Theoretical foundations of sectoral communication research - agricultural communication

Abstract

Communication in agriculture has been an important and relevant issue for as long as it has been relevant. However, the importance of communication in the field of globalization and the so-called world. It has grown parallel with digitalization, and its need has become even more urgent due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We are interested in what researchers in developed and developing countries think about what skills a farmer or producer needs to develop his farm and sell his products. Also, to expand knowledge and not lag behind modern achievements, it should be used to develop its production and business. Our area of interest is research that reveals the skills needed for agro-communication and gives recommendations to specialists in the field about what direction they should work with entrepreneurs and what support they need to acquire communication skills. The field of agriculture in Georgia is centuries old. For more than 2 thousand years, agriculture as a field in our country has not lost its relevance and importance. In recent years, the relevance of the field has increased as the Earth has faced the problem that people may face a shortage of food supplies. The problem of food safety and the urgent need of consumers to choose between genetically modified and organic food led humanity to emphasize the importance of agriculture as a sector and promote its development. In the modern world, there is much talk about healthy eating and the importance of agricultural products in nutrition. Georgia, of course, is not an exception. It was in recent years that the country's government started and continues to support the development of the sector in the direction of government projects, grants, and training, which ultimately aims at the development of the agricultural sector in the country, as well as the promotion of small and medium-sized entrepreneurs involved in the sector, for them In terms of providing proper knowledge and financial assistance. The development of the agricultural sector in the modern world is unimaginable without the sector's communication. Communication helps entrepreneurs not only sell their own products but also acquire entrepreneurial qualities, teaching and expanding entrepreneurial skills, which becomes the precursor to their financial independence, strength, and, ultimately, the rise of the country's economy.   In the paper, we talk about the problems in the direction of communication in the field of agriculture - to what extent entrepreneurs possess the necessary skills for communication; Do they use these skills to spread information about their farms; to advertise and sell their products; and, what is very important, to establish business relations with partners; Do they have digital media platforms from which to carry out all of the above activities; Also, do they have computer skills, in order to have access to essential programs and projects announced by state actors, to expand their farms, to analyze the dynamics of potential markets for produced products. In our work, we also talk about the impact of communication problems, such as misinformation, on the entrepreneurs' income, the further growth of their farms, and finally, the development of the industry. In the field of agriculture, in addition to the communication skills of entrepreneurs, it is also essential that the means of mass information and, accordingly, the people who produce content for these media also cover the field. Accordingly, we study their level of competence in the mentioned field. This is essential for the complete description of the current situation in the direction of communication and the identification, detection, and development of recommendations for existing problems. Our scientific work is about the covid pandemic. We have studied what challenges the agro-sector has faced due to the pandemic. The focus of our research is the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the field of agro-communication. According to the studies carried out so far, the representatives of small and medium-sized farms have little knowledge and skills in the direction of agro-communication; they are less aware of the importance of communication in the development of production, both at the stage of market entry and establishment and at the stage of further development. Also, the research showed that it was revealed that small and medium entrepreneurs need more access to such knowledge. The present work is based on the so-called Using Content analysis and desk research methodology; we analyze existing written sources and modern literature on the research topic.