Communication in India : experiments in introducing change
- Hyderabad National Institute of Community Development 1968
- 56p.-
WE report here the findings of the third phase of an Indian project on the Diffusion of Innovations. Similar projects were also conducted in Brazil and Nigeria. The first phase for India compared 108 villages on factors which affect adoption of agricultural innovations. The second phase made com parisons of the adoption behavior of 680 Indian farmers. This third phase, taking advantage of a previous study, measured the continuing effects of two communication treatments. 1. A benchmark survey was taken in 1964 in similar study villages. Communication treatments were applied in 1965, A first follow-up survey was taken in 1966, We conducted a second follow-up survey in 1967.
2. Two villages had the communication treatment of radio farm forums. Two villages had the communication treatment of adult literacy classes and reading forums. Two control villages had no communication treatments.
3. Radio farm forum villages showed significantly more progress by 1967 than the literacy classes and control villages, whether measured by knowledge and adoption of new practices or by other variables.
4. There was some tendency for literacy villages to show more progress than control villages but differences were usually not statistically significant.
5. Knowledge of ten agricultural practices and at least one family planning method was high in all villa,es. Knowledge of health practices was somewhat low. Levels of adoption of all practices were low but were highest for the radio villages.