The agricultural sector and social networks: a review after pandemic

Abstract

During the COVID-19 health emergency, all commercial spheres were affected, including the agricultural sector of Tungurahua. Given this situation, the different sectors had to implement alternative ways to market their products, especially the use of social networks. Therefore, this research focused on a post-crisis analysis of the methods used by farmers in this province to deal with the situation. For this, a 30-item survey was applied to 189 representatives of associations in the province of Tungurahua, structured by dichotomous questions and questions with a Likert scale. For statistical analysis, the SPPS tool and logistic regression analysis with the study variables were used. The results show that farmers in the province do not have commercial skills in social networks. This triggered losses in the sector, shortages, communication problems with merchants, suppliers, and final consumers. In addition, it was identified that social networks such as Facebook and WhatsApp are not 100% used despite their popularity, revealing the need for producers to update themselves in digital marketing methods, to optimally face future crises.