Agricultural households in Kerala increasingly viewing social media as source for farming-related technical advisory services: report
While mass media platforms generally play a significant role in disseminating farming knowhow, social media was the most accessed source overall, reaching 355 per 1,000 farming households that were surveyed, according to the Situation Assessment Survey of Agricultural Households: 2024-25 carried out in collaboration with the State Agriculture Department.
Social media was followed by radio, television, and other electronic media (327 per 1,000), print media (213 per 1,000), and smartphone-based apps (146 per 1,000). These results underline the growing importance of digital and mass communication channels in agricultural extension, the report said.
A comparison of the access to technical advice by agricultural households between 2018-2019 and 2023-25 shows an increase in the case of progressive farmers, government extension programme (ATMA) and smart phone-based information.
At the same time, the Kerala Agricultural University and colleges emerged as the leading source of advice on improved seeds and varieties, with 790 out of 1,000 households reporting support from these institutions. Input dealers were the primary source of guidance on fertiliser application. Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) and government extension agencies played a pivotal role in providing plant protection advice.
Peer networks remain influential, with progressive farmers offering considerable advice on fertiliser application and improved seeds, demonstrating the continued relevance of farmer-to-farmer knowledge transfer, the report observed.
'Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) and private processors were notable sources of advice in the post-harvest stages, especially in harvesting and marketing (438 and 158 households per 1,000, respectively), highlighting the role of collective and commercial linkages,' it said.
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