Annals of Library Science and DoclImentation 47. I ; 2000; 17-22.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION FOR FARMERS IN

Dr B 5 Biradar Reader Department of Library & Information Science Kuvempu University Shankaraghatta- 577 451 Karnataka

Studies existing rural libraries in Karnataka and a higher national agricultural output. It is apparent opinion of farmers of the region. One thousand that the right kind of information is a key to solve farmers were interviewed for determining the the various problems faced by the farmers at sources of information used in various stages of different stages. It is necessary to determine the farming activities. Also suggests strategy to sources of information used by the farmers to develop the collection of rural libraries and to make overcome the problems faced by them: use of them. SCOPE OF THE STUDY INTRODUCTION The scope of the present study encompasses the Agriculture in is not merely an occupation or role of rural libraries in meeting the information a business profession for the people, but a needs of farmers, particularly in Karnataka State. tradition, a way of life which for centuries has In addition to this, an attempt has been made to shaped their thoughts, outlook and culture. study the Agriculture dominates the country's economy to such an extent that- about 64% population is (i) forms of different communication media such dependent on it [1]. Agricultural statistics reveal as print and non-print media, and that out of the total areas, 123.5 million hectares of land is under effective cultivation [2]. Considering (ii) personal and group contacts such as village cultivable land available, pressure on the demand level workers, agricultural extension officers, for foodgrains is very high, because population group discussion with friends, ne ighbours, growth of 23.8% [3] has outstripped the rate of relatives etc. increase in agricultural production , which was 184.3 and 191 .1 million tonnes during the year SAMPLING STRATEGY 1993-94 and 1994-95 respectively [4]. Thus the li mited available land has to meet the demands of The whole area of Karnataka for the above a rapidly increasing population for foodgrains purpose was divided into ten zones. These zones production. are as created by the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore on the basis of climatic This implies that agriculture has a great scope for conditions, rainfall and soil. From each zone, two improvement in India and to improve agricultural villages were selected randomly in which there production , there is an ever increasing neecl for were library facilities. Fifty farmers from each of the latest information, because information is the twenty villages belonging to ten zones were considered as a resource. an essential input like selected. Hence. a total sample of 1000 farmers other agricultural inputs. Knowledge is essential was considered for the study. not only for the progress of agriculture but also for

Vol 47 No I Man.: h 2000 17 asa/RADAR

METHODOLOGY COLLECTION OF RURAL LIBRARIES

The questionnaire and interview method has been The importance of the library and its serv"ices totally used for collecting the necessary information from depends upon its collection. If the coll ection is the librarians and the farmers. The information from good, the services will be satisfactory. The strength farmers was collected regarding occupational of collection in libraries under survey is given in background, use of communication media, rural Table 1 which reveals that the highest number of libraries etc. for meeting their information needs books are available in Lakkavally (4787). Next in in various agricultural activities. rank are Malakhed (3809) and Byahatti (3197). All

Table 1

Collection of Rural Libraries

81. Name of the Total No. Books on Journals/ No. Village of Books Agriculture Magazines

1. Attur 455 2. M.Hipparga 2681 2 3. Malakhed 3809 3 4. D. Ghanagapur 2234 4 5. Morab 3123 4 6. Ganihar 1927 3 7. Aimangal 2406 20 3 8. Kakkaragola 1570 15 3 9. 1103 3 10. Rampur 401 15 3 11 . Gejjalgere 854 18 4 12. Volagerahalli 859 5 13. Lakkavally 4787 16 14. 8inganamane 1904 15. Byahatti 3197 4 16. Hebsur 2791 2 17. 1365 lB. Hadinabalu 270 19. Maveenkurve 1700 4 20. Linganmath 326 20 these libraries are directly connected to the District is also observed that more than 90% of the Central Library and they have permanent staff. collection of rural libraries consists of novels, plays, Hadinabalu. Linganamath, Rampur and Attur poetry, essays etc., which are used as light reading village libraries are having just 270, 326, 401 and materials. 455 books respectively, which is a very small collection considering the population of these PER-HEAD PERCENTAGE OF BOOKS villages. It is also seen from the table that very few libraries have collection of books on agriculture It is also necessary to ascertain the per head and even if available, these are extremely small in availability of books for total population as welt as number. Almost all libraries have a few general literates in the libraries surveyed (Table 2) . magazines except in Lakkavally which has 16. It

IX Ann Li b Sci Doc SOURCES OF INFORMATION FOR FARMERS IN KARNATAKA

Table 2

Per Head Percentage of Books in Different Libraries

Percentage 51. Name of the Total Total No. Village Books Population Literates Books Literates per head

