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Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur

The history of agricultural education in Kerala can be traced back to the year 1896 when a scheme was evolved in the erstwhile Travancore State to train a few young men in scientific agriculture at the Demonstration Farm, Karamana, Thiruvananthapuram, presently, the Cropping Systems Research Centre under Kerala Agricultural University. Agriculture was introduced as an optional subject in the middle school classes in the State in 1922 when an Agricultural Middle School was started at Aluva, Ernakulam District. The popularity and usefulness of this school led to the starting of similar institutions at Kottarakkara and Konni in 1928 and 1931 respectively. Agriculture was later introduced as an optional subject for Intermediate Course in 1953. In 1955, the erstwhile Government of Travancore-Cochin started the Agricultural College and Research Institute at Vellayani, Thiruvananthapuram and the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at Mannuthy, Thrissur for imparting higher education in agricultural and veterinary sciences, respectively. These institutions were brought under the direct administrative control of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Animal Husbandry, respectively. With the formation of Kerala State in 1956, these two colleges were affiliated to the University of Kerala. The post-graduate programmes leading to M.Sc. (Ag), M.V.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees were started in 1961, 1962 and 1965 respectively. On the recommendation of the Second National Education Commission (1964-66) headed by Dr. D.S. Kothari, the then Chairman of the University Grants Commission, one Agricultural University in each State was established. The State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) were established in India as an integral part of the National Agricultural Research System to give the much needed impetus to Agriculture Education and Research in the Country. As a result the Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) was established on 24th February 1971 by virtue of the Act 33 of 1971 and started functioning on 1st February 1972. The Kerala Agricultural University is the 15th in the series of the SAUs. In accordance with the provisions of KAU Act of 1971, the Agricultural College and Research Institute at Vellayani, and the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, were brought under the Kerala Agricultural University. In addition, twenty one agricultural and animal husbandry research stations were also transferred to the KAU for taking up research and extension programmes on various crops, animals, birds, etc. During 2011, Kerala Agricultural University was trifurcated into Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (KVASU), Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) and Kerala Agricultural University (KAU). Now the University has seven colleges (four Agriculture, one Agricultural Engineering, one Forestry, one Co-operation Banking & Management), six RARSs, seven KVKs, 15 Research Stations and 16 Research and Extension Units under the faculties of Agriculture, Agricultural Engineering and Forestry. In addition, one Academy on Climate Change Adaptation and one Institute of Agricultural Technology offering M.Sc. (Integrated) Climate Change Adaptation and Diploma in Agricultural Sciences respectively are also functioning in Kerala Agricultural University.

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1964 - 196911970 - 19799
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Subject: Agricultural Extension × Author: KAU × End date: 1979 × Start date: 1964 × Thesis Type: M.Sc ×
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Now showing 1 - 9 of 10
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Study on adoption of soil conservation measures by farmers in scheme areas of Trivandrum District
    (Department of Agricultural Extension, College Of Agriculture, Vellayani, 1978) Balakrishna Pillai, G; KAU; Nair, G T
    The magnitude of the problem of soil erosion is so high in Kerala mainly due to the undulating topography and high intensity of rainfall. More than 10 lakhs hectares of undulating land have to be protected from the hazards of erosion by effective soil conservation measures . The results of studies conducted on the soil loss by the soil conservation station. Konni has shown that the soil loss where slope was 30 per cent was 241.56 tonnes per acre per year. Attempts are made to control the serious loss of top soil by the Department of Agriculture (Soil Coservation Unit) by implementing integrated soil conservation schemes. But the progress of coverage was poor. Even in scheme areas, many farmers are non -adopters of the required soil conservation works. Many farmers have not taken up the required Agronomy and Agrostology works eventhough theycompleted the contour bunding works. A detailed study was essential to understand all those aspects of adoption . This study was an effort in that direction.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Study on the role of leadership in agricultural development in rural areas in Kerala
    (Department of Agricultural Extension, College of Agriculture Vellayani, Trivandrum, 1979) Muthiah Manoharan, P; KAU; Thiagarajan Nair, G
