The Effect of Broadcast Digitalization on Agricultural Information Dissemination in Nigeria.

Broadcast digitalization with its enormous benefits to the broadcasting industry will improve the quality of content of programs delivered by television stations. Africa has a switchover date of June, 2017. For Nigerians to have access to television broadcast once the switch over is completed, they must purchase high definition television sets or the set-up box. The awareness among urban dwellers in Nigeria have resulted in households switching to receiving digital broadcast transmission by purchasing digital set-up boxes. However, the rural communities which are agrarian and are responsible for the production of food and fiber for the people and provision of raw materials for the industry are being left out of all discussions by the stakeholders in the country. Many of the farming households reside in the rural areas and they depend on agricultural extension systems to improve on their production. Agricultural extension uses mass media as a means to deliver agricultural information on innovations and technology to the farmers and television programs targeted towards agriculture are employed. The farmers have the opportunity to hear and see new agricultural practices which are largely held on state-owned television stations. Due to the inherent poverty among the rural farmers and in the bid to make sure they keep having access to agricultural information through the mass media, specifically, the television, this study looks into what the Nigeria government should do to ensure food production and by extension, food security and overall rural economy development despite the need to improve broadcast technology in Nigeria.