Communication analysis of the Philippine Carabao Center [Munoz, Nueva Ecija, Philippines].

Findings showed that respondents were full-time farmers, and had an average annual income of P40,000. Moreover, they were leaseholders, had 1.55 hectares of farm land, had been farming for 21 years, were still using carabaos to cultivate their farm, owned more female carabaos than males, and did not belong to any farmer organization. Very few knew AI technicians, majority did not consult researchers or technicians, and did not have enough information on AI. But they claimed to have first known about AI directly from both PCC [Philippine Carabao Center] personnel and LGU [Local Government Unit] technicians very recently and heard that native carabaos could be upgraded through AI. They ranked technicians as the number one source of farm information; radio, second; neighbors/friends, third; and fellow farmers, fourth. Technician respondents favorably regarded their role of disseminating research results to farmers; they found extension work rewarding; they enjoyed visiting farmers; they related well with superiors in the office. Researchers also showed a positive attitude on information dissemination. They opined that sharing their research results with end users was part of their job; found extension work rewarding; enjoyed writing for technical publication; and welcomed opportunities to share research results through popular publication. Inter-personal sources, print media, and radio/tv were most preferred by all sets of respondents. Researchers and technicians perceived the farmers as a mixture of those receptive-communicative-educated and those unreceptive-uncommunicative-uneducated. Farmers, technicians and researchers alike favorably perceived AIT attributes and believed that farmers would learn as much from researchers, trained extension worker or trained farmer leader.