Farmers “thirsty” for information

Offering easy access to information and communication is considered a top priority in policies for farmers in rural areas.

Information is necessary for people of all strata and very important for their production and business activities. It appears paradoxical that in the era of information explosion with the strong development of different means of communication such as radio, television, printed newspaper and online newspaper, Vietnamese farmers are not fully informed about culture, social affairs, entertainment and other developments related to their daily life such as the price of farm products, application of technical advances in agricultural production and legal policies.

According to a recent survey, up to 90 percent of farmers in northern provinces do not read printed newspapers while the figure is even higher than in central provinces. Meanwhile, only 40 percent of farmers tune in to radio programmes and not many have access to television broadcasting and the Internet. Even worse, local post services are outdated.

The main information channel for farmers in rural areas (hamlets or communes) only focuses on disseminating plans of action at some point.

Due to the lack of necessary information about production and market prices, farmers, in some cases, have arrived at wrong decisions and have to suffer great losses in production and business operations on account of buying fake and low-quality products. Moreover, they are left almost in the dark about new guidelines and policies, particularly important incentives for farmers involved in agricultural production.

To provide farmers with adequate information, it is essential to build more libraries, renew post services to help them improve their knowledge and quality of life

In remote areas, apart from radio and TV information channels, there should be qualified staff capable of helping farmers access information whenever they need.

Information is a vital resource for all Vietnamese in the process of renewal and integration into the world.

http://en.baomoi.com/Info/Farmers-thirsty-for-information/6/144072.epi