A STUDY ON READING BEHAVIOUR, READERSHIP PATTERN AND EXTENT OF UTILIZATION OF FARM LITERATURE BY THE FARM WOMEN OF JUNAGADH DISTRICT
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Date
2004-09
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JAU, JUNAGADH
Abstract
Farm women are the unsung heroines, born to die in the backyard of human civilization on the burden of humanity. They work shoulder to shoulder with men folk in the fields in scorching sun and under torrential rain. In modern agriculture, too there is hardly and activity in agriculture except ploughing where women are not involved. In some of the activities she is relatively rather more efficient than men. Once she moves, the family moves, the village moves and ultimately the nation moves. She is main architect of change in the farming. About 70 per cent of agriculture operations are performed by farm women. Farm women need to inform about new agricultural technology tools and modern implements, which can increase productivity and reduce physical strain. Women are great communicators, this unique ability of women need to be utilized in dissemination of appropriate technologies in agriculture.
Today mass media play a significant role in communicating farm messages. Among the mass media, printed farm literature plays an eually important role in the agricultural development. The written word has power. If written well, it convinces and motivates farm women to action. The printed materials have unique advantage of permanency.
Farm women vary in their purpose of reading, period of reading, their attitude towards farm literature etc. Many factors are influcing the reading behaviour and utilization of the farm literature. Farm literature i.e. ‘Pak Sanrakshan’ and ‘Pragatishil Kheti’ published by Sardar Smruti Kendra, Junagadh and circulated to trainee farm women, were selected to study the reading behaviour, readership pattern and the extent of utilization of agricultural information published in farm literature by the farm women readers with the following objectives:
1) To study the selected personal and socio-economic characteristics of the farm women readers of the farm literature
2) To study the reading behaviour of the farm women readers
3) To find out the readers' preferences regarding the content of the farm literature
4) To assess the extent of utilization of agricultural information by the farm women readers
5) To know the readership pattern of the farm literature
6) To ascertain the association between reading behaviour of the farm women readers and their personal and socio-economic characteristics
7) To ascertain the association between the extent of utilization of agricultural information by the farm women readers and their personal and socio-economic characteristics
8) To seek suggestions from the farm women readers to make the farm literature more effective and popular
The theoretical orientation was developed for the study on the basis of reviewed literature, having direct and indirect bearing on the present problem. Based on the assumptions, the tentative paradigm was laid down. Taking the help of theoretical orientation the new hypothesis was formulated.
In order to achieve the objectives of the study, a sample of 100 farm women of nine villages from 7 talukas of Junagadh district were drawn by the purposive sampling technique. In order to measure reading behaviour teacher made scale was used. For measuring readership pattern and extent of utilization suitable scales and procedure adopted by other researchers were used.
Based on past researches and discussion with extension expert, the independent variables were selected. The responses were collected with the help of structural interview schedule by personal interview. The data were analyzed and interpreted in the light of specific objectives. The various statistical measures like percentage, arithmetic mean, standard deviation, ‘t’ test, correlation co-efficient ‘r’ were used.
Major findings
1) More than one third (44.00 per cent) of the farm women readers were from young age group.
2) Less than one half (4.00 per cent) of the farm women readers were educated up to secondary level of education.
3) Majority (75.00 per cent) of the farm women readers had farming as their main occupation.
4) Less than one half (42.00 per cent) of the farm women readers had small size of land holding.
5) Nearly three fourth (74.00 per cent) of the farm women readers had utilized well as source of irrigation.
6) Majority (78.00 per cent) of the farm women readers belonged to joint family.
7) Majority (80.00 per cent) of the farm women readers came from large size of family.
8) Nearly three fifth (57.00 per cent) of the farm women readers had one pair of bullock.
9) Nearly one half (49.00 per cent) of the farm women readers were found in medium income level group.
10) More than one half (53.00 per cent) of the farm women readers had medium level of social participation.
11) About two third (65.00 per cent) of the farm women readers had medium level participation in various extension activities.
12) Nearly three fifth (57.00 per cent) of the farm women readers had used radio as their high tech communication.
13) Majority of decisions were taken by male member followed by joint decisions and female member.
14) More than one half (56.00 per cent) of elder members of the farm women readers educate up to secondary level of education.
15) A great majority (94.00 per cent) of the farm women readers read farm literature to gain knowledge.
16) Majority (90.00 per cent) of the farm women readers had habit of discussing agricultural information with other persons.
17) Nearly half (49.00 per cent) of the farm women readers spend weekly one hour or less time for reading the farm literature.
18) About three fourth (78.00 per cent) of the farm women readers read the farm literature according to their convenience of time.
19) A great majority (96.00 per cent) of the farm women readers had no habit of noting the useful agricultural information.
20) More than half (58.00 per cent) of the farm women readers were in the category of medium level of reading behaviour.
21) Readers preferred to read more about value addition process (ranked I), preservation of fruits and vegetables (ranked II), identification of crop pest and damaging stage (ranked III), care of milch animals (ranked IV), seed production technology (ranked V), feeding management of cattle (ranked VI), identification of beneficial insects (ranked VII), integrated pest and disease management (ranked VIII), pest control (ranked IX), identification of crop diseases and damaging stage (ranked X), beneficial schemes of horticulture (ranked XI), beneficial schemes of agriculture (ranked XII), effective use of pesticides in crop protection (ranked XIII), green house technology (ranked XIV), improved agricultural practices (ranked XV), disease control (ranked XVI), integrated nutrient management in soil (ranked XVII), water harvesting and its conservation (ranked XVIII), improved crop variety (ranked XIX), and available sources of farm literature (ranked XX).
22) Agricultural information published in the farm literature helps in providing information in plant protection measures (ranked I), care of milch animals (ranked II), preservation of fruits and vegetables (ranked III), developing scientific attitude towards agriculture or adopting new farm implement (ranked IV), identification of beneficial insects (ranked V), it helps in solving farm problems (ranked VI), beneficial schemes of horticulture (ranked VII), beneficial schemes of agriculture (ranked VIII), enriching knowledge about new agricultural information (ranked IX), water harvesting and its conservation (ranked X), developing commercial outlook towards agriculture (ranked XI) and creating interest in our profession (ranked XII).
23) Majority (75.00 per cent) of the farm women readers had medium level of utilization of agricultural information.
24) In readership pattern lookout to the photographs and pictures (ranked I), read articles with important points in them (ranked I), read interesting articles first (ranked III) read contents (ranked IV), read editorial column (ranked V).
25) More than half (57.00 per cent) of the farm women readers read some part of literature.
26) There was a positive and significant association between reading behaviour of farm women readers and their selected characteristics viz; education, social participation and extension participation.
27) Age had negative and significant association with reading behaviour while land holding, irrigation facility and size of family had negative and non significant association with reading behaviour.
28) In case of occupation type of family, farm power, annual income, high tech communication, decision making and elders' education positive non significant association was observed with reading behaviour.
29) Education had positive while age has negative and significant association with extent of utilization of agricultural information.
30) There was a positive and non significant association between extent of utilization of agricultural information by farm women readers and their selected characteristics viz; occupation, irrigation facility, type of family, farm power, annual income, social participation, extension participation, high tech communication, decision making and elders' education but land holding and size of family had negative non significant association with extent of utilization of agricultural information.
31) Important suggestions made by the farm women readers to make farm literature more effective and popular, were more illustrations and photographs relevant to the topic should be given, simple and local language should be used, due coverage should be given to literature on home science, big size letters should be used and simplified information about doses of different chemicals should be given.
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