Role of social media in accessing and disseminating agricultural information among rural youth

Introduction

Agricultural information plays an important role in improving farm-level decision-making, adoption of improved technologies and overall agricultural productivity. With the increasing availability of smartphones and internet services, social media has emerged as an important complementary source of agricultural information, particularly among rural youth. Platforms such as YouTube, WhatsApp and Facebook provide opportunities to access and share information related to crop production, pest and disease management, weather, markets and government schemes. Singh et al. (2021) [8] , in a study of 200 rural youth in Mansa district of Punjab, reported that YouTube, WhatsApp and Facebook were the most preferred social media platforms for agricultural information. About 27.0 per cent of respondents reported increased acreage under recommended crop varieties, 22.5 per cent used weather-based agro-advisories for irrigation scheduling and 24.1 per cent obtained crop marketing information through social media. The effectiveness of social media depends on accessibility, digital literacy, relevance, reliability and the ability of users to understand and apply the information received. Sandeep et al. (2022) [7] , based on 120 farmers in the Southern Telangana zone, found that 39.17 per cent perceived the effectiveness of agricultural information disseminated through social media at a medium level, while digital literacy, social media usage, participation and access were positively associated with perceived effectiveness. The relevance of social media is particularly important in Satna district, where Raj et al. (2025) [5] studied 120 rural youth and reported that 38.33 per cent had high technology-management orientation and 35.00 per cent had medium information-management orientation, indicating considerable potential for strengthening digital agricultural information services. Therefore, the present study entitled "Role of Social Media in Accessing and Disseminating Agricultural Information among Rural Youth" was undertaken in Satna district of Madhya Pradesh to assess the sources of agricultural information accessed through social media and to evaluate its effectiveness in disseminating agricultural knowledge among rural youth.

Materials and Methods

The study was undertaken to examine the sources of agricultural information accessed by rural youth through social media and to assess its effectiveness in disseminating agricultural knowledge. A structured and pre-tested interview schedule was used to collect primary data from 120 rural youth respondents through personal interviews. Information was obtained regarding the use of different social media platforms and agricultural information resources.

To assess the types of information sources accessed through social media, respondents were asked about WhatsApp, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, government websites, expert advice, online farmer groups, mobile applications, pest and disease management, weather, market prices and government schemes. Responses were recorded as Yes/No and analyzed using frequency and percentage. The effectiveness of social media was measured using a threepoint scale, viz., Agree (3), Neutral (2) and Disagree (1). The independent variables included age, gender, education, landholding, farming experience, annual income, social participation, extension contact, source of information, digital literacy, mobile phone ownership, internet accessibility, social media usage, social media intensity and innovativeness. The collected data were coded and tabulated and frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation were used for analysis and interpretation of the findings.

Results and Discussion

The study titled "Role of social media in accessing and disseminating agricultural information among rural youth" was conducted to assess the socio-economic characteristics, social media use, adoption of agricultural practices and constraints faced by rural youth in Satna district of Madhya Pradesh. Data were collected from 120 respondents through a pre-tested interview schedule and analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, correlation and chi-square tests. The study also examined the influence of social media on agricultural information use and adoption of improved agricultural practices among rural youth.

