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ThesisItem Open Access Differential adoption of plant protection technology by farmers of Kerala - a critical analysis(Department Of Agricultural Extension, College Of Agriculture, Vellayani, 1995) Meera, B; KAU; Thyagarajan Nair, GIndian agriculture has undergone intensive farming with the introduction of high yielding varieties of crops. Adoption of improved technology and management practices for boosting up production of food grains have resulted in serious pest and disease complexes warranting intensive and extensive use of plant protection chemicals. A number of limitations and adverse side effects such as pest resistance to pesticides, pesticide residues, health hazards, environmental pollution and ecological imbalance have been identified recently. The components of plant protection technology were taken to study the differential adoption in important crops like paddy and vegetables by the farmers and explained the variations in their cognitive, affective and connative components of behaviour with a selected set of independent variables. The study analysed the indigenous practices of plant protection being followed by farmers and also their perception about the impact of pesticides on environmental aspects. The major constraints experienced by the farmers in the adoption of plant protection technology along with the suggestions to overcome the same were also studied. The study was undertaken in two districts of Kerala viz., Thiruvananthapuram and Alappuzha. A sample of 120 farmers each from the two districts was selected and the total sample size for the study was 240.The data were collected using an interview schedule and analysed using suitable statistical techniques. There was significant difference among the farmers of Thiruvananthapuram and Alappuzha districts with regard to their knowledge about chemical and cultural methods of plant protection. Majority of farmers of both the districts belonged to low knowledge group. The farmers of both the districts were ignorant about biological, physical and integrated methods of plant protection methods. Majority of the farmers of both the districts possessed favourable attitude towards chemical method of plant protection. The farmers of Alappuzha district were significantly higher adopters of plant protection methods than the farmers of Thiruvananthapuram district. Majority of the farmers of both the districts belonged to low perception category with regard to their perception about the utility and practicability of plant protection methods. Crops yield index and scientific orientation emerged as significant independent variables in the correlation and multiple regression analysis with regard to the farmers of both the districts. The practices, viz., controlled application of nutrients for reducing pest and disease attack in paddy and use of ‘thulsikeni’ in ‘pandals’ to trap and kill fruit flies in vegetables were judged as the most effective and scientifically rational practices adopted by farmers. The farmer’s perception about the impact of pesticides on environmental aspects was very low and majority of them belonged to low perception category. The constraint ‘untimely supply and high cost of imputs’ was the most important constraint experienced by the farmers of Thiruvananthapuram district, while ‘lack of proper drainage facilities’ was the most serious constraint experienced by the farmers of Alappuzha District. The most important suggestion given by the farmers to overcome the constraints was to ‘develop simple and more compatible plant protection technologies’ and the most important suggestion given by the experts to overcome the constraints experienced by the farmers was to ‘impart adequate training to farmers as well as extension workers on IPM practices’. The strategic model developed by integrating the salient findings of the present study, emphasized the importance of popularizing effective plant protection technology among the farmers in ecologically sensitive rice and vegetable production systems in Kerala.ThesisItem Open Access Farmer-labourer relationship in rice production systems -a case study(Department Of Agricultural Extension, College Of Agriculture, Vellayani, 1995) Ramanathan, S; KAU; Thyagarajan Nair, GThe study was undertaken with the objective of analyzing the farmer – labourer relationship in paddy production systems. The study was conducted in two districts of Kerala namely, Thiruvananthapurm and Alapuzha representing two distinctly different paddy production systems. Dyadic approach was used in the conduct of the study and altogether 150 farmer – labourer dyads were selected, 75 dyads each from the selected districts using random sampling. The farmer – labourer relationship was measured with the help of a scale developed for the study having 33 items. A pilot study was conducted for the selection of items to be included in the scale. The response for the items was obtained on a 5 point continuum with bipolar adjectives at the extreme ends as in the case of semantic differential technique. The data on farmer – labourer relationship and on 11 common variables, 7 farmer – related variables and 4 labourer – related variables were collected using a structured interview schedule. The relationship dimensions identified empirically were ‘facilitation’, ‘empathy’, ‘equity’, ‘tolerance’, ‘guidance’, ‘recognition’, ‘economic’, ‘social’ and ‘priority’. In general, a little more than half of the farmer – labourer dyads had high relationship. Like wise, in case of relationship dimensions such as facilitation, equity, tolerance, guidance, social and priority majority of the dyads came under high group. There was no significant difference between the overall relationship of the two study districts and among the three union membership categories. However, there was significant difference between the labourer categories with male labourers having significantly higher relationship than their female counterparts. The dimension – wise performance of farmer – labourer dyads on the whole was in the order