Shobha Shrestha, Associate Professor, Central Department of Geography, Tribhuvan University

I am deeply honoured to be part of this Kathmandu Conference on Communication and Media: Discourse on Communication and Media in Nepal & South Asia (jointly organized by the Central Department of Journalism and Mass Communication and Center for Media Research – Nepal (CMR-Nepal).

In today’s digital landscape, access to media through various means is becoming an important tool for teaching, learning, and research. The Role of the Media in disseminating academic research findings to a wider audience through effective communication has become a key factor in public understanding and Informed Policy Decisions. 

On this occasion, I would like to underscore the close relationship between media, access to information, reliability of information, and its utilization in everyday life. The effect of climate variability is well known phenomenon in today's world particularly in the agriculture sector of South Asian countries where more than 40 % of agriculture relies on monsoon rain. In this context, I would like to share a part of the research findings (funded by ANSO, China) on means and access to information, trustworthiness, and utilization by smallholders (farmers) in South Asian countries. 

Most smallholder farmers in developing countries rely on a combination of modern means, scientific forecasts, and traditional local knowledge for decision-making on their agricultural activities. However, most of the farmers in the Global South are constrained by necessary and reliable information on weather and climate variability. 

With increasing climate adversities, reliable weather information plays a greater role in agricultural decision-making to enhance adaptive capacity to climate change effects among farming communities. Timely weather information, pertinent understanding, and utilization aids farming activities and builds the resilience of smallholder farmers. Our research found that information sources, trustworthiness, information-sharing mechanisms, and use of weather information in farming practices in Bangladesh, India, and Nepal show variations. 

Regarding Information Sources 

Multiple sources are considered before a final decision to minimize risk and production uncertainty.  

• Community organization is the dominant information source in Bangladesh and India
• Public media particularly, (Local FM/TV) is dominant in Nepal 

However, multiple sources sometimes create contradictions leading to confusion among farmers.

Regarding Trustworthiness and utilization

Trusted information is operationalized only for short-term strategic decision-making 

• The Trust level is higher in Bangladesh and India (51.7% each) as compared to Nepal (21%)
• A relatively higher percentage of farm HH fully utilize acquired weather information in Bangladesh (48.8%) and India (47.9%) in comparison to Nepal (16.6%) 
• 14% of farmers do not utilize acquired weather information at all

Regarding Availability of Sharing Platform

• 60% of farm HH reported No proper weather information-sharing platform
• A relatively higher percentage reported the availability of platforms in Nepal (51%) whereas 33% in Bangladesh and only 21% in India reported such.

• Availability and access to reliable weather information do not assert its utilization among farmers but presentation mode, timely and accurate information. An institutional role in monitoring and validating weather information from multiple sources is requisite for successful adoption.
• The effectiveness of translating information into action manifests in the localization of technology, communicative and modest delivery mechanisms. The role of community-based organizations, in contrast to the government and NGOs as important weather information sharing platforms ascertain a two-way communicative mechanism rather than one-way information delivery.
• Sharing and utilizing established local knowledge and perceptions of climate change across countries with similar socio-cultural and ecological settings could complement inadequate weather records and information as scientific evidence 

And here I think lies the significance of effective communication in sharing information among South Asian media at the grassroots level in a diverse society.

Thank you for listening and wishing a fruitful conference participation!

Shobha Shrestha

Associate Professor, Central Department of Geography, Tribhuvan University

and 

Co-I of Alliance of International Science Organizations, ANSO-funded International Collaborative Research Project (ANSO-CR-PP-2021-06) on

'Assessing Households’ Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change in the Diverse Socio-Cultural and Geographical Landscape of South Asia'