FACILITATING AGRICULTURAL KNOWLEDGE DISSEMINATION: AN EXPLORATION OF FARMERS' PREFERRED INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION CHANNELS AND STYLES

Abstract

Effective communication is crucial if farmers are to share ideas and practices and increase agricultural output. Interpersonal communication is the most common method of learning about agriculture. Agricultural research departments, often in collaboration with local, national, and international organizations, have developed communication tools to disseminate information about new farming technologies, fertilizers, and pesticides. Agriculture programming is desperately needed, but it's often ignored and doesn't get much airtime on networks like "Apna." Effective communication channels are essential for the adoption of agricultural innovations, especially for interpersonal communication. Social networks, peer groups, and extension agents are useful resources for persuading farmers to use novel methods. This study investigates the function of many forms and sources of interpersonal communication for discussions about agriculture in the district of Lodhran in South Punjab, Pakistan. Purposive sampling was used in the survey, and structured questionnaires were used to acquire empirical data. The results showed that many forms and sources of interpersonal communication are essential in agricultural discussions among the farmers within the field of study. The outcome of this study confirmed that farmers preferred in-person conversations on agricultural commodities with sales representatives of marketing firms.