A study on communication behaviour of farmers towards natural farming in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir, India

Purpose In India, in the hilly areas, farmers live in less accessible and remote villages where the dissemination of information is difficult. In this situation, mass media can play a pivotal role in catering to the information needs of farmers in hilly areas. Keeping the importance of communication behaviour in the transfer of natural farming practices to the farmers in view, a study on “Communication Behaviour of Farmers towards Natural Farming in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir, India” was conducted in Reasi District of Jammu and Kashmir, which was selected purposively. Design/methodology/approach This study was conducted in the hilly district of Reasi, Jammu and Kashmir, India, which was selected purposively because there is an immense potential in natural farming and various agricultural practices, such as natural farming, which have been promoted in recent years in the district. Out of 12 C.D. Blocks, only 4 C.D. Blocks, such as Reasi, Katra, Arnas, and Pouni, were selected randomly. A sample of 20% of villages was selected randomly from Gram Panchayats. A sample of 20% Gram Panchayats from each selected block was selected randomly. A sample of 20% of villages was selected randomly from Gram Panchayats. A sample of 20% (150) of farmers was selected randomly from villages. Finally, a total of 150 respondents were selected to record their responses for the study purpose. Communication behaviour of farmers towards natural farming has been operationalised as information input, information processing, and information output behaviour of the respondents in the study. Information input was studied in terms of sources of information; information processing was studied in terms of evaluation, storage, and transformation of information; and information output was studied in terms of dissemination of information. Findings The results of the study revealed that the majority of farmers were using Extension Personnel of Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), Extension Personnel of Departments of Agriculture, progressive natural farmers, television (T.V.), relatives, and friends and neighbours, arranged rank-wise as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, respectively, as the main sources of information on natural farming technologies, referred to as the information input behaviour of the farmers. The majority of farmers used to evaluate (processing) the natural farming information by discussing with the elder family members, progressive natural farmers, neighbours, and local leaders/key communicators, as arranged rank wise 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. The majority of farmers stored the information by memorisation and writing in general notebooks, arranged rank wise as 1 and 2, respectively. It was found that the majority of farmers had medium communication behaviour towards natural farming information sources. Practical implications The research supported assessing the communication behaviour of farmers towards natural farming. Theoretical implications This study illustrates how the communication behaviour of farmers is influenced by different sources of information. It sheds light on why some information sources have more impact on the communication behaviour of farmers. Originality/value The study assesses different sources of communication and further illustrates how farmers further disseminate the information to other farmers after receiving the message.