Evaluation of Social Media, Agricultural Extension Services, and Rural Media among Malihabad Mango Farmers- A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Mango growers in Malihabad, India, struggle with issues such as harvesting losses, ineffective pesticide application, lack of market access, and falling profitability, despite the region's famed Dashehari mangoes. Rural media, agricultural extension services, and social media have all played a role in spreading new farming techniques in recent years, which has opened up new avenues for addressing these problems. This research seeks to determine how Malihabad mango farmers have adapted and profited from online community-shared farming methods. This research focuses on the analysis of these channels' effects on harvesting losses, pesticide usage, marketing tactics, and total profitability. We interviewed 30 mango farmers to investigate the effects and experiences of these novel methods, and then used theme analysis to analyze their responses. This qualitative approach allowed for a better understanding of the subject. The results show that farmers who made effective use of the data offered by these channels saw considerable improvements in post-harvest management, stronger ties to markets, far lower harvesting losses, and lower production costs. An effective technique for improving the economic standing of mango growers in the region has been the merging of social media, agricultural extension services, and rural media.