Post-COVID Evaluation of YouTube (‘Agropradhan’) as a Digital Extension Medium for Agricultural Information Dissemination: Insights from a Multi-Regional Farmer Audience

Introduction

Agriculture remains a central pillar of India's economy. According to the 2011 Census, approximately 54.6% of the workforce is engaged in agriculture and allied activities, contributing 17.4% to Gross Value Added (GVA) in 2014-15 (Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare [DAFW] , 2024-25) [4] . More recent estimates show that the agriculture and allied sectors contribute about 18.3% to India's GDP in 2022-23, while employing nearly 45% of the population (Press Information Bureau [PIB], 2023) [9] . Despite its importance, Indian agriculture remains vulnerable to climatic uncertainties due to its heavy dependence on the monsoon. In addition to weather-related risks, pests and diseases cause substantial economic losses. A CARE Ratings study reported to the Indian Parliament estimated that pests alone reduce crop yields by about 18% annually, resulting in losses worth approximately 90,000 cr., with impacts varying from 10% to 30% depending on severity and region (CARE Ratings, 2009) [3] . Scientific assessments further indicate that combined biotic stresses-including weeds, insect pests, and diseases-can cause up to 33% yield reduction, with weeds responsible for 12.5%, insect pests for 9.5%, diseases for 6.5%, and other pests for 4.5% (Ghosh, Bandopadhyay, Mondal, & Ghosh, 2015) [6] . Globally, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that plant pests and diseases are responsible for up to 40% of crop losses annually, with diseases alone causing around 10% loss in developed countries and over 20% in developing countries (FAO 2025, Wikipedia, 2025) [5] . Given these losses, timely and accurate advisory services are critical to minimizing damage and improving productivity. While traditional extension services have been the backbone of agricultural knowledge dissemination, the rise of digital technologies is transforming the sector enabling locationspecific, real-time recommendations for pest, disease, and agronomic management. Initiatives by agricultural scientists and postgraduate students, such as Agropradhan, have demonstrated the utility of platforms like YouTube for delivering plant protection, entomology knowledge, and agronomic advice. These tools not only extend the reach of expert guidance but also enable interactive problem-solving with farmers.

Methodology

The study adopted a mixed-method, pre-post evaluation design to assess the effectiveness of YouTube as a digital extension tool for disseminating pest and disease management information to farmers in the post-COVID period (Patel and Mehta, 2022; Singh and Kaur, 2021) [8] . Short videos of 2-7 minutes duration, produced in the local Marathi language, were created and uploaded on the YouTube channel Agropradhan. [1] These videos covered major pests, disease symptoms, and recommended control measures specifically for crops such as grapes, sugarcane, and tomato. The study was conducted in the Nashik district, particularly in the Oney village of Niphad tahasil of Maharashtra State, during the period from 2021 to 2024. YouTube Analytics served as the primary measurement tool, tracking key metrics such as total views, unique viewers, average view duration, watch time, audience retention, click-through rate, engagement (likes, comments, shares), and subscriber changes over a 30-day period after each upload (Google, 2023) [7] . Additional engagement statistics and adoption levels were captured through a post-survey, which recorded adoption of the shared practices, farmers' satisfaction, and challenges faced while using these digital media platforms (Babu et al. 2021) [2] . To administer this post-survey, farmers were provided with Google Form links directly in the video description, comment box, and community posts of the YouTube channel. Through this form, they were specifically asked which videos they found most useful, whether they had adopted the recommended pest and disease management practices, and their level of satisfaction with the information provided. The farmers responded mainly in "Yes/No" format, and their feedback offered valuable insights into adoption patterns and practical challenges.

