Communication behaviour of noncontact farmers under training and visit system of agricultural extension in Kerala

Abstract

A research study was conducted in Trivandrum, Quilon and Allappey districts of Kerala, India to study the following: 1. The communication behavior of noncontact farmers including their pattern of information-input, processing, output and feedback; 2. The personal, socio-psychological and economic characteristics of noncontact farmers; 3. The relationship between communication behavior of noncontact farmers and their personal, socio-psychological and economic characteristics; and 4. The predictive power of the selected personnel, socio-psychological and economic characteristics of noncontact farmers in explaining the variations in their communication behavior. One hundred and twenty noncontact farmers were selected for the study using a four stage random sampling procedure. The study illuminated that majority of the respondents received information on improved cultivation practices for paddy from ‘Other Farmers’ in their locality. ‘Contact Farmers’ served only as a secondary source of ag-information. Among mass media sources, ’Newspaper’ emerged as the most important information source, followed by ‘Farm broadcasts’. The study brought to light the increasing difficulty the noncontact farmers experienced in processing of information as the complexity and cost implication of the message increased. ‘Personal talk during casual meeting’ was the most often used method of interpersonal communication by the respondents and they communicated the information to ‘Other Farmers’ in their area more frequently. Similarly, most of the feedback was communicated to ‘Other Farmers’ and ‘Contact Farmers’ were involved in this process to a lesser extent. Majority of the respondents had low level of communication behavior. Out of the eight independent variables studied, six variables, viz., ‘awareness about T & V system’, ‘attitude towards contact farmer system’, ‘socio-economic status’, ‘extent of cosmopoliteness’, ‘level of aspiration’ and ‘work orientation’ were positively and significantly correlated with the communication behavior of the noncontact farmers. ‘Age’ was found to be negatively and significantly correlated and ‘farm size’ was the only independent which was not significantly correlated with the communication behavior of the noncontact farmers. The multiple regression analysis pointed out that ’awareness about T & V System’ had contributed significantly in the prediction of overall communication behavior, information-input and information output behavior of the noncontact farmers. ‘Age’ and ‘Work-orientation’ had significant predictive function in determining the information-processing and information-feedback behavior of the noncontact farmers under T & V System of Agricultural Extension in Kerala.