Regional AGRO news channel - an approach to rural development

“India lives in villages, if we want to develop India, the development effort should be started from the village itself”. By Mahatma Gandhi Rural development is composite of development in agriculture, animal husbandry, health, education, women empowerment etc. Economy in rural areas primarily depends on agriculture and the farming community. In spite of sixty-seven years of independence rural conditions are not changed satisfactorily. Rural masses are suffering from the invisibility of even basic requirements of human being. Unexpected weather calamities, lack of access to information and resources, credit facilities, input requirement makes the situation more complex. Government has taken many initiatives to uplift the rural masses. In order to optimally utilize the advantages, it is essential to reach these initiatives to actual beneficiaries i. e. rural people by making it assessable. Mass media especially television has vital and significant role in speeding up the development process by making new technologies available right at the doorsteps of rural masses with an unimaginable speed and accuracy. Television is the best medium for spreading the information in local dialects about related programmes. Moreover it stimulates more than one sense which ultimately improves learning efficiency. Probably agriculture aspects are only taken care in Krishi Darshan television programme that is broadcasted by the Government on its exclusive terrestrial television network - Doordarshan. It is half an hour programme that is run five days a week at 6.30 pm. Krishi Darshan focuses on features, documentaries, success stories, research inputs, quizzes, crop seminars and a live phone in programme. Like other special channels (business, cartoon, news, entertainment), Agro News channel - a fully dedicated channel to rural people especially farmers must be initiated 24/7 and 365 days in a year in order to positively contribute to rural development through information empowerment which will surely raise nation’s economy.

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Introduction

"India lives in villages, if we want to develop India, the development effort should be started from the village itself". (Mahatma Gandhi).

The condition of rural people is still not satisfactory. They are continue to struggle to fullfil their basic needs viz; food, health care services, clean drinking water etc. government efforts mostly focused on agriculture still farming community is facing many problems like lack of resources, credit, information etc. The situation is worst for women, who face inequality in all sectors, especially, agriculture sector. Although government and other organizations have been working to improve the situation of women but improvement was almost nil. Existing information-sharing mechanisms are often ineffective, and their utilization by rural communities remains minimal. For accelerating the development process there is a need to rethink about the alternate means of technology transfer. The information technology has an immense power in speeding up the development process by making it available right at the doorsteps of rural masses with an unimaginable speed and accuracy. Information technology has the capability to bridge the gap between the have and have-nots.

Rural Development and the Role of Communication Technologies in Indian Agriculture

Rural development is a process of improving the quality of life and economic well-being of people living in rural areas.

Rural development is the core of the overall development of thecountry. Agriculture, forestry, health, entrepreneurship, physical, and social infrastructure all play an important role in developing rural areas.

Rural development is an important factor for development of Indian economy. Agriculture contributes a large share in national income of India. Rural people mainly dependent on agriculture for their livelihood. But Indian agriculture faces many challenges which directly or indirectly affect the lives of rural people. In country like India crop production is mainly based on climate or weather as about 2/3rd of the cultivated area in India is rainfed. Environmental factors viz unpredicted rain falls, draught, irrigation etc. and other issues like stagnation of net sown area, plateauing yield level, deterioration of soil quality, reduction in per capita land availability and lack of expected awareness, knowledge, skill and attitude, unavailability of inputs, small size of land holding, division of land, poor marketing facility, insufficient extension staff and services, insufficient water supply, less use of modern farming equipment, over dependence on traditional crops, lack of mechanization etc affect the agriculture. Thus, there is a need to resolve these issues to improve the conditions of agriculture in India. Lots of efforts made by Government, private institutions and individuals but did not get expected result as these efforts are not reaching to the actual users i.e. rural people. Mass media like radio, TV etc. and Digital technologies like smart devices, softwares, applications, services and communication system can help in making these initiatives available right at the doorsteps of rural masses and transform the agriculture. Television is the best medium for spreading the information in local dialects about related programmes. Moreover it stimulates more than one sense which ultimately improves learning efficiency. Earlier agriculture aspects are only taken care in Krishi Darshan television programme that is broadcasted by the Government on its exclusive terrestrial television network -Doordarshan. It is half an hour programme that is run five days a week at 6.30 pm. Krishi Darshan focuses on features, documentaries, success stories, research inputs, quizzes, crop seminars and a live phone in programme. In order to make farmers more secure, the Government of India has set up Kisan Call Centres to disseminate information as well as guidance to agriculturists. Launched in January 2004, it gives farmers information on agriculture and related subjects. Agriculture graduates answer farmers' questions at 13 call centres, in the local language of the respective regions, from 6 am to 10 pm except on Sundays and gazetted holidays. Calls after the call centre working hours are attended in the IVRS mode. The cell can be accessed using the toll free number 1551 (Shaik, 2015) [2] .

In recent past few agriculture channels have been introduced for farming community and these channels are.

Agricultural Communication through TV and Digital Platforms in India 1. Television Channels Dedicated to Agriculture a. DD Kisan

Launched on 26 May 2015 by Doordarshan, DD Kisan is India's first 24x7 public service television channel dedicated solely to agriculture and rural development. Its primary aim is to provide real-time, research-based information to Indian farmers, focusing on enhancing productivity and sustainability.

Key Features

Collaborations: Works with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to ensure delivery of credible scientific information.

Content Areas

Content Areas

Content Highlights

 Over 30 thematic shows targeting rural and semiurban audiences.

