evaluates the impact of educational video to support Ghanaian women farmers in learning about integrated crop and pest management.  The approach described here shares similarities to Illuminaid’s video intervention, specifically in the areas of nutrition and agriculture. 

ILLUMINAID CLAIMS NO AUTHORSHIP OF THIS PUBLICATION AND TAKES NO OWNERSHIP OVER THE SUBJECT OF THIS STUDY’S RESEARCH. PLEASE SEE CITATION BELOW.

Abstract

The paper explores the effectiveness of video viewing clubs (VVCs) as a training method based on a formal survey of 32 Ghanaian women farmers who were trained on cocoa integrated crop and pest management (ICPM) using this method. Results suggest that the video viewing club is effective as a relatively low cost, interactive training method for providing low literacy populations with skills, information and knowledge on complex technical topics. While there was no significant difference between VVC participants and a control group in farmers’ reported implementation of selected ICPM practices or yield difference in the single year observed one year after the training largely due to methodological limitations, the study demonstrated that VVC training significantly improved farmers’ knowledge of most topics covered. Farmers’ perception of changes in their practices provided further evidence of the positive impact of the training, as did their high rate of knowledge diffusion. The use of local facilitators in the VVCs, which created a sense of ownership and added to the credibility of the technical messages, contributed to farmers’ appreciation of the method. The paper concludes by discussing the challenges of scaling up VVCs and identifying issues for further research.

Citation: David, S. & Asamoah, C. (2011). Video as a tool for agricultural extension in africa: A case study from ghana. International Journal of Education and Development using ICT, 7(1), 26-41. Open Campus, The University of the West Indies, West Indies. Retrieved June 5, 2024 

Image from a 2023 illuminaid project in partnership with ACDI/VOCA Honduras that empowered farmers to promote sustainable and productive food systems.