UNLOCKING AGRICULTURAL INFORMATION NETWORKS: A SOCIAL NETWORK ANALYSIS APPROACH

Abstract

Indian extension system persistently encountered challenges related to the ineffective dissemination of agricultural information and lack of intensive private extension. Social Network Analysis (SNA) focuses on how actors are located in a network and studies their multidimensional relationship. The present study aims to explore the information-seeking patterns of the farmers using SNA and understand the effective and efficient means of communication that the extension system can tap further. Two districts (Anand and Vadodara) of Gujarat were conveniently selected from which two blocks and two villages each were purposively selected for the study. By employing random sampling, a total of 120 respondents were interviewed. The analysis using UCINET software elicited that respondents had 36 nodes contacted for attaining information for production aspects, with 27 and 23 nodes for protection and marketing, respectively. However, the density (0.553) and transitivity (0.705) were high for the protection network, implying a stronger connection between the nodes and having a lower average geodesic distance (1.450), conveying that the information dissemination related to protection aspects happens rapidly. Non-dominance of either public or private entities in the marketing network emphasized the need for attention. At the node level, input dealers were of significant value in the network, and the respondents of Vadodara had more accessibility to agriculture information than the Anand district. The study’s findings contribute significantly to the existing literature by shedding light on the challenges within the Indian extension system, emphasizing the importance of Social Network Analysis in understanding farmers’ information-seeking patterns and highlighting key areas for improvement in agricultural communication and information dissemination.