Role of social media in agriculture

Abstract

Traditionally, agricultural information exchange has been dominated by industrial media such as newspapers, television and magazines. But now the power of the 21st century is literally in our hands. We have never before had such a powerful tool to connect with millions of people from the comfort of our own home and all around the world it is changing the way business is done. Social media has given power to the voice of the everyday man and whilst that may come with its challenges, the opportunities are there for the taking. Social media is now a mainstream form of communication around the world, and continues to grow in popularity with the increase in the number of smart phones. However, it has not been widely accepted in agriculture in India. The purpose of this paper is to assess the value social media could have for the agricultural industry. This paper depicts four main pillars of the value of social media for agriculture industry, viz., Networking, Industry Knowledge, Extension and Marketing, Consumer Engagement and Crisis communication.