A Content Analysis of Farm Information and Infographics in Pasumai vikatan Tamil Magazine, India

Abstract

Content analysis is an effective research tool to study the extent of information covered in farm magazines, which act as a comprehensive guide for farmers. The aim of the study is to analyze the coverage, readability ease, mode of presentation, and type and level of infographics published in the Tamil bimonthly magazine Pasumai Vikatan.  The magazine was purposefully selected based on regional preferences and popularity. A total of 619 articles covered across 64 editions from 2019 to 2021 were considered for the sample study to analyze the basic objective of the extent of farm information, readability ease and also the infographics covered. Inferential statistics were used to analyze percentage and frequency. The research revealed that 64.63 percent of the articles covered in the magazine were based on economics of returns in the past three years followed by articles related to organic farming (35.83 percent) and crop production aspects (35.13 percent). Further, the Flesch Kincaid reading ease was analyzed and the results indicated that the ease of articles ranged between very easy and standard and could be understood easily even by young readers. With respect to format, the articles were presented predominantly in series format (70.24 percent) followed by current news items pertaining to the agricultural sector (66.31 percent). The study also identified that the usage of infographics was sparse without much textual information. The authors recommend the usage of modern e-data tools for newsgathering during the pandemic period and also suggest deeper coverage of other recent areas in agriculture and allied sectors.