Communicating Farm Technologies through Traditional and New Media Channels

This chapter begins by looking at the importance of knowledge and information in agricultural development. Then the chapter discusses how the traditional mass media channels, viz., radio, print and television had been instrumental in India’s agricultural technology transfer. Next, it explores the characteristics of new media, the problems associated with the advent of Internet and how self-help groups and ICTs could be effectively used in technology transfer. The focus narrows to a comparative study on the effectiveness of traditional and new media in communicating farm technologies. Finally, the chapter examines how the extension agents, based on the results could formulate communication strategies for effectively using the mass media channels.