Influence of Media on Social Change of Farming Community

Abstract

The farming is principal means of livelihood for 65% of Indias population. For sustainability and sustainable development of rural community through agriculture, we require access and dissemination of knowledge by using different media. The report of the "Task Force on India as knowledge super power"-2001 emphasized on the need for the developing the capacity to generate, absorb, disseminate and protect knowledge and to exploit knowledge as a powerful tool to derive societal transformation or social change, the mass media play a crucial role. Keeping this in mind, the present study was undertaken to study the social change occurred as a result of mass media utilization. The present study was undertaken in two districts of South Gujarat. The statistical tools used for the study were percentage, correlation and regression i.e. (r) value. The results reveal that slightly more than half (51.33 per cent) of the respondents were in middle age group and about 44.00 per cent were having primary level of education. A great majority of respondents (88.00 per cent) utilized news papers for getting information on daily basis, where as more than 60.00 per cent of them utilize magazine on fortnightly and monthly basis. Regarding audio visual aids, a great majority (92.00 per cent) of respondent used radio to get information, particularly after starting FM services on daily bases while television usage was found 65.00 per cent on daily basis to view agricultural related programmes. The social change found was significantly occurred as a result of using mass media in terms of increase in farm production, income, social contact, social status, household amenities and family education.

Keywords : Media Influence, Social Impact of Media, India Farmers and Media.

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