Advances in Consumer Research
Issue 4 : 334-341
Original Article
Investigating Obstacles to Social Media Engagement in Agriculture Among Farmers of Kullu District in Himachal Pradesh
 ,
1
Research Scholar, Amity Business School, Amity University, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700135, India,
2
Associate Professor, Amity Business School, Amity University, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700135, India,
Abstract

The fast growing development of social media has produced significant opportunities for improving agricultural communication and information dissemination. Though, the adoption of social media among farmers remains unpredictable. It is particularly in geographically diversified regions such as Himachal Pradesh. This study examines the obstacles to social media engagement among farmers in the Kullu district which focus on some variables that distinguish influencing factors, assessing the adoption barriers, and interrogating the role of socio-economic characteristics. Primary survey was employed to collect the data from small and marginal farmers. In this face-to-face interactions were acquired during the surveys by using a stratified random sampling approach. Data were evaluated by using descriptive statistics and inferential statistical techniques with the support of Chi-square test of independence, Mann-Whitney U test, and Spearman’s rank correlation. Results indicate weak and negative significant association between perceived ease of use and perceived effectiveness of social media. Also, technical literacy and social media adoption by farmers (p > 0.05) indicates that these factors alone are not influencing farmers to adopt social media platforms. In terms of education level, it shows a significant association with the farmers’ perception that social media has potential (p < 0.05) to improve their livelihood, which means more educated farmers (93%) showing a positive attitude towards adopting social media for their agricultural practices. This study concludes that there are multidimensional barriers that hinder farmers’ engagement to social media. It is rooted not only in technological limitations but also in reasons related to farmers’ awareness, trust, and content suitability.

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