Information Management Behaviour of Coastal Aqua Farmers

Information is the first unique input to proceed further towards an enterprise building. Aquaculture sector needs to be supported with 'full information' to help every stakeholder to help themselves. The present study undertaken with the shrimp farmers of coastal Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu to understand the shrimp farmers' information seeking, processing and sharing behaviour indicated that technicians/consultants of feed inputs companies (76% and 84%) and peers (40% and 80%) were prominent information sources. The information provided was triangulated and shared with fellow farmers. Enforcing fishery extension service as the 'prime function' of State fisheries departments, audience segmentation and targeting of message, capacity building of fishery extension personnel on effective handling of ICT, involving farmers groups, farm opinion leaders and private extension agencies as partners of extension would give 'cumulative effect' in information diffusion and adoption of good farm management practices.