In this case, the differing schemata between information extenders and information recipients presents yet another block to information transfer. Almost half of the respondents requested follow-up information by audiocassette, in preference to literature. This indirectly supports our assertion that too many of already limited resources are allocated to extension literature. Videotape is another underused medium for information transfer in agriculture. Almost three-quarters of respondents requested a videotape on using legumes to rejuvenate exhausted wheat soils.
Video is an excellent medium for creating awareness, motivating, and educating.
Unfortunately, costs of production and distribution may prohibit its widescale use. The Future in Australia Information transfer in Australian agriculture is undergoing a radical rethink. Our experiences with the legume kit suggest the need to redesign media mixes for more effective information transfer, with less emphasis on paper-based methods, and more on audiocassettes or videotape, and presumably other technologies as well. Such changes will occur with the shift to cooperative extension. How this will happen in Australia is unclear at this stage.