Rural Farmers\u27 Problems Accessing Agricultural Information: A Case Study of Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State, Nigeria

Rural farmers account for the greater part of the population of any developing country such as Nigeria. Governments of developing countries have a major responsibility of ensuring that there is adequate rural development in their various communities and local governments which would lead to effective and efficient agricultural systems that will not only supply food and animal protein but also foster the utilization of natural resources in a sustainable manner (CGIAR, 1995). When the rural farmers lack access to knowledge and information that would help them achieve maximum agricultural yield, they are not only grope in the dark but are driven to the urban centres in search of formal employment, as the only option for survival (Munyua, 2000). Blait (1996) pointed out that the least expensive input for improved rural agricultural development is adequate access to knowledge and information in areas of new agricultural technologies, early warning systems (drought, pests, diseases etc), improved seedlings, fertilizer, credit, market prices etc. There have been short-comings of traditional print and library based methods (Van and Fortier, 2000) of providing such agricultural information to rural farmers who are generally illiterate and relatively remote from formal sources of information (e.g. extension stations, libraries). Aina (2007) also, was of the opinion that farmers would benefit from global information, if information centres, are cited in rural areas complete with all information and communication gadgets. Rural farmers in Nsukka local government area of Enugu state are not noted to produce enough food, probably due to some constraints that lead to lack of access to timely and up-to-date information which would have enabled them to achieve optimal yield from their farmlands. Such information is highly desired by these farmers and can only be made available to them via extension workers, community libraries, state and local government agricultural agencies (ADP, ENADEP etc), e-mail or the World Wide Web (WWW) in a telecentre (Telecommons Development Group, 2000). In this modern day of information technology, telecentres provide the rural farmers with prompt and reliable information about what is happening in areas of improved seedlings, better methods of cultivation and fertilizer application, pest and weed control/eradication, new advances in livestock production and disease control etc. Where rural farmers are not faced with constraints in accessing agricultural information, traditional media such as rural radio, has been used in delivering agricultural messages to rural farmers (Munyua, 2000). Other ways of delivering these messages or information to the rural farmers include print, video, television, films, slides, pictures, drama, dance, folklore, group discussions, meetings, exhibitions and demonstrations (Munyua, 2000). The lack of access to basic agricultural knowledge and information by rural farmers in Nsukka local government area of Enugu State which may be as a result of certain constraints has made these farmers to stick to their old traditional methods of farming system and animal husbandry practice, hence resulting in poor crop and livestock productivity. Information and knowledge are very vital in agricultural development of any community and where they are poorly disseminated as a result of certain constraints, the community’s agricultural development becomes highly impeded. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate the constraints of the rural farmers in Nsukka local government area of Enugu State in accessing agricultural information

The Library as an Effective Tool for Understanding the Health Status of Rural Communities in Nigeria

Library in any community is regarded as an information base centre for storage and retrieval of vital information which could be used for community development and national planning. The library is the gateway to information (Anasi, 2010). It is a place where information is acquired, processed, repackaged, preserved and disseminated. Every community (country) aims at improving the health of its citizens and plan outreach annually (Ogunbode, 2004). This objective would be better achieved where libraries are seen as effective tools for understanding the health status of rural communities in Nigeria. Librarians are meant to partner with community health workers to record and store health information on common prevalent disease conditions in our rural communities, such as malaria, measles, dracunculiasis (guinea worm), dysentery, poliomyelitis, tetanus, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS etc. Health status measures that relate to these conditions are especially valuable tools for identification of problem and evaluation of intervention programmes. Public access to health information is paramount to the developing nations in Africa e.g. Nigeria where communities are ravaged with daunting health problems. Health messages even at government level are often confused and unreliable (Godbolt et al., 2010). Indeed on health issues at all levels, from the point of care through to policy level, communities lack access to reliable and appropriate health information and are often unable to make informed health decisions for themselves or those they care for, hence the resultant poor health status of most rural communities in Nigeria today. When libraries have adequate information on the health status of our rural communities vis a¢ vis prevalent disease conditions in such areas, the federal government through the ministry of health and other health agencies (WHO, Red cross) would be in a better position to assist such communities through provision of drugs and vaccines, building of hospitals and health centres, provision of portable water supply, etc. All these would no doubt create better atmosphere for better and reliable health status of our rural communities. This paper therefore tries to justify the library as effective tool for understanding the health status of rural communities in Nigeria

