Analysis of the content of information delivered through the selected social media by KVKs

In the present world, digital media has been a universe at a fingertip. Social media has been adopted by agricultural organizations as a means of communication to the farmers who are near and far. They have occupied a chief position and have prime use for the farming community in comprehending client-specific, time-specific, location-specific, and crop-specific information, and it is a powerful tool for creating awareness and bringing about desirable changes in the attitude and behavior of the farmers. In order to understand how farmers in the North Karnataka region used information shared on social media by KVKs during the Covid-19 pandemic, the current study was carried out in the years 2021–2022. The present investigation was conducted in the North-Eastern and North-Western regions of Karnataka. The study was conducted in Raichur, Kalaburagi, and Bidar in the North-Eastern region and in Belagavi, Dharwad, and Gadag in the North-Western region. Findings show that KVK-Bidar delivered almost one-fourth (24.15%) of the messages about activities related to crop production. Further, the data show that KVK-Dharwad transmitted 11.82 percent of the messages regarding horticulture activities; in terms of animal husbandry, KVK-Bidar delivered 12.19 percent of the messages. Furthermore, KVK-Raichur delivered 13.50 percent of the messages regarding agricultural engineering; in terms of crop protection, KVK-Bidar delivered 28.37 percent of the messages, 18.12 percent of the messages sent by KVK-Kalaburagi concerned price and market trends, 14.61 percent of the messages sent by KVK-Gadag concerned weather-related issues, and almost five percent of the messages sent by KVK-Belagavi concerned policies, programs, and plans. Overall, the data suggest that KVKs focus their messaging on supporting farmers through technical advice, with emphasis on critical agricultural issues, market linkages, and crop management, reflecting the local needs and challenges faced by the farming communities they serve.