of ‘tolerance’, ‘economic’, ‘empathy’, ‘recognition’, ‘social’, ‘guidance’, ‘priority’, ‘facilitation’ and ‘equity’. While there existed a vast dissimilarity in the relationship performance of dimensions of the two study districts, the two labourer categories and the three union membership categories were in agreement with regard to dimension – wise relationship performance. The socio – economic and psychological factors namely, management orientation, persuasiveness, gregariousness, education, ability to handle conflicts and labour use efficiency put together contributed significantly to the relationship of farmer – labourer dyads and explained 68 per cent of the variation in the relationship of farmer – respondents. In case of labourer – respondents, the variables participation in decision making with farmers, employment days and education were observed to be significantly contributing to the farmer – labourer relationship and explained 20 per cent of variation in the relationship.ThesisItem Open Access Evaluative perception of homestead farmers in relation to appropriateness of farming systema and cropping patterns(Department of Agricultural extension, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 1995) Babu, M N; KAU; Bhaskaran, CThe study was undertaken in 18 selected panchayats of central zone comprising of Palakkad, Thrissur and Ernakulam districts, with a view to identify the farming systems and cropping patterns adopted in homesteads. The evaluative perception of the farmers in relation to the appropriateness of farming systems and cropping patterns adopted in homesteads, their level of knowledge on scientific practices and extent of adoption of scientific and indigenous practices were also studied. The sample consisted of 180 homestead farmers selected at random. Data were collected using a well-structured interview schedule developed for the purpose. Suitable statistical techniques were employed in the analysis of data. The study revealed that the homesteads of central zone were of unique nature in the sense that they comprised of a dwelling unit, with/without extended garden of wet land rice, monocrop rubber or additional crop land which acted as satellite units of the homestead. The major farming system identified was homesteads with crop components, livestock and extended garden, of which coconut based homesteads were predominant. In many of the homesteads, a multi- storied cropping pattern was in vogue whereas that of wet land was rice- rice- fallow. A good majority of the farmers were in the medium category with reference to their evaluative perception, level of knowledge and extent of adoption. Among the independent variables, extension participation, information sources used, economic motivation and annual income were found important in predicting the variations in evaluative perception. Education, extension participation, information sources used and value orientation were significantly correlated with level of knowledge. Education, farm size, extension participation, annual income and economic motivation were significantly correlated with extent of adoption. Evaluative perception of farmers was positively and significantly correlated with their level of knowledge and extent of adoption. Nearly half of the respondents were found adopting indigenous practices. Prohibitive cost of inputs was perceived as most important constraint followed by high labour cost. The study pointed out to the urgent need of effective measures to control the escalating rate of conversion of crop land to monocrop rubber and for purposes other than agriculture, and also the important role of these homesteads in conserving the agro- ecosystem and maintaining the environmental equilibrium. It also emphasized the need for an appropriate strategy for development of the homesteads, preferably on watershed area basis, by co-ordinating all the agencies directly or indirectly involved to ensure realistic, meaningful and sustainable agro-ecosystem management.ThesisItem Open Access Taxonomical Analysis of Agricultural Modernity of Farmers(Department of Agricultural Extension, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 1995) Sreevalsan J, Menon; KAU; Bhaskaran, SThis study was undertaken based on the premise that any attempt to design a suitable extension strategy for modernizing agriculture requires a through understanding of the individual modernity of a farmer. The study area was the Perumbazhuthoor Panchayat and a sample of 120 farmers were randomy selected. The data were collected with the help of a pre-tested interview schedule and suitable statistical tests were applied. The main findings of the study were as follows: Among the four components viz., socio-psychological behaviour, adoption behaviour, communication behaviour and economic behaviour, adoption behaviour received maximum weight. Nine items (determinants) were selected out of 18 items proposed across the four components. The number of determinants were three under socio-psychological behaviour and two each under adoption, communication and economic behaviour. A composite agricultural modernity index was developed with the nine determinants viz., education, attitude towards scientific cultivation, knowledge, adoption of improved practices, innovativeness, information source utilisation, information dissemination behaviour, economic motivation and management orientation. Increase in the nine determinants viz., education, attitude towards scientific cultivation, knowledge, adoption of improved agricultural practices, innovativeness, information source utilization, information dissemination behaviour, economic motivation and management orientation enhanced CAMI. For every five unit increase in each of the determinants namely education, attitude towards scientific agriculture, knowledge, adoption of improved agricultural practices innovativeness, information source utilization, information dissemination behaviour, economic motivation and management orientation, there was one unit increase in CAMI. Nearly two third of the total respondents belonged to the medium