Information relevance of agricultural articles in malayalam newspapers and farm magazines - a multi-dimensional analysis

Abstract

The study entitled “Information relevance of agricultural articles in newspapers and farm magazines” was undertaken to assess the relevance or pertinence of information passed on to farmers through the farm pages of selected Malayalam newspapers and farm magazines. It was also aimed to delineate the factors that influence the information relevance and to identify which of them were influencing the relevance of information to a greater extent.

Information relevance was the main dependent variable wherein the components constituting information relevance were identified as credibility, usefulness, practicability, simplicity, accuracy, reader interest, clarity and timeliness. The personal and socio-economic characteristics were age, sex, religion, education, farm size, cosmopoliteness, information source utilization pattern, scientific orientation and extension contact.

The study was conducted in three purposively selected Panchayaths representing the north, south and central regions of Kerala. A sample of 180 respondents was selected based on random sampling. Data were collected through well structured questionnaire.

The study revealed that the information relevance of agricultural articles published in Malayalam newspapers and farm magazines was influenced by two factors to the most namely clarity with regard to newspapers and credibility with regard to farm magazines.

Hence those who are engaged in the production and preparation of agricultural articles of newspapers and farm magazines should remember these points. For enhancement of the information relevance of agricultural articles such factors should be taken into account in their order of importance.

Regarding the reader preference of the different formats of presentation the most preferred formats were interview, agricultural news items and questions and answers in their order of ranking.

Analysis regarding the subject matter coverage of farm page among the four newspapers revealed that all of them handled the subject matters on agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries, dairy and agricultural engineering more or less in a same manner. The two farm magazines also exhibited similarity in dealing the same.

The analysis of subject matter treatment among the four newspapers and two farm magazines revealed that there was a uniform pattern among them in the treatment of subject matter.

The profile characteristics of readers like cosmopoliteness, information source utilization pattern and extension contact were found to have positive and significant relationship with information relevance.

Even if the newspapers and farm magazines provide with enough information the ultimate users ie., farmers, it alone is not sufficient to increase the agricultural production and productivity so as to overcome the present stagnation. For this, policy intervention is also highly essential. Hence even if it is a fact that there is a flow of farm information taking place in the present scenario, the reasons for non-adoption of such information for the enhancement of agricultural production and productivity has to be studied separately.