Content Analysis of Malayalam Farm Magazine Kerala Karshakan

Abstract

This study conducts a content analysis of Kerala Karshakan, a Malayalam agricultural magazine published by the Kerala government’s Farm Information Bureau, to evaluate its effectiveness in disseminating agricultural knowledge. Analyzing 798 articles from 36 issues (2021–2023), the research examines subject coverage, authorship, visual-text balance, and readability. Findings reveal "Success Stories" as the dominant category (14.03%), followed by "Agronomy" and "Dairy" (8.4% each), while "Apiculture" received minimal coverage (0.38%). Primary contributors include research centers/KVKs (Krishi Vigyan Kendras) and agricultural field staff (16.54% each), with a notable rise in non-institutional authors ("Other people," 13.15%). The magazine maintained a "very easy" readability level (Readability Index = 0.186), ensuring accessibility for diverse educational backgrounds. Visual-text composition fluctuated annually, with visuals peaking in 2022 (46.8%) and text dominating in 2023 (59.6%), suggesting evolving editorial strategies. The study highlights a shift toward sustainability (7.9%) and policy-oriented content (6.8%), aligning with global trends in agricultural communication, while niche topics like apiculture remained underrepresented. The readability analysis confirmed the magazine’s clarity, with simple sentence structures and minimal compound words enhancing comprehension. These findings underscore the magazine’s role in bridging research and practice but reveal inconsistencies in content balance and visual integration. The study suggests concrete ways to enhance farm publications by advocating for more varied content, thoughtful visual-text balance, and consistently simple writing to better connect with and educate farmers.