USE OF YOUTUBE FOR DIFFUSION OF INNOVATIVE AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGIES: A DIGITAL SELF-HELP APPROACH TO THE FARMERS

Abstract

Digital self-help approach (YouTube) has a growing role in the diffusion of knowledge and innovation within the agricultural sector, allowing a greater number of farmers, researchers and practitioner to share information and experiment so as to facilitate innovative farming practices. The main objectives of this study were to determine the extent of use of digital self-help approach (YouTube) that influences on innovative agricultural technology diffusion to the farmers and explore the contribution of the selected characteristics of the farmers to their use of digital selfhelp

approach (YouTube). Data were collected from 93 farmers of five selected villages of four unions of Rangunia upazila of Chattogram district during 20 January to 21 th February, 2021. The findings revealed that 66.7 percent of the respondents had medium use, 16.1percent had low use, and only 17.2 percent had high use of digital self-help approach (YouTube) in diffusion of innovative agricultural technologies. Majority (41.9 percent) of total respondents had medium influence on innovative agricultural technology diffusion by use of digital self-help approach (YouTube). About 52.7 percent of the respondent’s perceived medium credible, 2.2 percent perceived low credible and 45.2 percent perceived high credible of digital self-help approach (YouTube) in receiving innovative agricultural technology. As regard to contribution, annual family income, innovativeness, farm size, farming experience, agricultural extension media contact and agricultural knowledge of the farmers had significant contribution to their extent of use of digital self-help approach (YouTube) while age, education, family size had no significant contributing to their extent of use of digital self-help approach (YouTube). Out of six problems, three problems in descending order of Problem Confrontation Index (PCI) were high price of internet package, unavailability of smart phone and ignorance of using smart phone. th