"Ontarian Agri-food and Rural Development Stakeholders Want to See Social Media as a Communication Strategy":

Findings of a Recent Study Conducted by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

It seems as though the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) is increasingly interested in understanding the social media use of stakeholders in the agriculture and rural sector; a curiosity that is shared by the researchers of the ongoing study presented on this blog. OMAFRA recently conducted an online survey, created by a leading Canadian marketing research corporation Ipsos Reid, regarding the web browsing and social media usages and attitudes of various actors in the agriculture sector. The online survey, hosted on the OMAFRA website between February 6 and March 5, 2012, was completed by a total of 439 individuals, many of whom identified as farmers, farm employees, agri-students, agri-business personnel, and members of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture.  

The survey reveals an increasing trend of social media use as a communication strategy by the agri-food and rural development professionals in Ontario.  84% of the participants reported using social media in the past year and 73% of the participants found the social networking sites as important to their work. Twitter was the most commonly used social media application for agriculture-related purposes, such as the sharing and capturing of knowledge and information, professional networking and marketing. Following Twitter was YouTube, blogs, and agriculture-specific online social networks. Facebook was one of the least-used applications for agriculture-related purposes, but the most used for personal networking amongst the survey respondents. There is a potential scope for using these tools for business and entrepreneurship development as indicated by 87% of social media users that they would more likely to buy/use specific agri-product/service after a positive review on social media.    

The OMAFRA-supported survey also shed light on gaps in the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the agriculture sector. For instance, 12 percent of respondents identified the lack of agriculture-specific “apps” as a significant drawback to their technology-use. The most significant drawback identified by the participants was the lack of social media use by governmental bodies, including the agriculture sector. With 89 percent of survey respondents in compliance, the report suggests that OMAFRA and service agencies should develop a policy to adopt ‘social media’ as a communication strategy.

The survey provides first-hand information about existing social media practices and depicts a very positive interest about social media by agri-food stakeholders. However, the study has not touched upon in-depth understanding of social media practices such as specific goals, benefits and challenges for networking, relationship building and learning by multiple stakeholders.  The findings urge to conduct in-depth analysis on these issues; a task that the ongoing study on agricultural innovation systems and social media applications by Dr. Chowdhury and Dr. Hambly Odame undertakes.