Does information network affect spread of new crops? A study on the spread of bitter gourd and sunflower cultivation among the farmers of a Sunderbans island in West Bengal, India

Adoption research for many years has considered individual farmer as the basis of analysis, whereas the effect of networks governing a farmer’s decision-making has received limited attention. Moreover, the spread of technology over different generation of adopters has not been addressed adequately. Hence, farmers’ position within the agricultural information networks and their adoption decision, may be studied to formulate some lower order propositions regarding the diffusion of agricultural innovations within information networks. The present study was conducted at Konkondighi Island in Sunderbans region, West Bengal, India, to study the spread of bitter gourd (Momordica Charantia L.) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) cultivation among the farmers of selected villages. Case study method and focused group discussion were used to track this spread of new crop over different generation of cultivators. Data collected through survey method was analysed by sociometric technique and network score of the farmers in the agricultural information network was computed. The fractional ranking of network scores of farmers was compared with their relative earliness in starting bitter gourd and sunflower cultivation. It was observed that in the process of the spread of bitter gourd and sunflower cultivation, most of the farmers who had higher network scores were earlier adopters of bitter gourd and sunflower cultivation practices; but the opposite was not the same. This indicated relations between farmers’ positions in information networks and their adoption-decision regarding the adoption of new crops.technology transfer, agricultural information network, social network analysis, adoption-decision, India

Validation of Participatory Farming Situation Identification: Case of Rainfed Rice Cultivation in Selected Area of West Bengal, India

Paper Presented at the 4th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture, 2009 at New Delhi, Indiamicro-farming situation, farmers’ classification, validation of indigenous classification, rainfed rice, appropriate technology, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Farm Management, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods, Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

Understanding the Information Network among Farmers through Content Analysis of Farmers’ Facebook Groups

Facebook groups have emerged as a powerful tool for connecting individuals with shared interests, and the agriculture sector is no exception. Examining the significance of Facebook’s involvement in agricultural extension within India is essential because of the nation’s significant agricultural industry, growing digital presence, and the necessity for prompt and precise information distribution. This research aims to investigate the origins of the Bengali Facebook groups, the profiles of members and administrators, and the manner in which information is shared through posts within these groups. The study also seeks to delve into the broad themes of these posts and their specific focus on agricultural topics, including general agriculture, identification of plant diseases, crop varieties, recommended practices, and more. Furthermore, this study analyses the content of posts concerning agricultural operations, implements, agricultural products, and livestock. Out of 995 Facebook groups, 84 core agricultural groups and 24 Bengali groups were purposively sampled. Among the 1442 posts, 206 were screened randomly for the study. Results revealed that 50 percent of these groups emerged during the lockdown period and the most discussed agricultural operation in these groups was ‘plant protection measures’ . The study suggests that Facebook groups should be mainstreamed by public and private extension agencies to reach even those farmers with low levels of formal education

A Unified Treatment of the Characters of SU(2) and SU(1,1)

The character problems of SU(2) and SU(1,1) are reexamined from the standpoint of a physicist by employing the Hilbert space method which is shown to yield a completely unified treatment for SU(2) and the discrete series of representations of SU(1,1). For both the groups the problem is reduced to the evaluation of an integral which is invariant under rotation for SU(2) and Lorentz transformation for SU(1,1). The integrals are accordingly evaluated by applying a rotation to a unit position vector in SU(2) and a Lorentz transformation to a unit SO(2,1) vector which is time-like for the elliptic elements and space-like for the hyperbolic elements in SU(1,1). The details of the procedure for the principal series of representations of SU(1,1) differ substantially from those of the discrete series.Comment: 31 pages, RevTeX, typos corrected. To be published in Journal of Mathematical Physic

Unearthing the Knowledge of Natural Farming through Content Analysis of English YouTube Videos

Amidst the vast realm of digital content, YouTube covers agricultural videos that exhibit the marvels of natural farming. This content analysis, conducted in 2023, encompasses a comprehensive synopsis of YouTube videos communicated in English on natural farming. By employing a meticulously prepared checklist, the study delved into both qualitative and quantitative aspects of the videos. A total of 150 videos were selected through systematic random sampling, assuring recurrent themes and subthemes. An accurate and consistent analysis was ensured by conducting intra-coder reliability. The analysis includes categorization in respect oftype of enterprise, type of crop, place of program, shot type, Type of operational practices, type of manure, type of mulching, type of compost, type of soil water conservation techniques, type of pest management techniques, the theme of the channels, number of subscribers, and type of content. The analysis focused on YouTube’s coverage of promoting knowledge about natural farming practices by serving as a comprehensive resource for empowering and motivating people on their sustainable agricultural journeys

Application of Social Network Analysis for Livelihood System Study

Social Network Analysis (SNA) has received growing attention among diverse academic fields for studying ‘social relations’ among individuals and institutions. Unfortunately, its application has remained limited in the study of livelihood systems of rural poor. Complexity in rural livelihoods has increased sharply in the face of increased pressure on natural resources and rapid shift in farm-based to non-farm based employments. This poses great challenge to successful livelihood intervention in rural areas. On one hand, rural development/extension needs to cater to diverse information and service need of the rural people; on other hand, rural institutions need to deliver livelihood-sustaining services more efficiently, which often need institutional restructuring at multiple levels. To achieve these challenges, a strong innovative analytical tool is required for understanding the complexity of rural livelihoods and the associated role of rural institutions. SNA provides excellent scope to analyse such complex systems and interactions among their components. This article proposes an outline of using SNA in livelihood system analysis. The analysis can provide answer to many questions of practical importance – Who are the influential actors in a livelihood system? Which are the key institutions contributing towards sustainable livelihoods? How do these actors interact among themselves? This will help rural development administrators to deliver livelihood-supporting services more efficiently through informed targeting and capacity building

Does information network affect spread of new crops? A study on the spread of bitter gourd and sunflower cultivation among the farmers of a Sunderbans island in West Bengal, India

Adoption research for many years has considered individual farmer as the basis of analysis, whereas the effect of networks governing a farmer’s decision-making has received limited attention. Moreover, the spread of technology over different generation of adopters has not been addressed adequately. Hence, farmers’ position within the agricultural information networks and their adoption decision, may be studied to formulate some lower order propositions regarding the diffusion of agricultural innovations within information networks. The present study was conducted at Konkondighi Island in Sunderbans region, West Bengal, India, to study the spread of bitter gourd (Momordica Charantia L.) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) cultivation among the farmers of selected villages. Case study method and focused group discussion were used to track this spread of new crop over different generation of cultivators. Data collected through survey method was analysed by sociometric technique and network score of the farmers in the agricultural information network was computed. The fractional ranking of network scores of farmers was compared with their relative earliness in starting bitter gourd and sunflower cultivation. It was observed that in the process of the spread of bitter gourd and sunflower cultivation, most of the farmers who had higher network scores were earlier adopters of bitter gourd and sunflower cultivation practices; but the opposite was not the same. This indicated relations between farmers’ positions in information networks and their adoption-decision regarding the adoption of new crops