1. Attu r 455 1048 225 0.43 2.02 2. M.Hipparga 2681 5949 1314 0.45 2.04 3. Malakhed 3809 6672 1802 0.57 2.11 4. D. Ghanagapur 2234 4567 1501 0.49 1.49 5. Morab 3123 7621 3273 0.41 0.95 6. Ganihar 1927 2580 360 0.75 5.35 7. Aimangal 2406 1417 699 1.70 3.44 8. Kakkaragola 1570 3259 1222 0.48 1.28 9. Nittur 1103 . 2721 1362 0.41 0.81 10. Rampur 401 2147 1125 0.18 0.36 11 . Gejjalgere 854 2879 1166 0.30 0.73 12. Volagerahalli 859 3634 1363 0.24 0.63 13. Lakkavally 4787 1257 282 3.81 16.97 14. 5inganamane 1904 5847 2910 0.33 0.65 15. Byahatti 3197 9171 4201 0.35 0.76 16. Hebsur 2791 4970 2288 0.56 1.22 17. Yadoga 1365 1829 523 0.75 2.61 18. Hadinabalu 270 2025 1048 0.13 0.26 19. Maveenkurve 1700 3040 1309 0.56 1.30 20. Linganmath 326 1817 550 0.18 0.59

For total population the highest percentage of should be at least one book per head for literates books per head is in Lakkavally (3.81 %), followed for fulfilling Ranganathan's second law of library by Aimangala (1.70%). Ganihar and Yadoga 0.75% science which is "Every reader his or her book". each. In the rest of the villages, it is very low. In the village Hadinabalu. Rampur, Linganamath and COMPUTATION OF RANKS FOR DIFFERENT Volagerahalli, libraries are functioning just in name MASS MEDIA CHANNELS only. These libraries are not having even a single book for four person . The impact of sources of information varies from one activity to another in agriculture. In order to In the case of literates. the credit for the highest assess the most widely used sources of percentage of books per head also goes to information, a rank list was computed viz. Lakkavally (16.97%) followed by Ganihar (5.35%), sourcewise rank list of information sources. Aimangal (3.44%). Yadoga (2.61 %), Malakhed (2.11 %),M . Hipparaga (2.04%) and Attur (2.02%). Sourcewise Rank List of Information Sources The villages D.Ghanagapur, Kakkaragola, Hebsur, Maveenakurve are also having one book per head. In this rank list, information source are grouped The rest of the village libraries have less than one as: 1J00k per head. Hence it is suggested that there a) Informal personal sources

Vol 47 No I March 2000 19 B S B/RADAR b) Impersonal sources, and personal sources, comprised of gramasevaka and c) Formal personal sources agriculture extension officer. The ran k list is computed as per the above three groups and is Friends neighbours, relatives and pesticide dealers presented in tables 3-5 and Fig 1. are informal personal sources. Radio, newspapers, television, libraries, leaflets and film shows are Informal Personal Sources considered to be impersonal sources. Formal Informal personal sources occupy the first place

1~r------'

1~ ~ .------~,~.--~

1 ~ · ~------~~~~

] 1000 1-.------i E 600 -\------·------Imll i

----~~1 a:! 6OOr------· . --..

~ ~ . _---- "

e Name 01 the so urces

1. Agriculture credit 5. Advise taken for sowing 2. Soil test 6. Awareness of fertili sers 3. Storage of seeds 7. Irrig ation 4. Awareness of hybird seeds 8. Rate of commodity

Fig.1 : Sourcewise Rank Li st of Information Sources on Different Aspects

respo ndents sought informatio n through in all activities except soil test and rates of impersonal sources. Among them radio 1857 commodities, in which it occupies third and second (26.53%) and newspaper 946 (13.69%) are first place respective ly. Am ong the informal sources, and second respectively. For other activities, f ri e nd s2448 (34 .0 9% ) a nd ne i g h bo u rs 1834 namely financial assista nce 325 (32.5% ), (24.55% ) occupy the first and second place awareness of hybrid seeds 616 (6 1.6%), advice respectively. It is also observed that this method taken for sowing 904 (90.4%) and awareness of is widely and libe rally used by the farmers. fertilizers 686 (79. 32%), these sources stand in (Tab le3) the second category. In case of other activities i.e. for storage of seeds 149 (14 .9%) and irrigation Impersonal Sources facilities 102 (12.85%), these sources are least used. The impersonal sources play a vital role in many activiti es, particularly with respect to so il test 437 Formal Personal Sources (97.97%) and prices of ag ri cultural products 1401 (140.10%) (Tab le 4). It is foun d that most of the The formal personal sources of informati on are

