Agricultural households in Kerala increasingly viewing social media as source for farming-related technical advisory services: report
Agricultural households in Kerala are increasingly viewing social media as an easily accessible source for farming-related technical advisory services, a survey by the State government's Economics and Statistics Department shows.
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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The Hindu
a day ago
- The Hindu
Agricultural households in Kerala increasingly viewing social media as source for farming-related technical advisory services: report
Agricultural households in Kerala are increasingly viewing social media as an easily accessible source for farming-related technical advisory services, a survey by the State government's Economics and Statistics Department shows. 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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4 days ago
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RSSB admit card 2025 for Livestock Assistant released at rssb.rajasthan.gov.in; download here
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Here are some facts. Today, the share of services in global trade stands at about 25%. More importantly, it is the only category of trade that has expanded at a rapid pace since the financial crisis year of 2008. In recent years, the share of goods in trade has fallen by about 5 percentage points and there has been a corresponding increase in the case of services. This pattern is mirrored in India's case. According to the Economic Survey 2024-25, the share of services in terms of export gross value added (GVA) has increased from around 51% in 2014-15 to around 55% now. Further, it is growth in services trade which has kept India's current account deficit (CAD) at a manageable 2% of GDP. It was the General Agreement of Tariffs and Trade (GATT) that led to a decline in global tariffs. Till recently, except some countries in South Asia, import tariffs were in single digits (before Donald Trump took office in the US). 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As I have argued before, such a narrow approach seems like too weak an attempt at exploiting India's comparative advantage in services. We need a better researched approach. The author is visiting professor, Shiv Nadar University.
