justbeingseriouslysocial:

Social Media, in India, is evolving rapidly. Facebook is becoming more like Google. But it’s no longer new. What’s new and interesting is that the dominating competitive force of social media is evolving even among India’s not-so-typical users: farmers!!

“Community concept has always been prevalent in villages,” says Asheesh Raina, analyst at technology research firm Gartner India. “Earlier, a village sarpanch would sit under a tree and discuss certain issues with villagers before taking a final call. Facebook and Twitter are an extension of this concept.” Farmer bodies are quick to point out the advantages of social media. […] And it’s catching on. Small tea growers in West Bengal will launch a website this month and link it with Facebook and Twitter so that growers can interact with international buyers directly, says BG Chakroborty, Confederation of Indian Small Tea Growers Association. Farmers involved in dairy, horticulture and floriculture are increasingly using social networking sites, adds K Prabhakar Reddy of the Consortium of Indian Farmers Association.