International Journal of Agriculture Extension and Social Development

author(s)
Mithun G, Triveni G, Sharma GRK, Swetha Kanti S, Ganga Raju G and Punya Kumari B

abstract
The livestock sector is a critical component of India’s rural economy; however, farmers continue to face significant information gaps due to the limited reach of traditional extension systems. With increasing smartphone penetration and affordable internet, social media platforms such as WhatsApp, YouTube and Facebook are emerging as dynamic tools for disseminating timely, localized and interactive information. Recognising this potential, the present study was undertaken to assess the knowledge level of livestock farmers in Andhra Pradesh regarding social media as a source of information and to analyse how demographic, socioeconomic and behavioural variables influence knowledge acquisition. Using an ex-post-facto research design, a purposive and multi-stage random sampling technique was employed to select 540 livestock farmers including dairy, sheep/goat and backyard poultry producers across three regions of the state. A structured knowledge test consisting of 20 questions assessed the farmers’ knowledge level. The results revealed that majority (60.93%) of the respondents possessed medium knowledge while 20.74 percent exhibited high knowledge and 18.33 percent fell in the low category, reflecting uneven distribution of digital skills across regions. Correlation analysis revealed that social media exposure (r = 0.524), information-seeking behavior (r = 0.442), education (r = 0.412), credibility (r = 0.402), media ownership (r = 0.394) and scientific orientation (r = 0.376) were significantly linked with farmers’ knowledge. In contrast, demographic variables such as age, gender, family size and annual income were non-significant. These findings highlight that behavioural and digital characteristics, rather than traditional socio-economic factors are key drivers of social media knowledge. The study highlights the need for targeted digital literacy initiatives, credible information dissemination and platform-specific training to improve farmers’ capacity to use social media effectively for improved livestock management and rural development.