modernity level. None of the categories of farmers came under very high modernity level. Two third of the farmers under Category I, II, III belonged to the medium modernity level, and nearly one fourth belonged to the high modernity level. None of the farmers under Category III came under the low modernity level. Almost half of the respondents had high levels of satisfaction and calculability but had low levels of social participation. Nearly two third of the farmers were less environmentally oriented and less fatalistic. Increase in the psychographics, viz., satisfaction, calculability, social participation and environmental orientation enhanced CAMI and a decrease in fatalism enhanced CAMI. For every three unit increase in satisfaction, there was two unit increase in CAMI ceterisparibus. For every one unit decrease in fatalism ceterisparibus, there would be one unit increase in CAMI. For every two units increase each in calculability and social participation ceterisparibus, there were three units increase and one unit increase in CAMI respectively. For every one unit increase in environmental orientation, there were two units increase in CAMI ceterisparibus. Increase in the factors viz., farm size, number of enterprises, credit behaviour, cosmopoliteness, training and risk orientation increased CAMI and a decrease in farming experience increased the CAMI. For every one unit increase each in cosmopoliteness, training and risk orientation there was one unit increase in CAMI ceterisparibus.ThesisItem Open Access Resource use management among coconut growers of Kerala(Department of Agricultural Extension, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara., 1995) Haridasan, V; KAU; Joy MathewThe present study was conducted during 1992-’94 to assess the resource use management among coconut growers of Kerala. The data were collected with the help of a pretested structured interview schedule from randomly selected 225 respondents representing the three major geographical zones of Kerala viz., North, Central and South. The dependent variable resource use management was measured using an index developed for the purpose of the study under eight identified components namely, ‘land management’, ‘water management’, ‘management of manures’, fertilizer management’, ‘pesticide management’, ‘labour management’, ‘information management’ and ‘capital management’. The analysis revealed that all the components were positively and significantly related to resource use management. However, the maximum contribution to income was found to be from water management, fertilizer management and capital management. Analysis showed that nearly 70 per cent of the respondents were in the medium category of resource use management. Only 18.67 per cent recorded high efficiency in resource use management. Zone-wise analysis revealed that central zone farmers were more efficient in the management of water, manures, fertilizers and pesticides. In the case of land management and labour management south zone was found more efficient. While north zone showed better efficiency in information and capital management. Among the selected 15 independent variables farm size, achievement motivation, knowledge on scientific management and extension participation were found to contribute significantly to the variations in resource use management. The highest direct and indirect effect on resource use management was due to achievement motivation and economic motivation. The major constraints perceived by the farmers in resource use management were in the order of ‘high labour cost’, ‘scarcity of irrigation water’, ‘high cost of fertilizers’ and ‘poor returns from coconut cultivation due to low market price’.ThesisItem Open Access Cause and effect analysis of in-migration of agricultural labourers(Department of Agricultural Extension, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 1995) Bijimol Baby, K; KAU; Kishore Kumar, NThe present study entitled as ''cause and effect analysis of in-migration of agricultural labourers'' was carried out with the following objectives. (1) To study the patterns of migration of agricultural labourers. (2) To study the factors responsible for migration ie., (a) The push factors responsible for migration, and (b) The pull factors responsible for migration (3) To study the socio-psychological effects due to migration (4) To study the profile characteristics of migrated agricultural labourers. The over-riding objective is to study the patterns of in-migration of agricultural labourers by assessing the factors responsible for migration and to study the socio-psychological effects due to the migration. The study was conducted in six randomly selected panchayats (Krishi Bhavan) of the Kaduthuruthy subdivision, Kottayam district. A sample of 120 in-migrated agricultural labourers ie 20 migrant labourers under each panchayat were selected through accidental sampling procedure, formed the respondents of the study. Personal inteerview was conducted with the help of well structured and pre-tested interview schedule to collect data from the migrated agricultural labourer respondents. The profile characteristics selected were analysed and studied. The patterns of migration, factors responsible for migration and consequences of migration were also studied in detail. The results obtained by employing suitable statistical techniques were as follows. The study revealed that majority of the migrated agricultural labourers were found to have medium level of job experience, medium socio-economic status, medium level of indebtedness, medium knowledge about scientific agricultural practices, medium level knowledge about the development programmes of agricultural labourers, and medium level of innovativeness. Majority of the respondents had high level of Aspiration, high attitude towards labour-union, high economic motivation and high level of self-confidence. Most of the respondents belonged to middle age group and their purpose of indebtedness was mainly for agricultural purposes. Migration pattern-1 based on the permanency of stay and duration