Impact of Farmers's Profile Characteristics on their Knowledge Gain through Need-based Community Radio Programme

Agricultural Extension aims at bringing planned behavioral change in the people in terms of knowledge, skill and attitude so that they may live better life by learning the ways of improving their livelihood especially vocation and enterprises. Knowledge is also considered as the first step of Innovation diffusion process, as described by Everett Rogers. Moreover, Knowledge gained by farmers when followed by proper and effective persuasion may lead to adoption of an innovation or technology. Therefore, understanding the importance of knowledge in the process of innovation diffusion is important in Agricultural Extension for sharing agricultural technologies with farmers. Many times the farmers do not adopt agricultural technologies due to lack of knowledge regarding different aspects of the technology, usage and relative advantage which leads to avast gap between source and sink. The Tenth Plan (2002-2007) document recognized the problems of the extension sector and stated, “The Agriculture extension machinery, an information support inmost states, seems to have become outmoded. There is need to revamp the extension services in the country by using print and electronic media and information technology along with the involvement of the private sector, especially the input agencies and traders, which have emerged as one of the main sources of information for the farmers. Radio, television and the print media have become powerful means of education and technology dissemination.” The scientific and technological advancement in the field of agriculture has resulted in the development of high yielding varieties, chemical fertilizers, plant protection measures, etc. However, the advantage of these scientific advancements will give fruitful results only when these are communicated properly and effectively to millions of farmers. Therefore, available communication media has to be utilized to pass on the need based agricultural information effectively. The earlier top-down approach of Agricultural extension has failed to cater the need of the people and faced challenges both in context of reaching and persuading mass of people. Therefore, it leads to the emergence of participatory approach which considers people as equal partners rather than mere passive recipients. 1.1 Community Radio: A participatory communication tool Jean Servaes, the proponent of Dependency theory of Communication for development, criticized the broadcasting and other mass-media systems as they tend to support modernization and were anti-development; also they were inclined to promote the political agenda. Solution to underdevelopment of third world countries require major changes in media structure that were dominated by commercial principles & foreign interests into media structures which are self-reliant and community oriented (Servaes, 2002). According to UNESCO, the community can be territorial or geographical or a group of people with common interests, who are not necessarily living in one defined territory (Tabing, 2002). Over the time amid the mainstream media, an alternative media tool called community radio station (CRS) has emerged as the voice of community being people centered, development oriented and inclusive. People feel ownership of community radio as one can create, access, utilize, share information and knowledge. It helps people to achieve their full potential in promoting and improving their quality of life. „Participation‟ is often highlighted as a key characteristic, distinguishing community radio from most other kinds of media (Mtimde et al., 1998). 1.2 Community Radio in India: Development perspective Community radio was legalised in India on February, 1995 after the declaration passed by Supreme Court that, "airwaves are public property". Initially, community radio stations started as educational (campus) radio stations under somewhat strict conditions. In 2006, the Government of India declared a set of new Community Radio Guidelines that allowed the non-profit organizations, State Agricultural Universities, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) institutions, Krishi Vigyan Kendras, registered societies, autonomous bodies and registered public trusts to possess and operate community radio stations. According to Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, as on 31-03-2020 there are 289 operational community radio stations in India, of which total seventeen are underState Agricultural Universities, Agricultural Institutes and Krishi Vigyan Kendras. These seventeen community radios are specifically dedicated to the sharing of agricultural information with farmers and are working for the extension of technologies produced in these institutions (Table 1).

Among the various agriculture based community radio stations, CRS Pantnagar Janvani of G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, is the first Campus-based Community Radio Service of Uttarakhand and third such service, initiated among agriculture universities of the country (Singh, 2014). The main objective of Pantnagar Janvani is to bridge the information gaps of all sections of the society, especially the farmers of the locality with latest and relevant information. It is working as apart of extension and communication effort of the university.

TABLE 1 LIST OF COMMUNITY RADIO STATIONS OPERATED BY SAUS AND KVKS S. No. Name of Organization State 1. Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Junagarh Gujarat 2. Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Baramati Maharashtra 3. Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Ahmednagar Maharashtra 4. Sadhana Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Amravati Maharashtra 5. Suvide Foundation‟s Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Washim Maharashtra 6. Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Barh Bihar 7. Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Sirsa Haryana 8. Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Saharanpur Uttar-Pradesh 9. Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Namakkal Tamil-Nadu 10. Junagarh Agricultural University, Junagarh Gujarat 11. Habbington Institute of Agriculture Technology, Allahbad Uttar-Pradesh 12. Tamilnadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore Tamil-Nadu 13. Bihar Agriculture University, Sabour Bihar 14. University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad Karnataka