Role of mass communication in extension education

SeminaronRole of Mass Communication in Extension Education

By:- Shalini Pandey

Mass Communication Littlejohn and Foss (2005) defined that“The process whereby media organizations produce and transmit messages to large publics and the process by which those messages are sought, used, and consumed by audiences”

McQuail (1994) states that mass communication is, “only one of the processes of communication operating at the society-wide level, readily identified by its institutional characteristics”

Concept of mass media• It enable development agents or agencies to reach a large

number of persons, directly (or) indirectly, with one exposure or a single source.

• It involve a mass medium such as radio, television, and newspapers and so on, which enable a source to reach an audiences of many.

• These are the means or devices of communication used to reach large number of audience at a time.

• Mass media are the tools or technologies that facilitate dissemination of information and entertainment to large numbers.

Need• Most mass communication comes from large organizations that influence culture

on a large scale. Schramm (1963) refers to this as a “working group organized around some device for circulating the same message, at about the same time, to large numbers of people”

• We are turning into a “global village” through our interdependence with mass communication. Suddenly, “across the ocean” has become “around the corner.” McLuhan (1964) predicted this would happen because of mass communication’s ability to unify people around the globe.

• The media can surely act as an effective channel of two-way communication by taking problems and concerns of the people to the decision-makers. The involvement of the people with the medium and the credibility of the medium greatly increases when the medium deals with issues of immediate concern to the audience.

Communication

Communication

Communication

Requirement of communication Extension System

Education

Research Extension

Rural People

Need Of Mass Communication• Mass media materials are needed whenever

large number of people must be reached and motivated to action,

• mass media material influence people to adopt new practices, the cost per adoption is low.

• The average village level worker can perhaps contact a dozen farmers in one day on an individual basis. He can conduct two or three meetings and meet 100 to 200 people. However, he could distribute or post hundreds of leaflets, folders or other printed materials in a day.

Function of mass Communication

• Improving Communication Capacity of Agricultural Extension System

• Integration of the media• Quick delivery of information• Helpful During the Emergency Situation• Create an interest among the audience• Helpful in filling the communication gap Between Farmers and

extension system• Live Telecast is possible from the far areas to the farmers TV

set• Demonstration of new technique is possible• Helpful for Literate As well as illiterate farmers and farm

women

Research-Extension Communication in India: the Present Scenario • The major medium of communication among the

research and extension agencies in India is still "face-to-face communication".

• The information and communication support during the last 50 years has mainly been conventional.

• This approach has not been able to reach majority of the farmers who are spread across the whole country.

• This gap remains a challenge for the extension system .

MASS MEDIA SUPPORT TO AGRICULTURE EXTENSION’ 

10th Five Year Plan Suggest• Over the last few years mass media has seen a phenomenal growth in this

country both in terms of reach and advance in technology. This medium has not been exploited to its full potential for the purpose of extension. A concerted and well coordinated effort now needs to be made to use the electronic media in the Extension strategy.

• utilize existing infrastructure of Doordarshan (DD) and All India Radio (AIR) to produce and transmit programmes covering a wide spectrum of topics in agriculture and allied fields for bringing the latest information and knowledge to the farming community.

Future possibilitiesCyber Extension•According to Oxford Dictionary the word Cyber means, “relating to Information Technology, the Internet, and virtual reality, the Cyber Space”. (“Pakkisan.com” and “Villages Online” portals of Pakistan; “Graeme Bank’s Village Communication Program” in Bangladesh, Radio-Browsing Program in Bhutan, “Penang E-learning Community” in Malaysia and “Interactive Radio” and the “ Kothamale Community Radio” in Sri Lanka are all trend-setter projects in South Asia)National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE), Hyderabad, India has taken up a number of innovative projects to provide information and communication connectivity to the farmers and farm families in rural areas, under the banner of “Cyber Extension”. These projects include: i) Connecting over 25 Districts, 400 Blocks on Internet; ii) Implementing Wireless in Local Loop Technology in Agriculture to provide Telephone and Internet connectivity to rural population; iii) Connecting over 40 national level institutions on two-way Video Conferencing: and iv) Providing Video Conferencing access to Farmers’ groups and Farm-families in Rural Areas through its Mobile V-SAT Van.

National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE), Hyderabad, has taken up a number of innovative projects to provide information and communication connectivity to the farmers and farm families in rural areas, under the banner of “Cyber Extension”.

i. ICT Connectivity at District and Block Level under NATPii. Mobile VSAT Van based Video Conferencingiii. Establishing Video Connectivity at Centers of Excellence in Agriculture and Rural Developmentiv. Use of Wireless in Local Loop (WiLL) Technology to Provide Rural Connectivity v. Establishing Information Kiosks at 11 Villages in Ranga Reddy District of A.P.

ConclusionInformation and Communication Technology (ICTs) offers a very good mix of tools to make Agricultural Extension more effective, more relevant and more credible with minimum investment. The numerous initiatives undertaken in Asia have provided a good testing field to launch major Cyber Extension projects in the primarily agricultural economies. Cyber Extension will enable the hitherto slow-motion rural economies into intelligent, futuristic and vibrant economies, which will contribute more positively to the national development goals. Cyber Extension, thus will help Agricultural Extension to rediscover itself.

THANKS!