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Barrio Associations as communication channels between service agencies and rice farmers in Pila, Laguna.
Thesis Abstract:
The study attempted to determine whether and to what extent barrio associations were being used as communication channel by the agricultural service agencies and the rice farmers in Pila and to describe the communication process occurring between them. It also sought to identify the specific communication functions being performed by the barrio association and to make some recommendations on how to make barrio association more effective communication channels.
Data were gathered by interview 120 rice farmer-members, 34 officers of five barrio associations, and 12 field technicians of five service agencies. The data were expressed as frequency counts and analyzed with the use of percentage, means, ranks and chi-square test.
Findings indicated that the barrio associations were perceived as playing a “Linkage” role on the communication process between the service agencies ang the farmers. Formal meetings of the barrio associations and the other group activities were the most mentioned intersections media among farmer-members, field technicians and barrio association officers. In practice, however, farmers still communicates most frequently with service agencies through individual contacts (home and farm visits) with the field technicians assigned in the are. The barrio association was the second most frequent channel of communications.
Four communication function as suggested by Esman were perceived to be relatively well performed by barrio associations: (1) articulation of farmer’s needs, (2) diffusion of farm information, (3) integration and coordination of information and services . The last two functions, however, were still done through the field technicians. The communication from farmers to service agencies was not as strong as the other way around.
The result indicate that the effectiveness of a barrio association as a communication channel depends on regularity of its meetings, the active participation of the service agencies and their technicians in the barrio association activities, and a good grasp of farmer needs and problems by the agencies.