Measuring the quality of communication linkages between farmers and the agricultural agencies responsible for the diffusion of innovations in the South West Province of Cameroon

Purpose. The purpose of the study was to measure the effectiveness of communication linkages among researchers, extensionists, and farmers in the South West Province of Cameroon.;Population. The population of the study consisted of 25 researchers, 150 extensionists, and food-crop farmers in South West Province of Cameroon in 1996. A random sample of 385 farmers from a population of 3,000 was selected from six divisions of the South West Province. All researchers and all extensionists in that province were included. Questionnaires were distributed in the Summer of 1996 and data from all the respondents were collected and analyzed in the Fall of 1997.;Descriptive statistics were used for reporting findings on all the research questions and causal analysis, including multiple regression and path analysis, was used for reporting findings on the second major objective. Scales measuring communication effectiveness were determined using literature review and exploratory factor analysis. Cronbach's alphas were computed to confirm the reliability of the instrument.;Major findings. The major findings were: (1) More than half of farmers adopted food crops and related cultural practices transferred to them for that year. (2) Several factors were identified as important to farmers' decisions to adopt the selected food crops. The four most important were mutual trust between farmers and information source, credibility of source of information, frequency of communication, and farm demonstration. (3) The three groups reported a slightly moderate level of interaction with each other. (4) Hierarchy characteristics and organizational goals were identified as two of the most important factors affecting communication among the three groups. (5) The hierarchical model was reported by the three groups to be the existing model used. (6) Working on immediate problems and active participation in committees were identified as two of the principles that will motivate adult learners to participate in learning activities. (7) Teamwork was found to have the greatest effect on communication effectiveness. This was followed by group meeting, hierarchy, town meeting, communication importance, and source credibility. (8) Proximity and hierarchy were also found to be significantly related to teamwork.