6 pages., via online journal., The role of media in agricultural sector in Pakistan is considerably high and in case of Punjab its role becomes manifold. In such a backdrop, this study was carried out to explore the relevance and effectiveness of media (TV and Radio) for farmers in providing agricultural information. The effectiveness of media was assessed by investigating the access to and availability of the sources used, frequency, preferred medium (language) of the source and the coverage of factors affecting agricultural productivity by the source. For this purpose, District Nankana Sahib of Punjab was selected. Multistage sampling technique was employed to select two tehsils (Shahkot and Sangla Hill) of Nankana Sahib randomly. Further, five villages from these two tehsils were selected conveniently and 90 farmers were approached employing convenient sampling technique. The findings imply that TV and Radio subscribers are considerably high but the usage of media for agriculture information is not as effective as it should be. The study revealed that most of the participants had access to TV and radio but preferred brochures, pamphlets, newspapers, agents of pesticide companies and fellow farmers for acquiring relevant information. Most of the agricultural information delivered through TV and radio was in Urdu while the participants showed their preference for Punjabi or local language as a medium of such information. As for coverage of factors affecting agricultural productivity, weather forecast, plant protection measures, livestock and sowing methods were given extensive coverage while machinery and crop variety were slightly covered.
Hasan, Md. Mahedi (author), Mondal, Md. Nazrul Islam (author), Islam, Md. Nurul (author), and Hoque, Md. Aminul (author)
Format:
Online journal article
Publication Date:
2017
Published:
United States: Taylor & Francis
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 64 Document Number: D10728
Journal Title Details:
32(3): 214-223
Notes:
11 pages., via online journal., Farm programmes (FPs) of varied categories have been developed and
aired over several decades by Bangladesh Betar, the national radio of
Bangladesh for the diffusion of farm technologies. The study aimed
to produce an in-depth academic evaluation of their effectiveness
in educating farmers in Bangladesh. A sample of 465 respondents
from the Khulna and Rajshahi divisions in Bangladesh was randomly
selected for a questionnaire survey. To analyse the data, relevant
documents were collected from the Ministry of Information, the
Ministry of Agriculture, and the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock
of Bangladesh. Frequency distribution, z-test, and binary logistic
regression analysis were used as statistical tools. The farm knowledge
levels of the farmers were considered the predictors for evaluating
the effectiveness of FPs. The results revealed that 93.33% of the
sample did not listen to the FPs, while only very few of the listeners
listened regularly. Despite this, at the ‘weak’ and ‘average’ levels of
knowledge significant differences were noted between listener and
non-listener farmers of FPs. The binary logistic regression analysis
(Model 1) identified that the farmers who listened to the FPs were
likely to acquire farm knowledge 6.62 times more than the farmers
who did not listen to the FPs. The farmers who listened to the FPs were
likely to have farm knowledge 2.64 times more than the farmers who
did not listen to the FPs but consulted with other sources of farming
information (Model 2). Similarly, a listener of FPs with farm training
was likely to acquire farm knowledge 5.76 times more than a nonlistener with farm training (Model 3). The FPs were found to be very
effective and could be used to better complement other mechanisms
for educating farmers. Regular access to the FPs ought to be ensured
through appropriate stimulants for the diffusion of farm technologies.