Profile of the Respondents

The data presented in Table 1 reveal that nearly half of the rural youth (48.33%) belonged to the middle age group, followed by 35.00 per cent in the young age group and 16.67 per cent in the old age group. Regarding gender, 60.00 per cent were male and 40.00 per cent were female, indicating a relatively higher participation of male youth in agricultural activities. With respect to education, 30.00 per cent of the respondents were educated up to higher secondary level and an equal proportion had graduate and above education, while 26.67 per cent had secondary education. Only 3.33 per cent were illiterate. The relatively favourable educational status suggests that rural youth possessed adequate educational exposure to understand and utilize modern agricultural information and communication technologies. In terms of landholding, 31.67 per cent possessed marginal holdings, followed by small (28.33%), semi-medium (22.50%), medium (14.17%) and large holdings (3.33%). Thus, the majority of rural youth were associated with small and marginal farms. Regarding farming experience, the largest proportion (30.00%) had 5-10 years of experience, followed by 26.67 per cent with 10-15 years, 22.50 per cent with up to 5 years and 20.83 per cent with more than 15 years of experience. Annual income showed that one-third (33.33%) of the respondents earned ₹1,00,001-1,50,000 annually, while 28.33 per cent earned ₹50,001-1,00,000 and 23.34 per cent earned more than ₹1,50,000. With respect to social participation, 35.00 per cent were members of one organization, 31.67 per cent participated in two or more organizations and 18.33 per cent served as office bearers, whereas 15.00 per cent had no organizational participation. Extension contact was predominantly medium (48.34%), followed by high (28.33%) and low (23.33%). Similarly, information source utilization was medium among 51.67 per cent of respondents, indicating that most rural youth had moderate interaction with different agricultural information sources. The findings further indicate that digital literacy, mobile phone use, internet accessibility and social media use were predominantly at the medium level. More than half of the respondents had medium digital literacy (53.33%), while 50.00 per cent reported medium levels of mobile phone ownership/use and internet accessibility. Social media usage was medium among 51.67 per cent, while 33.33 per cent belonged to the high category. Similarly, social media intensity was medium among 51.67 per cent, followed by high (31.66%) and low (16.67%). Innovativeness was also predominantly medium (52.50%), followed by high (30.83%) and low (16.67%). The findings are in agreement with Mishra et al. (2022) [4] , who observed that most farmers regularly used YouTube, WhatsApp and Facebook, particularly for agricultural information and that social media utilization varied significantly across young, middle and old age groups. Further, Sandeep et al. (2022) [7] reported that digital literacy and social media usage were positively related to the effectiveness of agricultural information received through social media. Raj et al. (2025) [6] , in a study of rural youth in Satna district of Madhya Pradesh, also found that 46.67 per cent had a neutral perception and 28.33 per cent had a favourable perception towards social-media-based agricultural extension, highlighting the growing relevance of social media and the need to strengthen digital literacy among rural youth.

The types of sources of agricultural information accessed by rural youth through social media

The Table 2 reveals that YouTube and WhatsApp were the most prominent social media platforms used by rural youth for accessing agricultural information. YouTube was used by 91 respondents (75.83%) for learning farming practices, followed by WhatsApp groups (73.33%). Pest and disease management information was accessed by 65.83 per cent of respondents, while weather forecasts were received by 61.67 per cent. Similarly, 60.00 per cent received agricultural advice through WhatsApp messages from experts or extension workers and 58.33 per cent used social media for obtaining market price information. Government scheme information was accessed by 57.50 per cent of respondents. These findings indicate that rural youth primarily used social media for obtaining practical, timely and need-based agricultural information related to crop production, protection, weather, markets and government programmes. Further, 56.67 per cent of respondents followed agriculturerelated Facebook pages, 55.83 per cent followed agricultural influencers or experts and 54.17 per cent accessed government agricultural websites shared through social media. About 53.33 per cent participated in online farmer groups, while 51.67 per cent used Instagram for agricultural updates or reels. In contrast, the use of mobile applications (48.33%), agricultural webinars (37.50%) and Telegram channels (40.00%) was comparatively lower. The findings are supported by Singh et al. (2021) [8] , who reported that YouTube, WhatsApp and Facebook were the major social media platforms used by rural youth for accessing agricultural information. Similarly, Mishra et al.

(2022) [4] found that YouTube and WhatsApp were widely used by farmers for agricultural information, whereas Telegram and Instagram had comparatively lower utilization. Sandeep et al. (2022) [7] also observed that social media played an important role in disseminating agricultural information and improving access to timely farm-related knowledge.

The effectiveness of social media in disseminating agricultural knowledge and types of resources of agricultural information among rural youth

The Table 3 shows that a considerable majority of rural youth expressed a positive opinion regarding the usefulness of social media for agricultural learning and information access.

WhatsApp groups were considered particularly useful for obtaining quick farm-related advice (75.00%), followed by YouTube videos for gaining a better understanding of farming techniques (74.17%). A substantial proportion also reported that information available on social media was simple to comprehend (73.33%) and helped improve their knowledge of modern agricultural practices (72.50%). Overall, nearly three-fourths of the respondents (73.33%) considered social media an effective means of sharing agricultural knowledge.

