Radhika Joshi
Independent Researcher
Gujarat, India
Abstract
This manuscript examines the role of community radio in disseminating agricultural policy information to smallholder and marginal farmers in Maharashtra between 2002 and 2017. Drawing on a mixed‐methods approach that combines content analysis of radio programming with surveys and focus group discussions, the study evaluates the effectiveness, reach, and impact of community radio initiatives on farmers’ awareness, knowledge, and adoption of government‐sponsored schemes. Findings indicate that community radio stations significantly enhanced farmers’ understanding of complex policy provisions, facilitated two‐way communication, and empowered local agricultural communities. However, challenges such as limited broadcast hours, language diversity, and infrastructural constraints moderated impact. The paper concludes with recommendations to strengthen community radio’s capacity through participatory content creation, enhanced funding, and integration with digital platforms.
Community radio has emerged as a grassroots medium capable of bridging critical gaps in rural extension services, particularly in regions characterized by smallholder and marginal farming communities. In Maharashtra, where agriculture underpins both livelihood security and state economic performance, information asymmetries persist around policy entitlements, subsidy schemes, and technical best practices. Traditional extension models—largely reliant on in‐person field visits, printed circulars, and periodic training camps—have struggled to achieve broad penetration, especially in remote or linguistically diverse locales. Recognizing these limitations, civil society organizations and academic institutions began to leverage community radio in the early 2000s as a complementary channel for policy dissemination.
This study traces the evolution of Maharashtra’s community radio landscape over fifteen years, from the first experimental broadcasts in 2002 through a phase of rapid station proliferation by 2017. Through systematic content analysis of program archives, we quantify shifts in airtime allocation to agricultural policy topics, assess the prevalence of interactive formats such as live call‐ins and farmer panels, and map thematic focus areas—ranging from crop insurance to sustainable irrigation. Complementing this archival work, a structured survey of 450 farmers probes recall and comprehension of policy information, self‐reported behavioral changes, and perceived credibility of radio as an information source. Twelve focus group discussions enrich the quantitative portrait with qualitative insights, illuminating how factors like dialect preference, timing of broadcasts, and station governance structures shape listener engagement.
Key findings reveal that stations which adopted participatory production processes—inviting local farmers to co‐author scripts, hosting regular “Farmer’s Hour” segments, and establishing listener committees—achieved markedly higher rates of policy uptake. Farmers exposed to community radio content were over twice as likely to enroll in state‐sponsored insurance schemes and demonstrated greater adherence to recommended agronomic practices. Moreover, real‐time advisories during pest outbreaks and adverse weather events underscored radio’s unique ability to deliver urgent, localized guidance.
Keywords
Community Radio, Agricultural Policy, Maharashtra, Rural Communication, Extension Services
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