The Role of Alternative Media in Rural Agricultural Development and Sustainability in Nigeria

In recent times, Agricultural development and sustainability have been global concerns because food insecurity threatens the core of human existence.   Scholarly efforts in media and agricultural development have focused primarily on the role of mainstream media in disseminating information to support agricultural productivity in rural areas of Nigeria, with insufficient attention to alternative media, which tend to address more specific issues. This has given rise to selective media attention to sustainable agriculture in Nigeria over the past two decades. This chapter highlights the role of alternative media in agricultural development and sustainability in Nigeria, focusing on the concept, characteristics, and examples, using a desk review methodology and the Uses and Gratification Theory as the framework. The chapter reiterated that alternative media is crucial to rural agricultural development and sustainability in Nigeria because it addresses the peculiarities of rural settings that mainstream media may not address effectively. In rural settings, folk media enhances participation in both the media production process and the acceptance of the disseminated message or information. Thus, folk media, as an alternative form of media, should be prioritised alongside community radio and television for rural agricultural development and sustainability. 

Keywords: Folk Media, Community radio, Agricultural development-sustainability, Alternative media.