Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

AGRICULTURAL INFORMATION SEEKING BEHAVIOUR OF GARO TRIBAL FRAMERS OF MEGHALAYA, INDIA

Biswajit Lahiri

Abstract

Access to the right information at the right time in the right format from the right source for Garo tribal farmers may increase the agricultural production in Garo Hills. In this backdrop, agricultural information seeking behaviour of Garo tribal farmers put under scanner in an exploratory research design with the objectives to explore the various sources of agricultural information, constraints to access them, general and crop-wise information need of the Garo farmers and to enumerate the information seeking behaviour of the Garo farmers and its relation with socio-economic and socio-psychological variables. The study has been conducted by interviewing 150 respondents through semi-structured interview schedule, who have been selected through proportionate random sampling method from two districts of Garo Hills. Information Seeking Behaviour has been enumerated as dependent variable and measured with Information Seeking Behaviour Index developed during the study. Different socio-economic and socio-psychological variables have been selected as causal variables and measured by the scales developed by different earlier researchers, which have been modified during pilot study. Study reveals that information seeking behaviour of Garo farmers is traditional in nature and it also suggests that increase in educational status, material possession, production orientation, market orientation, risk orientation, economic motivation and farmer’s attitude have positive and significant bearings in the Information Seeking Behaviour of the farmers. Thus, the traditional approaches of information seeking behaviour is needed to be improved by meticulous approaches of ICT mediated extension to reach resource poor Garo tribal farmers in the far flung areas of Garo Hills.