Determinants of Social Media Usage for Dissemination of Agricultural Technology by Extension Personnel in South Gujarat

Dinesh Brijalal Suryawanshi; Om Prakash Sharma

doi:10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i04.85918

Determinants of Social Media Usage for Dissemination of Agricultural Technology by Extension Personnel in South Gujarat

Author(s)	Dr. Dinesh Brijalal Suryawanshi, Dr. Om Prakash Sharma
Country	India
Abstract	In India, the traditional approach to agricultural extension has primarily involved direct, in-person communication to share technology and information between researchers and farmers. However, ongoing issues like a lack of extension personnel and remote locations have historically hindered these conventional advisory services. To tackle these challenges, recent years have seen a shift towards digital solutions, with institutions such as the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), and State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) embracing Internet and social media platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, and YouTube. This study explores the factors influencing social media use for spreading agricultural technology among 210 extension personnel across South Gujarat's seven districts, using an ex-post-facto research method. Data collected through structured interviews were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Karl Pearson’s correlation, and step-down regression. The findings showed that most extension personnel were highly engaged digitally, with 65.71 per cent showing high engagement and 33.81 per cent very high engagement. Strong positive correlations were found between social media use and factors like information-seeking behaviour, e-readiness, mass media exposure, decision-making ability, and scientific orientation, while age and service experience had significant negative correlations. The step-down regression model explained 56.90 per cent of the variation in social media use (R² = 0.569), with age, education, mass media exposure, service experience, and management orientation being significant predictors (p < 0.01). The study concludes that the adoption of modern digital advisory services is largely driven by demographic and professional factors, suggesting that institutions should address generational gaps through targeted digital training and mentorship, and formally integrate social media tools into extension services.
Keywords	Social media usage, Extension personnel, Dissemination, Agricultural technology
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 4, July-August 2026
Published On	2026-08-18
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i04.85918

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Determinants of Social Media Usage for Dissemination of Agricultural Technology by Extension Personnel in South Gujarat

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