IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS OF ELECTRONIC MEDIA TO ENHANCE THEIR ROLE IN AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER IN THE PUNJAB, PAKISTAN

Effective use of the electronic media seems essential to keep farmers abreast of the latest agricultural information and technologies for meeting the emerging challenges of the new era. The present role of electronic media in dissemination of agricultural information among farmers is questionable, which calls for a comprehensive study on in-depth analysis of the electronic media to enhance their role in agricultural technology transfer. The study was conducted in three districts of the Punjab province with different agro-ecological zones i.e. Faisalabad (mix cropping zone), Sheikhupura (rice zone), and Rahim Yar Khan (cotton zone). Multistage random sampling technique was used. There were total 300 respondents. The data were collected with the help of a pretested and validated interview schedule. The analysis of the data shows that TV appeared relatively more prominent than radio as agri. information source. It was revealed from the study that audio/video cassettes and internet have the least role in dissemination of agricultural information at grass root level. The strong areas of agri. information were livestock sector and major crops both in radio and TV broadcasts. Within the major categories, the weakest side was the marketing aspect. Regarding aspects like interest, effectiveness, usefulness, and practicability “Khait Khait Haryali” followed by “Sandhal Dharti” appeared to be more popular than other radio broadcasts. In case of TV, short messages and advertisements were more popular among farmers than “Kisan Time” and “Haryali”.