Videos on agroecology for a global audience of farmers: an online survey of Access Agriculture

Abstract

Video is an effective medium to reach farmers with practical, agroecological information, thanks in part to increased access to electricity, phones and the Internet. In 2021, 2,976 people from 106 countries took an online survey for Access Agriculture, a not-forprofit that manages an online platform for farmer learning videos. Most of the respondents (83%) worked in Africa, were male (85%) and over half were under 40 years old. The respondents were extensionists, farmers, and educators among other occupations. Access Agriculture videos reached an estimated 90 million people since the platform started in 2012. The respondents to the 2021 survey shared the videos with farmers, youths, extensionists, students, women's groups, and with broadcasters. People use the videos to learn ideas to share with others, to screen in rural communities, to share with organisations, to share on social media and to distribute on memory cards for mobile phones. Ninety-nine percent of respondents thought that the videos had made a positive impact on farmers' lives. Since 2018 at least 5,000 organisations have received the videos.

Keywords

• videos
• farmer learning videos
• agroecology and sustainable agriculture
• online extension