Abstract
The purpose of this study was to have an understanding about the factors associated with communication fidelity in relation to modern rice production programme. An attempt was made to explore the relationships of 21 independent variables with the communication fidelity. The study also investigated the contribution as well as direct and indirect effects of the selected variables to communication fidelity. Data were collected from randomly selected 200 farmers residing in four unions of Gouripur upazila under Mymensingh district. Fidelity for this. dissertation was measured in terms of amount of knowledge gained, kind of attitude formed and extent of adoption; each for a unit of communication sensitivity. Almost half (48.5 percent) of the farmers had medium level of knowledge compared to 42 and 9.5 percent having high and low level of knowledge, respectively. Majority of the farmers (66.5) found to have highly favourable attitude compared to 33 and 0.5 percent having moderately favourable and unfavourable attitude, respectively. Majority of the farmers (62 percent) fell under low adopter category while 24.5, 8.5 and 5 percent fell under medium adopter, high adopter and non-adopter category, respectively. In terms of communication fidelity, slightly more than half (52 percent) of the respondent had high communication fidelity compared to 39.5 and 8.5 percent having medium and low communication fidelity, respectively. A total of 46.43 percent area covered by modern varieties of T. Aman rice. Remaining 53.57 percent land area covered by local cultivars. The most important farmers' reasons for cultivating local varieties of T. Aman rice were: high level of stagnant water due to moderately low land and poor drainage facilities in certain areas, lack of adequate water due to high land in some other area, late transplanting due to occurrence of flood and less water holding capacity due to sandy soil. Out of 53.57 percent area of local cultivars, 20.34 and 16.73 percent area of land covered by Baddiraj and Guriafzi, respectively. The farmers in this area cultivate mostly two improved T. Aman varieties - BR-11 (25.44 percent harvest area) and Pajam (18.46 percent harvest area). Pearson Correlation test depicted that out of 21 variables, 16 had significant relationships with the communication fidelity. Fifteen variables had significant positive relationships with communication fidelity. These were: communicators' credibility, communicators' knowledge level, communicators' communication skill, suitability of messages, profitability of messages, understandability of messages, electronic media use, print media use, personal localite, receivers' credit receipt, receivers' innovativeness, receivers' social participation, receivers' education, receivers' family education and receivers' risk orientation. One variable had significant negative relationship with communication fidelity, which was receivers' family size. Remaining five variables namely, receivers' age, receivers' economic status, agricultural fair, group contact and individual contact had no significant relationship with communication fidelity. Results of stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that seven variables contributed significantly to communication fidelity. These variables were: suitability of messages, profitability of messages, receivers' credit receipt, print media use, communicators' credibility, electronic media use, and receivers' family size. Out of these seven variables only receivers' family size contributed negatively. Other six variables contributed positively to the communication fidelity. These seven variables combinedly contributed 53.7 percent of the total variation of communication fidelity. The findings of path analysis indicate that all of the seven variables had substantial direct effect on communication fidelity. Out of seven variables, six had substantial positive direct effect while only one variable, receivers' family size had substantial negative direct effect on the communication fidelity. Only two variables, such as suitability of messages and profitability of messages had substantial indirect single effect on communication fidelity channeled through each other. Other five variables had no substantial single indirect effect channeled through any one of the variables.