Information Need of the Rural Families

Information need is an individual or group's desire to locate and obtain information to satisfy a conscious or unconscious need. Although we know the potential of rural sector, we have not given due importance to rural information services. Now the time is ripe when we can no longer ignore the information needs of the rural people. Rural people are not only in need of the information regarding agriculture and animal husbandry but they are also interested in all kinds of information which can help them in their development. To bridge the gap between the elite and the poor, it is necessary to put emphasis on the information need fulfilling development messages. Mass media like T.V., Radio, Newspaper and Magazines can play very important role in communicating need based messages to rural masses. There is no doubt that mass media can bring development in rural area provided media personnel produce and transmit need based information. Media can be made more effective if background information of rural people, media availability with rural people and media utilization pattern of rural people is known to the media managers and development agencies.