Influence of Electronic Media on Reading Ability of School Children

Introduction Reading is an essential tool for lifelong learning. It is important for everyone to develop the rudiments of reading and the culture of reading always so as to survive in life. Reading according to Holte (1998) adds quality to life and provides access to culture and cultural heritage. He pointed out that reading empowers and emancipates citizens and bring people together. Okeke (2000) reaffirms that the art of reading is a priceless instrument for everyone. It is one of the most important activities of life through which we enter into the life and experiences of others and extend our knowledge, scope of experience and enjoyment. It has critical role to play in the overall development of an individual and the nation at large. Reading experience can be obtained in the library. The school library is a gateway to knowledge and will serve as a starting point or road map to reading and the promotion to reading culture. The library provides books and other resources which will help shape thoughts and influence the actions of students throughout life with active supervision by an experienced librarian. Due to technological development, reading habits are changing. In our society today, while technology is slowly taking a steady control over individual lives, the reading habit is fast vanishing into thin air (The Hindu, 2004). Students now lack the skill of reading. Instead they spend more hours on electronic media. Browsing the net, playing with funky handsets and passing non-stop SMSs seem to be the order of the day, there by making reading a book or any other piece of written material in a quiet or peaceful corner of a library or home become an archaic idea for most school children and adults (The Hindu, 2004). Obama (2008) in his speech pinpointed that children cannot achieve unless they raise their expectations and turn off television sets. Shabi and Udofia (2009) noted that active learning from books is better than passive learning such as watching televisions and playing games. Students are rarely interested in reading for pleasure and enjoyment instead they read only to pass examination. The declining interest in reading culture among our children (especially those in primary and secondary schools) is a cause for alarm and a challenge to all and something need to be done to alleviate this yawning problem. Unfortunately, reading is not taught or included in school curriculum. Reading is not a subject and cannot be taught separately as most other subjects in the curriculum rather it is subsumed in every other subject and is regarded as a tool facilitating many other types of learning. Nowadays, due to the rat race syndrome, parents pay little or no attention to their children\u27s reading ability, parents themselves lack the skill and the culture of reading such that some do not read to their kids. Mefor (2010) urged all Nigerians schools to launch a readership promotion campaign which will help to inculcate the culture of reading in children. It is also important to start early to inculcate the culture of reading early enough in a child. Also Olukemi (2010) advised Nigerian youths to imbibe the reading culture in all their endeavours. She lamented that lack of reading culture among youths nowadays has greatly affected quality of graduates being produced by the nation\u27s higher institutions. It is against this background that this study tries to investigate on the influence of electronic media on the reading habits of pupils in homes and schools. Improving access to relevant information and promoting a reading culture are prerequisites for strengthening literacy skills, widening education and learning opportunities, and helping people to address the causes of poverty (Makotsi, 2005). Objectives of the Study The main objective of the study was to investigate the influence of electronic media on the reading habits of pupils in two primary schools in Nsukka town, in Enugu State, Nigeria. Specifically, the study aimed at identifying the following: 1 the activities pupils engage in at home. 2 the number of hours the pupils devote in reading books, magazines, playing games, watching television, chatting with friends and listening to music. 3 the influence of electronic media on the children\u27s reading hours. 4 the influence of electronic media in the homes and school libraries on the pupils\u27 reading ability. 5 the number of times children visit their school library

Issues, strategies and prospect of book trade practitioners in Nigeria

The study examined the issues, strategies and prospects of book trade practitioners in Nigeria The study adopted descriptive survey research design. The study was carried out in five major markets, (one each) from all the states in the South-East Nigeria. Quantitative and qualitative approaches were all adopted in the approach. It was discovered that book trade helps in identifying budding talents (writers) and projecting them to the world. Also, it was revealed that it helps educate the generality of the Nigerian society as well as create employment and revenue. It was also discovered that ever expanding school population in Nigeria, increase in established institutions across educational levels and the policy of compulsory basic education are all potentials of bookselling. Moreso, the findings revealed that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) particularly the computer, telecommunication and Internet technologies as well poor reading culture including unfriendly government policy, poor access to low interest capital and ineffective antipiracy campaign contribute significantly against book trade in Nigeria. Provision of soft loans to booksellers, effective anti piracy campaign and prosecution of offenders, on-line/electronic selling took the pride of place as the strategies that can be adopted for enhancing bookselling in Nigeria. Book trade is channelled towards promoting learning and expanding knowledge. Based on this premise, the issue of bookselling must be taken more seriously than before. The stakeholders in the business should jointly come up with  interesting solutions to those  constraints that are ravaging the industry. It is high time for Nigerian government to borrow leaf from their foreign counterparts such as Britain and United States of America book policie

Nature and level of the use of resources for electronic collection development in three Nigerian universities

The study assessed the nature and level of the use of resources for electronic collection development(ECD) in three Nigerian university libraries. A population of 208, comprising professional librarians and para-professionals was used for the study. Questionnaire, observation checklist and interview schedule were used in collecting data for the study. Data generated were analyzed using frequency counts, percentages, means and standard deviations. Different types of resources required for enhancing ECD in Nigerian university libraries such as “Internet”, “Online Public AccessCatalogue”, “Desktop computers”, “CD-ROM”, etc were identified. Available resources for (ECD)in the three institution libraries were identified. The findings highlighted challenges of (ECD) inNigerian university libraries. Strategies that will help in stemming the tide of challenges ofelectronic collection development were suggested. Academic libraries in tertiary institutions inNigeria and other developing countries will leverage on this study for a robust and efficientelectronic collection development practice