Governments have been largely responsible for research and the provision of extension services in
Nigeria. The emphasis has been on the transfer of technology, paying little attention to farmer
development and communication needs. Recently, the high output of agricultural research has led to a
large pool of new agricultural technologies, which are yet to be disseminated to farmers, particularly
those in the core rural areas. Therefore this study examined development and information need of the
resource poor and the strategy adopted to meet these needs, using „town crier? as a case study. The
study identified 2 states in south west, Nigeria, based on literature/past studies, where this concept has
been adopted. A focused group discussion technique and interview schedule was adopted for data
collection. The study identified 141 „town criers? across the study areas through the help of key
informants. Results shown all Town Criers are male, average age of 55.54 years and all have postsecondary
education. Town Crier primarily source of information is from the traditional-head. Main
information disseminated by the Town Crier bothers on security of the town and community
development and projects. The study concluded that this channel rarely meets the information need of
the people, as the study revealed that only 20% of such information meets these needs. Past studies have
documented that information/communication channels in Nigeria such as extension institution has
collapse, there is no effective communication channels in the country again. The small number of
extension officers that exists, only congregate at the urban towns, leaving behind those at the rural
areas. Thus, the use of town criers in this regards can be used effectively to fill this gap and can also be
trained on basic extension work.