INFORMATION SOURCES USED BY FISH FARMERS IN POND FISH FARMING

Abstract

The purposes of this study were to determine the use of information sources by fish farmers on pond fish farming and to explore the relationship between selected characteristics of the farmers and their use of information sources. The selected characteristics were age, education, family size, fish farm size, experience on fish farming, annual income, training received in fish farming, knowledge on fish farming and usefulness of information sources. Data were gathered from randomly selected 96 respondents (farmers) of Banaripara upazila under Barishal district by using a pretested interview schedule. The entire process of collecting data was completed between June and July, 2022. Apart from descriptive statistical methods, Pearson's Product Moment Correlation Co-efficient analysis was used in order to analyze the data. Data revealed that majority (65.63 percent) of the fish farmers were less user of information sources, while 29.16 percent were moderate user and 5.21 percent were high user of the information sources. So, it can be said that there was scope to increase the use of information sources by the fish farmers in the study area. Fisheries officer was highly used while reading fisheries books/magazines/leaflets was least used by the fish farmers as information sources. Out of nine selected characteristics of the fish farmers education, fish farm size, annual income, training received in fish farming, knowledge on fish farming and usefulness of information sources showed significant and positive relationships with the use of information sources. Thus, the study concludes with the recommendation to enable favorable environment to promote use of information sources in receiving pond fish farming information.