Library Herald Year : 2014, Volume : 53, Issue : 2 First page : ( 142) Last page : ( 151) Print ISSN : 0024-2292. Online ISSN : 0976-2469. Article DOI : 10.5958/0976-2469.2015.00019.6
Parvathamma N.*, Kumar Vijaya**, Jameed Syed***
*Professor, Department of Library & Information Science, Gulbarga University, Gulbarga- 585 106. Email-parvathi_glb@rediffmail.com
**Research Scholar, Department of Library & Information Science, Gulbarga University, Gulbarga-585 106
***Librarian, Sri Gavisiddeshwara Degree College, Koppal- 583 231
Abstract
A survey of 240 farmers in Koppal district, Karnataka was undertaken to find out their socio-economic status, information channels and information sources used to satisfy their information needs during different stages of agriculture and marketing of the agricultural produce, which would help in developing appropriate information system and services. Data was collected through questionnaire, following simple random sampling. Findings show that majority of respondents are small scale farmers, dependent on rain for cultivation. Majority of them have completed five years of schooling and have annual income of less than Rs.10,000/-, which is below the per capita income of average Koppal district, Karnataka State and India. Paddy, Wheat and Maize are the main crops cultivated. Personal experience, fellow farmers and agricultural officers are the major sources of information consulted by farmers during different stages of cultivation, except during marketing of agricultural produce. Farmers depend upon officials of Agricultural Produce Marketing Centers (APMC) and Agents/Middlemen for marketing their agricultural produce. They depend upon Radio for meeting their information needs, only to a minimal extent.