Perceptions of the Role of the Social Media in Agricultural Information among Bangladeshi Farmers

: The development of agriculture depends on communication networks and knowledge exchange. The use of digital platforms to engage with other farmers and consumers in the agricultural industry has recently been advocated. Particularly social media have come to light as user-friendly and easily accessible tools for farmers. This study, based on the uses and Gratifications Theory, employs structured interviews with Bangladeshi farmers to study how they see social media as tools for their agricultural practices. The study reveals that farmers stay connected on social media like Facebook groups, Messenger groups, Facebook pages, and YouTube channels. They prefer social media to traditional sources of agricultural information. From obtaining ideas for agricultural output to marketing agricultural products, they use them for a variety of purposes. As shown by the results, farmers claim to use social media to communicate with consumers, look for agricultural information, and keep continuous communication with customers leading to the creation of a brand. While using social media, they face several problems like inadequacy of information and confusing information. Many of their expectations from the government to overcome these limitations emerge from the interview. Farmers expressed their expectation that government-certified doctors’ active participation and easy access to them on social media, especially for treatment-related information, would play a vital role in their farming.