Farmers were also shown to use a wide range of
channels for receiving agricultural information. While
online methods are quickly gaining greater acceptance,
traditional and face-to-face channels are still
important for reaching many farmers. Communication
managers should incorporate a wide range of information
channels into their outreach efforts, including
interpersonal methods, traditional mass media and
emerging online technologies. Channels should not
be selected and evaluated strictly on their capacity to
reach large numbers of farmers, but also according
to their perceived credibility and relevance among
target audiences. While targeted communications
across multiple channels will require more economic
resources and expertise than broad-based campaigns
limited to one or two channels, the added expense
may be more cost effective in the long term if such
strategies produce desired objectives.