PATTERNS OF SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AMONG THE FARMERS IN SOLAN DISTRICT OF HIMACHAL PRADESH
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Date
2024-08-12
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UHF Nauni
Abstract
The study entitled “Patterns of Social Media Usage among the Farmers in Solan District
of Himachal Pradesh”. This study aimed to determine how the farmers used social media for agricultural productivity by using the utility index. The location for this present study was the
Solan block of the district. The data were collected through the survey method using a structured interview schedule from 150 respondents (farmers). Utilization pattern checked for general
information on agriculture practices, utilization of mobile apps for gaining market-related
information, and utilization of mobile apps to contact the agriculture experts to find out the solution
to agriculture problems. Most respondents utilize social media regularly to learn about managing
diseases, pests, and nutrients in agriculture. Social media was also used to gather market
information about current crop prices and contact local leaders and progressive farmers. YouTube (70%) is the most popular platform among farmers, followed by WhatsApp (60%) and Facebook (55%), with most of them using it regularly. More than half of the respondents reported a medium
degree of use of social networking applications for agricultural activities. As a result, it can be stated that social media can be a new-age solution to respond to the limited availability of extension
workers by supplementing personnel for speedy and effective transmission of agriculture-related information, thus empowering the farming community.