CONTENT ANALYSIS OF YOUTUBE VIDEOS ON RICE PRODUCTION IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Timely access to relevant information on improved technology is crucial in sustaining agricultural production. Therefore, YouTube provides a viable alternative access to information among farmers. Thus, this study assessed the content of videos on rice production uploaded on YouTube in Nigeria. The study specifically collected YouTube video data on; metadata, characteristic, content framing; information source, and the content of the videos. The study made use of content analysis methodology to assess 78 videos on rice cultivation in Nigeria posted on YouTube between 2015 and 2021. Descriptive analysis including frequency counts, percentages, means and standard deviation were conducted on the data collected. This study revealed that most (56.4%) of the YouTube videos were posted between 2019 and 2021, while more than half (53.8%) of the videos were posted by News media. Furthermore, 69.2% of the videos had descriptive text, while 83.3% of the videos posted had no tags. Some (38.5%) of the videos had video quality of 360p, while most of the presentation pattern of the videos were either; news (48.8%) or documentaries (26.9%). Finally, the major content of the videos was on land preparation (26.9%) and agronomic practices (60.3%) in rice production. Therefore, most of the content emanated from news media, and the most sought information was on production. Thus, it is recommended that research and agricultural institutes should embrace YouTube as an important information source to complement the efforts of extension agents and more information on post-harvest handling should be uploaded.