Results and Discussions

Analysis of YouTube analytics for 112 agricultural advisory videos during the study period revealed clear variations in viewership, engagement, and audience response. Collectively, these videos accumulated 347,464 total views and 21,724.03 hours of watch time. The highest audience reach was recorded by the video (Earning millions from geranium farmingspecial interview with young Nashik farmer-entrepreneur Chandrashekhar Labhade), which achieved 46,381 views and 5,416.79 hours of watch time. This was followed by (Solution for onion bulbingspecial spray -(cell division in onions)) with 40,164 views, and Become a millionaire in 2 months during summer Ridge gourd cultivation information with 37,105 views. These patterns indicate that farmers demonstrated a stronger inclination toward content offering direct economic benefits and high-value crop guidance. Engagement metricsincluding subscriber gains, impressions, and click-through rate (CTR)-varied substantially among topics. The maximum subscriber gain was observed for the Geranium cultivation video (+1,463 subscribers), followed Solution for onion bulbingspecial spray -(cell division in onions (+1,232 subscribers). CTR values ranged from below 2% for generic topics to above 10% for pest-specific, concise instructional videos such as Mealybug control (10.70%) and Benefits of Mulching (10.12%). This aligns with earlier findings (FAO, 2020] [5] that concise, problem-oriented content draws higher attention and responsiveness from farming audiences. Videos addressing pest and disease management issuessuch as Thrips, Fruit fly, Tuta absoluta, and Early blightconsistently achieved higher CTR and stronger audience retention than those focusing on general crop production practices. Locally narrated and demonstration-based videos, including Mealybug control and Leaf miner control, showed superior retention, underscoring the effectiveness of practical, visually demonstrative approaches for farmer learning. Notably, videos that integrated economic case studies with actionable recommendations-for example, Geranium farming and Measures for Onion Bulbing not only attracted high viewer numbers but also maintained prolonged audience engagement. In contrast, short videos with minimal contextual depth, such as basic machinery introductions, tended to register lower watch times, highlighting the significance of narrative clarity and explanatory depth in agricultural advisories. The analytics further emphasize that impactful digital extension is achieved when content is: (1) delivered in the local language, (2) focused on urgent and high-impact crop protection topics, (3) of short-to-moderate duration average (2-7 minutes), and (4) supported by visual demonstrations and farmer success stories. These observations are consistent with Patel and Mehta (2022) and Babu et al. (2021) [8] , who reported that targeted, locally relevant, and concise advisory materials significantly improve the likelihood of adoption by rural farming communities. The strong performance of pest-and disease-specific videos also suggests that aligning topics with seasonal crop challenges enhances engagement and adoption. The integration of such content within a multi-platform extension strategy, complemented by rapid communication tools could enhance the reach, timeliness, and impact of agricultural advisories. Strategic planning in line with crop growth stages and emerging pest/disease threats can further strengthen these outcomes. In addition to YouTube Analytics, farmer-level adoption data was systematically collected through a Google Form-based post-survey. A total of 500 farmers completed the form, which was distributed via video descriptions, comment sections, and community posts. The survey responses provided valuable quantitative insights: approximately 68% of farmers reported adopting at least one recommended pest or disease management practice after watching the videos; 22% partially adopted or modified the practices to suit their farm conditions, while 10% reported non-adoption, mainly due to resource constraints. Notably, pest-specific advisories such as Thrips and Mealybug control registered the highest adoption rates (above 70%), whereas general crop production and machinery-related advisories remained lower (below 40%). These statistical trends validate the analytics findings and highlight that concise, contextually relevant, and demonstration-driven videos are not only effective in engaging farmers but also in driving measurable behavioral adoption at the field level. Views and CTR showed a positive trend, with higher CTR often associated with videos addressing urgent pest management topics. Videos with watch times above 2,000 hours tended to have higher subscriber gains. Pest-specific instructional content outperformed general agronomy topics in CTR.

Conclusion

The present study revealed that YouTube is an effective and influential digital platform for agricultural knowledge dissemination, particularly when content is strategically developed to address farmers' immediate needs. Analysis of viewership, engagement metrics, and audience responses the platform's impact is maximized when videos are: delivered in the local language, problem-oriented, of short-tomoderate duration average (2-7 minutes), and supported by practical demonstrations and farmer success narratives. Pest and disease-specific videos such as Mealy bug control, Thrips management, and Fruit fly control consistently recorded the highest Click-Through Rates (CTR) (above 10%) and superior viewer retention compared to general agronomy content. Likewise, videos showcasing high-value crop practices with clear economic benefits, such as Geranium cultivation and Onion Plantation techniques, achieved substantial viewership, longer watch times, and significant subscriber gains. Such results indicate that farmers place greater trust and interest in content that provides tangible, profit-oriented solutions.

References

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