Farmers’ access to reliable information is crucial to improving rural livelihoods, food security, and national economies in West Africa. This paper discusses the dynamics of accessing and using agricultural learning videos from commercial channels, vs project and non-project channels in Benin and Mali. Using combinations of different models to assess the effectiveness of agricultural extension programs, the findings showed that farmers were motivated to pay for videos and watch them by themselves, without facilitation. Farmers who watched the videos through project support have also continued to watch on their own if the videos are of interest to them. Nevertheless, farmers were less motivated in the learning process when they received the Digital Video Disc (DVD) free and without support to watch them. We also found that the distribution of learning videos through commercial channels reaches more serious users and increases farmers’ self-determination for learning, and farmers are more motivated to provide feedback than viewers who receive DVDs for free or via project support, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), or farmer organizations. Although buying a DVD is an individual action, they like to watch the videos in groups. After buying the DVD, about 43% of respondent borrowed DVD players and one person in five bought a DVD player to watch the videos. Efforts to promote improved technologies need to expand beyond the conventional focus on research and extension services. Support to agricultural technology dissemination must go beyond assistance to smallholder farmers and NGOs (practical implication). As the private sector has a role to play, both in making technologies available and in teaching farmers how to use them, their contribution would create space for innovation (theoretical implication). Our findings suggest that successful development intervention programs can be sell audiovisual material to farmers, who will use it proactively.

中文翻译：

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商业渠道与农业学习视频的免费分发和放映：贝宁和马里的案例研究

农民获得可靠信息对于改善西非农村生计、粮食安全和国民经济至关重要。本文讨论了在贝宁和马里从商业渠道、项目和非项目渠道获取和使用农业学习视频的动态。使用不同模型的组合来评估农业推广计划的有效性，研究结果表明，农民愿意为视频付费并自己观看，而无需任何便利。通过项目支持观看视频的农民如果对视频感兴趣，也会继续自己观看。然而，当农民免费获得数字视频光盘 (DVD) 且没有观看支持的情况下，他们在学习过程中的积极性较低。我们还发现，通过商业渠道分发的学习视频能够接触到更认真的用户，增强了农民的学习自主权，农民比免费或通过项目支持、非政府组织获得 DVD 的观众更有动力提供反馈（非政府组织）或农民组织。虽然购买 DVD 是个人行为，但他们喜欢分组观看视频。购买 DVD 后，约 43% 的受访者借用了 DVD 播放器，五分之一的人购买了 DVD 播放器来观看视频。促进改进技术的努力需要超越对研究和推广服务的传统关注。对农业技术传播的支持必须超越对小农和非政府组织的援助（实际意义）。由于私营部门可以发挥作用，在提供技术和教农民如何使用技术方面，他们的贡献将为创新创造空间（理论意义）。我们的研究结果表明，成功的发展干预计划可以向农民出售视听材料，他们会主动使用它。