A Study on Role of WhatsApp in Agriculture Value Chains

WhatsApp sends real-time messages and is one of the world’s most popular communication applications in the 21st century. The present study highlights and examines the domestication of WhatsApp among farmers. An exhaustive whatsapp user list was prepared from each village and 3 farmers were selected with the help of systematic sampling technique. Thus, 90 farmers from the 3 blocks of the district using whatsapp were purposively selected and grouped for sending the messages of agricultural aspects. The study was conducted at Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Neemuch during 2016-17. Results showed how farmers perceive WhatsApp as a ‘convenient’ communication application, problem solving with audio-visuals, on-time, solution at the time of crisis in their agriculture activities. Some of the critical issues arising from the use of WhatsApp included distractions and exposure to unregulated messages or information. Irrespective of its disadvantages, social media has proved to be an important platform for pluralistic extension, bringing together all the actors in Agriculture Information system and making them shareholders in development.