UTILIZATION PATTERN OF DIFFERENT SOURCES AND CHANNELS OF WEATHER INFORMATION BY THE RAINFED FARMERS

Weather assume significant role in nearly every phase of agricultural activity from preparatory tillage to harvesting and storage. Various organizational and institutional agencies were disseminating the forecasting weather information to help farmers plan their agricultural operation so as to take advantages of the favourable weather and mitigating the effects of adverse weather. Farmers use both the traditional as well as modern tools to access and in assess the weather information. Viewing the area the present study is designed to investigate the utilization pattern of weather information sources by the rainfed farmers of Ranga Reddy district of Andhra Pradesh state. A sample of 80 farmers was selected randomly from KVK adopted villages of Ranga Reddy district and their observation was collected through structured interview schedule. The study compared the utilization pattern of different sources and channels used by the farmers to access weather information or agro meteorological to plan agricultural operations. There were distinct pattern of weather information sources utilised by the rainfed farmers in the study region. TV (62.5%) and radio were ranked first and second among mass media source used by them. Agricultural extension officer followed by KVK were emerged as the major source of weather information in case of personal cosmopolite source. With regards to localite source indigenous knowledge plays prime source for weather information. There is need to improve the accessibility of weather information from medium level to high by improving linkages and utilization of Information communication technology