Farmers’ Exposure To Virtual Agricultural Channels Broadcasted Through Youtube

YouTube has emerged as a key platform for disseminating agricultural information through virtual channels. This study aimed to assess the extent of farmers’ exposure to agricultural content on YouTube, identify associated socio-economic factors, and examine problems encountered in accessing such content. Conducted in Dumuria upazila of Khulna district, Bangladesh, data were collected from 80 randomly selected farmers via personal interviews between February 5 and February 29, 2023. The findings revealed that a majority (60%) of the farmers had low exposure, while 40% had medium exposure to agricultural YouTube channels. Among ten popular channels, Math Krishi had the highest exposure (88.75%), and Agamir Krishi the lowest (3.33%). Spearman’s rank-order correlation analysis showed that education, cosmopolitanism, extension media contact, use of other virtual media, and knowledge of YouTube channels were positively and significantly associated with exposure levels. In contrast, age, family size, and farming experience had significant negative relationships with exposure. Regarding challenges, 55% of farmers reported facing high levels of difficulty in accessing YouTube content. The most cited issue was lack of time to browse the internet (81.67%), while illiteracy was considered the least problematic (53.75%). The study underscores the growing role of YouTube in agricultural communication and highlights the need for targeted strategies to enhance accessibility and overcome digital barriers among rural farmers.