of residence was positively and significantly correlated with migration pattern-2 based on origin and destination of movement. Education is negatively and significantly correlated with migration pattern-1 based on permanency of stay and duration of residence. Migration pattern-2 based on the origin and destination of movement had a negative and significant correlation with migration pattern-3 based on the composition of migrants. Migration pattern-3 based on composition of migrants was positively and significantly correlated with knowledge about development of agricultural labourers and also with self-confidence. The migration pattern-3 based on composition of migrants had a negative and significant correlation with house types as well as with occupation. Migration pattern-4 based on the type of decision for migration was positively and significantly correlated with Economic motivation and also with Innovativeness. A positive and significant correlation was observed between age and consequences of migration. The major push factors responsible for migration were un-employment, low wage, indebtedness, small-holding, poverty, frustration, decline of natural resources etc. The push factors responsible for migration is positively and significantly correlated with pull factors responsible for migration, purpose of indebtedness and job experience. A negative and significant correlation was observed between Education and push Factors responsible for migration. The major pull factors responsible for migration were superior opportunity of employment and to earn higher income, better job security, preferable environment and living condition, better food, better social net-work, dependency movement etc. A positive and significant correlation was observed between pull factors responsible for migration and purpose of indebtedness. Major consequences on socio-psychological effects due to migration were social tension, high economic status, higher knowledge, labour shortage, intercast marriage, labour glut, low wage, more satisfaction etc. Majority of the respondents were of daily migrants as per migration pattern-1 based on the permanency of stay and duration of residence. Majority of respondents were of local area migrants as per migration pattern-2 based on the origin and destination of movement. Majority of respondents migrate in group and decision for migration was self- initiated. Majority of respondents migrate in group and decision for migration was self- initiated.ThesisItem Open Access Analysis of the management for sustainable Agriculture by the farmers of Kerala(Department of Agricultural Extension, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 1995) Jayasree, Krishnankutty; KAU; Prasad, R MThe study was conducted with the main objectives of analyzing the concept and dimensions of sustainable agriculture and the extent of knowledge, attitude and adoption of sustainable agricultural practices by the farmers of Kerala and also the factors affecting them. The study was undertaken in Thrissur District of Kerala State covering 270 farmers selected using multi – stage random sampling procedure. Besides farmers, 25 agricultural scientists, 25 agricultural extension personnel and 25 progressive farmers were also selected to analyse the perception about the concept and dimensions of sustainable agriculture. The dependent variables selected for the study were knowledge about sustainable agriculture, attitude towards sustainable agriculture and extent of adoption of sustainable agricultural practices. Fifteen independent variables were selected in relation to the objectives and based on review of literature and pilot study. Correlation analysis multiple regression analysis, step down regression analysis, and path analysis were employed for data analysis and interpretation. It was deducted from the study that a farming system can be called sustainable when it meets the product demand for which it is intended, can maintain the productivity without depleting the natural resource base, is not harmful to the environment, is economically viable, suited to the local conditions in all aspects and can be expanded without any deleterious effects in case of increased future demand. Six dimensions were identified as important for sustainable agriculture and they were resource use efficiency, environmental soundness, economic viability, technological appropriateness, economic feasibility and local adaptability. Content analysis of the various schemes implemented by the three development departments of the State revealed that the extent of inclusion of the components of sustainable agriculture in the development programmes is only less than 25 per cent. Majority of the respondents were in the medium category with respect to knowledge, attitude and extent of adoption of sustainable agricultural practices. Education, income from agriculture, exposure to interpersonal sources, perception about availability of sustainable agricultural techniques, perception about price of inputs and extension contact were found significant in predicting the variation in knowledge of farmers about sustainable agriculture. Exposure to interpersonal sources, perception about availability of sustainable agricultural techniques and perception about price of agricultural produce had significant contribution towards the variation in attitude of farmers towards sustainable agriculture. Farming experience, income from agriculture, exposure to interpersonal sources, perception about availability of sustainable agricultural techniques and extension contact were found to have significant contribution towards the extent of adoption of sustainable agricultural practices by the farmers. Apprehension about fall in profit margin, high cost of labour, lack of information about sustainable agricultural practices, acute shortage in the availability of organic inputs, shortage in labour availability and lack of easy availability of many of the sustainable agricultural practices were the major constraints in adoption of sustainable agricultural practices as expressed by farmers.