~( I SOURCES OF INFORMATION FOR FARMERS IN KAaNATAKA

Table 3

Souecewise Rank list of Informal Personal Sources

Name of Agnculture Soil Storage Awareness Advice Awareness Irrigation Rate of Total the Credit Test of Seeds of Iybrid taken for of commodity Seeds Sowing Fertilisers

Friends 262 145 222 323 470 440 118 468 2448 (26.20) (32.51) (22.20) (32.30) (47.00) (50.87) (14.86) (46.80) (34.09)

Neigh- 87 60 192 352 663 248 64 168 1834 bours (8.70) (13.45) (19.20) (35.20) (66 .30) (28.67) (8 .06) (16.80) (24 .55)

Relatives 25 16 22 32 78 17 19 209 (5.61 ) . (1 .60) (2.20) (3 .20) (9.02) (2.14) (1. 90) (3.21)

Others 72 69 10 151 (7.20) (6 .90) (1.00) (11.89)

Total 421 230 430 766 1165 766 199 665 4642 (42. 10) (51.57) (43.00) (76.60) (116.50) (88.56) (25.06) (66.50) (63.73)

• Percentage is more than 100% because of multiple choice. • Figures given in parenthesis is percentage.

Table 4

Sourcewise Rank List of Impersonal Sources

Name Agriculture Soil Storages Awareness Advice Awareness Irrigation Rate of Total of the Credit test of seeds of hybrid taken for of fertilisers commodity Source Seeds sowing

Radio 90 171 55 299 389 267 45 541 1857 (9 .0) (38.34) (5 .50) (29.90) (38.90) (30.87) (5 .67) (54.10) (26.53)

News· paper 38 100 25 76 231 99 18 359 946 (3 .80) (22.42) (2 .50) (7 .60) (23.10) (11.45) (2.27) (35.90) (13.69)

Tele· vision 99 65 27 91 175 87 19 252 815 (6.90) (14.57) (2.70) (9. 10) (17.50) (10.06) (2 .39) (25.20) (11.43)

Library 53 7 25 53 20 249 407 ( 11 .88) (0 .70) (2.50) (6 .13) (2 .52) (24.90l. (6 .08)

Film 98 35 18 20 84 64 319 show (9.80) (7.85) (1.80) "(2 .00) (8.40) (7.40) (4.66)

Leaflets/ 13 24 123 11 6 276 Brochures (2.91) (2.40) (12.30) (13.41 ) (3.88)

Total 325 437 149 616 904 686 102 1401 4620 (32.50) (97.97) (1490) (6 1.60) (90.40) (79.32) (12.85) \ 140.10) (66.21 )

• Percentage IS more than 100% because of multiple choice • Figures given in parenthesis is percentage

~ I Vol 47 No I ~v l arc h 20(}{) B S B/RADAR

least utilised in all activities except in soi l testing SUGGESTIONS AND CONCLUSION 271 (60.76%), storage of seeds 221 (22.10%) and irri gation facility 108 (13.59%). These sources On the basis of various analysis, the following occupy second position for the above mentioned suggestions have emerged. activities. (Table 5) .

Table 5

Sourcewise Rate List of Formal Personal Sources

Name Agriculture Soil Storages Awareness Advice Awareness Irrigati on Rate of Total of th e Credit test of seeds of hybrid taken for of fertilisers commodity Source Seeds sowing

Grama- 91 218 21 3 474 248 521 97 1862 sevaka (9 .10) (48.88) (2 1.30 ) (47.40) (24.80) (60.23) (1222) (27.99)

Agriculture 53 08 15 34 62 11 183 Extension (1 1.88) (0 .80) (1.50) (3.40) (7.17) (1.37) (3.27) officer

Total 91 27 1 221 489 282 583 108 2045 (9 .10) (60.76) (22. 10) (48.90) (28.20) (67.40) (13.59) (31.26)

i. For improving the use of library materials, the iv All rural libraries should be equipped with librarian has to convince the farmers about the audio-visual material and should also act as a importance of the library and availability of resource c~ntre for all activities of rural reading materials. communities.

ii . Satisfactory collection is not available in any REFERENCES rural library. Authorities concerned should try to strengthen the occupat ional based 1. II\lOIA 1998, A reference Annual. P. 303 collection. 2. STATISTICAL OUTLINE of India 1996-97. iii . Agricultural research organisations are 1996. Tata Services Ltd. , Dept. of Economics publishi ng pamphlets, brochures, handbooks and Statistics; Mumbai, P.51 etc. for end users (farmers) in regional languages. Authorities concerned and village 3. Ibid. P. 38 . level workers (VLW) should supply this material regularly to village libraries, so that 4. Ibid . P. 50. each and every literate person can make use of this.

22 Ann Lib Sci Doc