Farmers ’ access to need based information facilitates them in taking informed decisions for the adoption of technologies and farm practices. Therefore, a number of communication media and channels including farm television programmes play a very critical role in providing timely information for knowledge intensive farming. Considering the fact that farm television has the potential for providing needed and relevant information at the right time to large number of farmers, the present study was conducted using survey method in the state of Haryana with a sample of 200 farmers to know the various dimensions of their viewing behavior in response to ‘Krishi Darshan Programme (KDP) of television. The study revealed that majority of the farmers had low to medium level of viewing behavior status with regard to KDP. More than fifty per cent of the farmers were aware about the exact name of the KDP and its time and duration of telecast. However, only 21.5 per cent respondents viewed KDP regularly. Majority of the farmers did not preserve farm information by means of taking down notes, maintaining diary or video recording for further reference. However, they simply memorized and discussed KDP contents with fellow farmers and family members. The personal and socio-psychological attributes of farmers, except age, were found to have positive correlation with their viewing behavior. The findings suggest for sensitizing the farmers for group viewing not only to improve their viewing behavior and promote farmer to farmer communication but also internalization of the messages of farm telecasts for application in their actual field conditions.

Keyword: Television; Viewing behavior; Farm telecast; Krishi Darshan Programme;