The results further reveal that respondents used social media for obtaining government scheme information (65.00%), improving farm-level decisions (62.50%), addressing agricultural problems (60.83%) and maintaining contact with agricultural experts (58.33%). Comparatively fewer respondents felt that social media could replace traditional extension services, as only 48.33 per cent agreed with this statement. The findings are in line with Kumar et al. (2023) [2] , who reported that social media empowered agricultural youth by providing opportunities for continuous learning and access to information on improved and modern farming practices. Similarly, Madhushekar et al. (2023) [3] found that 84.16 per cent of farmers used social media for agricultural information, highlighting its effectiveness as a modern agricultural communication channel.

Conclusion

The study concluded that social media has become an important channel for accessing and disseminating agricultural information among rural youth. The majority had medium levels of digital literacy (53.33%), social media usage (51.67%) and social media intensity (51.67%). YouTube (75.83%) and WhatsApp (73.33%) were the most commonly accessed platforms, particularly for farming practices, pest and disease management (65.83%), weather information (61.67%) and expert advice (60.00%). Further, 73.33 per cent of respondents considered social media effective for agricultural knowledge dissemination, while 75.00 per cent found WhatsApp useful for quick agricultural advice. Thus, social media has considerable potential to strengthen agricultural extension among rural youth, although it should be used as a complementary channel alongside conventional extension service. These findings are consistent with Singh et al. (2021) [8] , who reported that YouTube, WhatsApp and Facebook were preferred by rural youth for agricultural information and with Madhushekar et al. (2024) [3] , who found that 84.16 per cent of farmers used social media for agriculture-related information.

Acknowledgement

AcknowledgmentThe author expresses sincere gratitude to the Chairman, Department of Technology Transfer, Mahatma Gandhi Chitrakoot Gramodaya Vishwavidyalaya, Chitrakoot, Satna (M.P.), India, for his continuous guidance, motivation and support throughout the course of this research. The author also extends heartfelt appreciation to all colleagues, field assistants and labourers for their cooperation, assistance and valuable contributions toward the successful completion of the study.

References

1. Chinchmalatpure UR, Tekale V. Aspiration of rural youth towards agriculture. Indian Journal of Extension Education. 2021;55(2):25-30.
2. Kumar A, Yadav R, Saikanth DRK, Tripathi G, Sharma A, Meinam M, et al. The impact of social media on agricultural youth: empowering the next generation in India. Asian Journal of Agricultural Extension, Economics & Sociology. 2023;41(10):260-267. doi:10.9734/AJAEES/2023/v41i102167.
3. Madhushekar BR, Rani VS, Padmaveni C, Reddy MM, Kumar BA. Analysis of farmer's perception and usage of social media in agriculture. Asian Journal of Agricultural Extension, Economics & Sociology. 2023.
4. Mishra A, Singh J, Singh R, Singh K. A comparative study on social media utilization pattern by farmers of different age groups. Journal of Community Mobilization and Sustainable Development. 2022;17(2):526-532.
5. Raj N, Rai DP, Singh YK, Yadav S. Exploring rural youth perceptions of social media-based agricultural extension services in Satna District of Madhya Pradesh. International Journal of Agriculture Extension and Social Development. 2025;8(8):316-319.
6. Raj N, Rai DP, Singh YK, Singh A, Yadav S, Verma J. Socio-personal profile of rural youth in relation to media use for agricultural information access in Satna district of Madhya Pradesh. International Journal of Research in Agronomy. 2025;8(8):735-738.
7. Sandeep GP, Prashanth P, Sreenivasulu M, Madavilata A. Effectiveness of agricultural information disseminated through social media. Indian Journal of Extension Education. 2022;58(2):186-190.
8. Singh G, Singh P, Tiwari D, Singh K. Role of social media in enhancing agricultural growth. Indian Journal of Extension Education. 2021;57(4):102-106.
9. Tripathi G. The impact of social media on agricultural youth: empowering the next generation in India. Asian Journal of Agricultural Extension, Economics & Sociology. 2023;41(10):260-267.