ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the communications that link rice farmers with sources of change. It identifies the key communicators who initially create awareness about farm innovations, the communicators who give instructions on the application of an innovation and those who bestow legitimacy on the acceptance of an innovation. The rice farmers, in turn, have to decide whether to adopt, reject or hold an innovation at bay. A range of insecticides had been used during the previous two cropping seasons, the most common being monocrotophos, BPMC plus chlorpyrifos, isoprocarb, methomyl, carbofuran, diazinon and methyl parathion. Hand pulling was mentioned to control weeds, but another frequently used control measure for weeds was the use of chemicals such as butachlor, 2,4-D, MCPA and piperophos. In the adoption of new farm technology, some information sources serve specifically to make the potential adopter initially aware of the practice. This function is performed by what is referred as the 'first information source'.
