MSc

This study ont agricultural information communication through farm page
p
of newspapers - an analysis was conducted in Thiruvananthapuram district of
Kerala state. It was carried out with a view to analyse the content of articles
published in farm page of leading newspapers in Malayalam language. It was
also aimed at identifying the preference of farmer readers towards the content,
agricultural information need and reading behaviour and studying the personal
characteristics.
Three stage random sampling procedure was followed to select 120 farmer
readers as respondents for this study. The respondents were selected from six
Rrishibhavans of Nemo m block. Data were collected from the respondents using
separate interview schedules. Suitable statistical techniques likes frequency,
percentage analysis, simple correlation, chi-square and paired comparison
techique were employed in the analysis of data.
The study revealed that the maximum number of articles published were
on crop production among the fields of agriculture. It was followed by animal
husbandry and dairy, others.pisciculture. organic farming, poultry, agricultural
engineering, apiculture, piggery, mushroom, forestry and sericulture. Among
the different crops, the majority of the articles published were on vegetables
followed by rubber, coconut, rice, fruits. spiccs,banana, medicinal plants, orchid
and anthurium, coffee, other garden plants. tubers, betelvine, fodder, arecanut,
tapioca, cashew, pulses, jasmine, oil seeds and sugarcane. The maximum number
of articles published under aspects of crop production was on cultivation aspect.
It was followed by seeds and sowing, plant protection, processing, manures
and fertilizers, intercultural operation, rffarketing, storage, general aspect and
harvesting.


The preference shown by the respondents towards different fields of
agriculture was in the following descending order, namely, crop production,
animal husbandry, poultry, pisciculture and piggery. For preference towards
important crops, maximum respondents preferred coconut followed by rice,
banana, vegetable, tapioca and rubber. Among the different aspects of crop
~
production, maximum number of farmer readers preferred seeds and sowing. It
was followed by plant protection, marketing, manures and fertilizers, processing
and storage.
The study revealed that the maxrmum number of respondents' need
information was very much on crop production among the different fields of
agriculture. The maximum number of farmer readers' need information was
some what on poultry and information not needed was on piggery. The
information very much needed for the maximum respondents on important crops
was on coconut and that on aspect of crop production was on seeds and sowing.
Nearly 81 % of the respondents read farm page on all weeks.
The results revealed that the age of 34. 17% of the respondents belonged
to 35-44 years category. About 55% of the respondents had undergone high
school education. Majority of the farmer readers were having land holding
between OQf.~lGlectare. Forty percent of the farmer readers were having 16-
25 years of farming experience. About 36°111 of the respondents were having
annual income between 1001 - 2000 rupees. Most of the farmer readers visited
the nearest city once in a week. As much as 99% of the respondents read
newspapers on all days, followed by 58.33% hearing radio and 56.66% viewing
television. Majority of the farmer readers showeihigh level attitude towards
scientific agricultural practices.



The study on correlation analysis revealed that education and size of
holding were having significant positive relationship with reading behaviour.
Information need on f~ld of agriculture showed significant positve relationship
with scientific agricultural practices while with respect to aspect of crop
production, age, education and size of land holding had significant positive
relationship with information need. There was also a close association between
education and reading behaviour of farmer readers.