 Combines information with entertainment, including food and cultural programming.  Strict editorial control under Junaid Memon, ensuring content credibility.

Agricultural Information via YouTube

With the growth of internet penetration and smartphone access under the Digital India initiative, YouTube has emerged as a powerful medium for agricultural education. Several Indian YouTube channels now deliver free, vernacular, and visually engaging content to millions of farmers. Simplified content for small-scale and less-literate farmers.

Regional Agro News Channel: A Way Forward

The Indian agriculture sector is diverse and dynamic. The development of the sector has been a key priority for the Government of India. The government has delivered many programmes for the development of farmers and also took many initiatives to ensure the reach of agricultural information to the farming community. TV channels play a vital role in providing information to people. Youtube channels are also good initiatives but they cannot reach to all farmers like TV channels. DD Kisan is good initiative in the agriculture sector but there is no separate 24 hours news channel dedicated to agriculture is launched by any institute for farmers till date. Although there are many other news channels are broadcasting in India which covers all type of news but rarely cover agriculture related news. Like other special news channels, Agro news channel -a fully dedicated channel to rural people especially farmers must be initiated 24/7 and 365 days in a year in order to positively contribute to rural development through information empowerment which will surely raise nation's economy.

Although DD Kisan channel covers many agriculture related information but its adoption is not much due to the use of technical language and less coverage of local issues.

Previous researches shows that farmers had low or very level of exposure of DD kisan channel (Pithiya and chauhan, 2019) [1] . The technical language is the main constraints for less adoption of DD Kisan Channel (Upadhyay et at., 2018) [3] . Other constraints were less coverage of local problems and no use of local language (Pithiya and chauhan, 2019) [1] which might have restricted farmers to make elevated level of use of DD Kisan channel. There is a need to initiate regional agro news channel that provides information in regional language and covers maximum local agriculture related information which will beneficial for farmers and attract more and more farmers. This channel can cover following content Mass media, particularly television, plays a vital role in the information ecosystem. While YouTube and other online platforms offer useful content, their reach is limited in rural areas due to digital illiteracy, connectivity issues, and language barriers. In this context, television continues to be a widely accessible and trusted medium for communication in rural India.

Content Framework for a Regional Agro News Channel

The content of the channel should be designed to be locally relevant, linguistically accessible, and practically applicable to farmers' day-to-day realities. The following content structure is proposed:

I. News Segment  Agricultural News (Regional Focus): Timely and localized updates on crop conditions, farming policies, market dynamics, and success stories delivered in the regional language to ensure clarity and comprehension. Such interactions promote peer learning and motivational insight among viewers.

IV. Live Interactive Programmes

Live call-in shows where farmers can interact directly with experts to seek solutions to their specific problems in realtime. These sessions help build trust and provide a platform for participatory communication.

V. Educational Quizzes

Organized for rural youth, farming families, and progressive farmers to:  Stimulate interest in agriculture  Enhance knowledge about crops, schemes, techniques  Foster a competitive yet educational spirit in rural communities

VI. Success Stories

Short films or features on successful agricultural entrepreneurs, innovative practices, and award-winning farming methods that serve as motivational tools and blueprints for others.

Conclusion

A dedicated regional agro news channel, broadcasting in local languages and focusing on context-specific issues, is an urgent and necessary innovation for the Indian agricultural communication system. By aligning the content with regional realities and ensuring the active involvement of stakeholders, such a channel can be a powerful tool for information empowerment, fostering informed decisionmaking and contributing significantly to the socio-economic development of rural India.

Figures and tables from the paper

Channel Name	Established	Videos (approx.)	Focus Area
Farming Leader	2017	690+	Modern farming techniques, product demos, online store support.
My Kisan Dost	2015	395+	General farming information and seasonal practices.
Hello Kisaan	2010	335+	Early adopter, comprehensive farming education.
Technical Farming	2018	380+	Practical content for illiterate farmers.
Indian Farmer	2018	260+	Hindi content focusing on small and marginal farmers.
Ravizone Farming Leader	2015	530+	Native-language content with subtitles.
Crops Information	2012	520+	Crop-specific guidance with focus on techniques and management.
India Farming Management	2018	270+	Advanced visual content on operations and equipment.
Tractor Junction	2016	270+	Mechanization, machinery reviews, and policy updates.
Kheti Ki Shaan	2018	250+	Simplified content for small-scale and less-literate farmers.

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Top 10 YouTube Channels for Indian Farmers

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1. Pithiya ND, Chauhan NB. Study the profile of the DD Kisan viewer farmers of Anand district. In: Compendium of National Symposium on Pragmatic Perspectives of Agricultural Development Programmes in Present Scenario; 2019 Jun 8-9; Anand, India. 2019. p. 252.
2. Shaik MS. DD Kisan: voice of the Indian farmer [Internet]. 2015 [cited 2025 Sep 5]. Available from: https://www.academia.edu/18385518/DD_KISAN_VOI CE_OF_THE_INDIAN_FARMER
3. Upadhyay S, Khare NK, Dubey MK. Effectiveness of DD Kisan in terms of knowledge and adoption by the farmers. J Pharmacogn Phytochem. 2018;7(4):34423443.
4. Tractor Junction Blog. 2020 [cited 2025 Sep 5]. Available from: https://www.tractorjunction.com/blog/10-best-youtubechannels-for-indian-farmers/
5. Wikipedia. [cited 2025 Sep 5]. Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DD_Kisan
6. Wikipedia. [cited 2025 Sep 5]. Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_TV_India