ACCESS AND UTILIZATION OF AGRICULTURAL INFORMATION BY RESETTLER FARMING HOUSEHOLDS: THE CASE OF METEMA WOREDA, NORTH GONDAR, ETHIOPIA

•              TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..........................................................................................................................VI ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS .................................................................................................... VII TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................................................... VIII LIST OF TABLES .......................................................................................................................... ...........XI LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................................. XIII LIST OF APPENDICES .......................................................................................................................... XIV ABSTRACT ...............................................................................................................................................  XVCHAPTER ONE   
• 1.INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................  1 1.
• 1.Background ........................................................................................................................................  1 1.
• 2.Statement of the Problem ....................................................................................................................3 1.
• 3.General Objective of the Study ............................................................................................................ 4 1.
• 4.Specific objectives of the Study .......................................................................................................... 4 1.
• 5.Scope and Limitation of the Study ........................................................................................................ 5 1.
• 6.Significance of the Study .......................................................................................................................5 1.
• 7.Organization of the Thesis ..................................................................................................................... 6 

Chapter TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

• 2.LITERATURE REVIEW--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------7  
• 2.1Review of Agricultural Knowledge and Information .............................................................................. 7 2.
• 1.1Operational definitions .........................................................................................................................7 2.
• 1.2Concept of agricultural knowledge and information ............................................................................. 8 2.1.
• 3.The role of agricultural knowledge and information in agricultural development.................................. 9 2.
• 1.4Sources of agricultural knowledge and information ........................................................................ 10 2.1.
• 5.Knowledge sharing and communication network .............................................................................. 11 2.
• 2.Role of Agricultural Extension Service.......................................................................................... 13 2.
• 3.Information-Seeking Behavior ................................................................................................................ 15 2.
• 4.Empirical Studies on Access to Different Extension Service and Mass Media....................................... 16 2.
• 5.Empirical Studies on Factors Affecting Access and Utilization of Agricultural Information ....................17 2.5.
• 1.Household’s personal and demographic variables ............................................................................. 17 2.5.
• 2.Household’s socio-economic variables ............................................................................................... 22 2.5.
• 3.Institutional factors ..............................................................................................................................   23 2.5.
• 4.Psychological factors ............................................................................................................................   25 2.
• 6.Conceptual Framework of the Study ...................................................................................................... 27 CHAPTER THREE
• 3.RESEARCH METHODOLOGY .................................................................................................................. 29 3.
• 1.Description of the Study Area ................................................................................................................. 29 3.
• 2.Sample Size and Method of Sampling ................................................................................................... 32 3.
• 3.Data Type, Sources and Method of Data Collection ............................................................................. 34 3.
• 4.Methods of Data Analysis ......................................................................................................................35 3.4.
• 1.Descriptive statistics ........................................................................................................................... 35 3.4.
• 2.The Tobit model ..................................................................................................................................  36 3.
• 5.Definition of Variables and Hypothesis ................................................................................................... 41 3.5.
• 1.Dependent variables ........................................................................................................................... 41 3.5.
• 2.Definition of independent variables and hypothesized relations ,..........................................................41CHAPTER FOUR 
• 4.RESULTS AND DISCUSSION .............................................................................................................. 46 4.
• 1.Access to and Utilization of Accessible Agricultural Information .........................................................46 4.
• 1.1Access to and utilization of knowledge and information from group extension methods.................... 47 4.1.
• 2.Access to and utilization of information from individual extension method........................................ 68 4.1.
• 3.Mass media exposure of settler farmers and utilization of agricultural information ............................70 4.1.
• 4.Information access and sharing by local information network ............................................................73 4.
• 2.Level of Agricultural Information Access and Utilization......................................................................... 75 4.2.
• 1.Level of agricultural information access ............................................................................................ 75 4.2.
• 2.Level of agricultural information utilization ......................................................................................... 77 4.
• 3.Responsiveness and Potential of extension service in addressing farmers problems.......................... 79 4.3.
• 1.Responsiveness of extension service ................................................................................................ 79 4.3.
• 2.Potential of extension service in addressing farmers’ problem ......................................................... 82 4.
• 4.Description of Independent Variables ..................................................................................................... 84 4.4.
• 1.Description of personal characteristics of the sample respondents ......................................................84 4.4.
• 2.Description of socio-economic characteristics of the sample respondents ..........................................91 4.4.
• 3.Description of institutional characteristics of the sample respondents ................................................96 4.4.
• 4.Description of psychological characteristics of sample respondents ................................................105 4.
• 5.Relationship between dependent and independent variables ..............................................................112 4.
• 6.Results of the Tobit Econometric Model ................................................................................................ 115 4.6.
• 1.Determinants of agricultural information access and intensity of access and utilization and intensity of utilization ................................................................................................................................................  117 4.
• 7.Constraints of Access to and Utilization of Agricultural Information ...............................................127 4.7.
• 1.Constraints that Inhibit settler farmers from Access to agricultural information ..............................127 4.7.
• 2.Constraints that Inhibit settler farmers from Utilization of the accessible agricultural information ......130CHAPTER FIVE   
• 5.SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................. 132 
• 5.1Summary ........................................................................................................................................ 132 5.
• 2.Conclusion and Policy Recommendations .......................................................................................... 137  REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................................... 141 APPENDICES ........................................................................................................................... ................151 - 158