Constraints in Social Media Use for Agriculture and Fisheries in Andhra Pradesh

Sai Kumar Periginji; Ajay Kumar Prusty; Pritam  Tripathy; Biswajit  Sahoo; Nibedita  Mishra

doi:10.48165/IJEE.2026.623RN08

Authors

Sai Kumar Periginji Centurion University of Technology and Management https://orcid.org/0009-0008-0761-0334
Ajay Kumar Prusty Centurion University of Technology and Management https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3670-802X
Pritam Tripathy Centurion University of Technology and Management https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5587-6745
Biswajit Sahoo Centurion University of Technology and Management https://orcid.org/0009-0009-0855-911X
Nibedita Mishra Centurion University of Technology and Management https://orcid.org/0009-0000-2111-5649

https://doi.org/10.48165/IJEE.2026.623RN08

Keywords:

Agriculture Farmers; Digital Extension; Information Credibility; Rural Communication; Social Media; Vernacular Content

Abstract

Social media has emerged as an important digital outreach tool to provide rural farming communities with timely agricultural and fisheries information. The study was conducted in 2025-26 in the Nellore and East Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh to compare the constraints on the use of social media among agriculture and fish farmers. An ex post facto design was adopted, and data were collected from 80 agriculture and 80 fish farmers using a pretested, structured interview schedule. Four dimensions, access, usability, credibility, and social and institutional support, were identified, comprising twenty constraint statements. Respondents ranked these constraints, and severity was measured using the Rank-Based Quotient technique. The dimension with the most severe among fish farmers was usability, with a mean RBQ of 70.05. The non-availability of content in the preferred local language was the single biggest constraint for fish farmers (RBQ 84.50) and agriculture farmers (RBQ 79.50). The highest dimension of agriculture farmers was social and institutional support, with a mean RBQ of 60.5. The overall mean RBQ was higher for fish farmers (61.24) than for agriculture farmers (58.93). The inclusive digital extension requires vernacular, sector-specific content and responsive online extension support.

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