Case Study of the ITCPH Newsletter as Tool for Disseminating Pig Husbandry Information

Abstract

This study was conducted to describe and examine the ITCPH Newsletter as tool for disseminating pig husbandry information to farmers, extension workers and agricultural teachers. Specifically, it sought to: 1) asses the content of ITCPH Newsletter in terms of reading interest, usefulness, level of technical information, clarity and amount of information; 2) determine the acceptability of the general appearance of the ITCPH Newsletter; 3) determine the relationships between the demographic characteristics of the respondents and their evaluation on the content and general appearance of the ITCPH Newsletter; 4) find out the preferred accessibility and frequency of publication; and 5) recommend improvements on the newsletter in terms of content and general appearance.

To attain the objectives of the study, data were collected through key informant interview, survey and document and report analysis. One hundred forty-five (145) respondents were included in the survey composed of 54 pig farmers, 55 extension workers and 36 agricultural teachers. A combination of qualitative and quantitative method of analysis was employed in this study. The ITCPH Newsletter is the most widely distributed information material developed by the International Training Center on Pig Husbandry (ITCPH) with the objective of disseminating pig husbandry information and updating its alumni the latest news and activities of ITCPH.

The content of the ITCPH Newsletter was assessed by the respondents in terms of reading interest, usefulness, level of technical information, clarity and amount of information. The mean rating of the respondents on these dimensions was generally high except for the level of technical information. In terms of the general appearance (font size, relevance, clarity and quantity of pictures/illustrations, types of paper used and number of pages), it was generally acceptable.

There existed significant relationships between: age of farmers and reading interest, size of farm and level of technical information; age of extension workers and number of years working with reading interest and usefulness of information; age and educational attainment of teachers with reading interest and usefulness of information. No significant relationship was found between demographic characteristics of farmers and their acceptability of the general appearance. For the extension workers, educational attainment and clarity of pictures and illustrations were significantly related. For the group of teachers, there was significant relationship between age, educational attainment and type of paper used.

The respondents highly preferred the print version of the ITCPH Newsletter rather than the on-live version found in the ITCPH webpage. The preferred frequency of publication was four times (4x) a year. Additional information on pig health particularly on prevention and treatment of diseases, management, breeding, feeding and nutrition were suggested. Colored pictures and more visuals were also emphasized. Based on these findings, the following were recommended ITCPH should simplify the technical article to make information dissemination more effective. The addition of more pictures and making them colored would enhance the comprehension of technical articles. Necessary adjustments on the content and general appearance of the Newsletter should be made to suit the needs of its varied clientele. Lastly, ITCPH should look for possible partners like private companies that are willing to co-publish the Newsletter in order to meet the preferred accessibility and frequency of publication.