    This study on the role of leadership in agricultural development was designed to measure the role perception and 1 f role performance of different categories of leaders, as well as the factors associated with the role performance of leaders. This study was conducted in Arayoor I.P.D. Unit in Trivandrum District. This study covered five categories of leaders viz., Agricultural, Political, Co-operative, Ela committee and Panchayat leaders. The important findings were the following: 1. There was no significant difference among all categories of leaders regarding their age, educational level, communication skill, attitude towards agriculture and knowledge of the programme and improved agricultural practices. . 2. Agricultural and Ela committee leaders had higher farm size, higher income and had adopted more practices when compared to other categories of leaders. . 3* Agricultural, Panchayat and Co-operative leaders had high value orientation, high achievement motivation and had more favourable attitude towards high yielding varieties than other categories of leaders. 4. Co-operative leaders had more favourable attitude than other categories of leaders towards fertilizers* Panchayat, Agricultural and Political leaders had more favourable attitude than other categories of leaders towards plant protection. 5. Ela committee leaders had more mass media exposure than other categories of leaders. Ela committee, Agricultural and Panchayat leaders had more frequent contact with extension agency than other categories of leaders. ■ 6. The results revealed that Panchayat and Agricultural leaders had more perception of agricultural development roles than other categories of leaders. Agricultural leaders performed more roles in agricultural development than other categories of leaders. 7. When the pooled ranks were worked out the role "Accept improved agricultural practices before others" emerged as the most important role perceived as well as performed by the leaders. 8. Mass media exposure was significantly correlated with the role performance except in Political leaders. Caste also had influence in role performance. 9. Six variables viz., farm size, income, knowledge, mass media exposure, contact with extension agency and adoption behaviour were correlated, with role performance . significantly when the pooled data were considered. 10. Inter-correlation analysis lead to the conclusion that farm size had significant correlation with income, knowledge, mass media exposure, contact with extension agency and adoption behaviour. Income was significantly correlated with knowledge, mass media exposure, contact with extension agency and adoption behaviour. Knowledge was significantly correlated with contact with extension agency and adoption behaviour. There was also a significant correlation between mass media exposure and contact with extension agency. 11, It was also observed that the proportion of role performance explained by the variables viz., farm size, income, knowledge, mass media exposure, contact with extension agency and adoption behaviour was 50 percent.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Study of factors affecting the adoption of selected agricultural practices
    (Department of Agricultural Extension, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 1978) Rajendran, P; KAU; Menon, A G G
    Rice is the staple food of the people of Kerala. But Kerala is deficient in its rice production by about 50 per cent. All most all the cultivable area has already been brought under the plough. Therefore, the scope for increasing the area under rice is rather limited. The fact that more than 50 per cent of the cropped area is devoted for perinnial cash crops further limits the scope for expansion of area under rice. Besides 60 per cent of the holdings are less than 1 acre in extent . Therefore, the only possibility to increase rice production is to increase the gross area under rice by resorting to scientific cultivation practices. A number of development programmes particularly focused on rice production have been introduced and implemented in the state. Improved technology required for stepping up rice production was also diffused with great vigour and enthusiasm.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Study on the impact of intensive paddy development programme in Kerala
    (Department of Agricultural Extension, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 1978) Humayun Kaleel, F M; KAU; Menon, A G G
    A study conducted in Trichur district, Kerala to study (1) the extent of adoption of improved agricultural practices (2) the gain in knowledge about the subject matter and (3) the extent of participation in agricultural extension programmes by the farmers, due to the IPD programme, revealed that high adopters of improved agricultural practices were more in the IPD area than in the non IPD area. Out of the 7 variables selected to study the relationship with the above factors, contact with extension agencies, education, social participation and income had positive and significant relationship with adoption. Respondents in the IPD area gained more knowledge about subject matter. Education and social participation had positive and significant influence on the gain in knowledge.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Study of the communication behaviour of agricultural extension personnel
    (Department of Agricultural Extension, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 1978) Pandyaraj, S; KAU; Thiagarajan Nair, G
    This study of the communication behaviour of Agricultural Extension personnel was designed to measure the communication behaviour of Junior Agricultural Officers as well as the factors associated with them. This study was conducted in Trivandrum and Quilon districts which were selected by using lot method of random sampling. (1) It was evident that majority (69 per cent ) of the Junior Agricultural Officers were having "medium level of communication behaviour. (2) They were receiving farm information mostly from Agricultural guide/diary and usedpersonal talks very often for communicating with farmers.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Study on farmers functional literacy programme
    (Department of Agricultural Extension, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 1978) Muraleedhara Prasad, R; KAU; Menon, A G G
    In a study carried out in selected functional literacy centres in Trivandrum District employing a central group comparable to the experimental group in all respects except in functional literacy, to investigate the impact of Farmers Functional literacy Programme on the adoption of improved agricultural technology in respect of rice by the participants of the programme, it was found that majority (96) of farmer participants of the literacy programme were either high or medium adopters as against 53.85 per cent of farmers in the control group who were low adopters. Functional literacy attainment was positively and significantly related to the adoption behaviour of farmers.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Study of the role of panchayat samithi in agricultural development programmes in the blocks in Delhi Territory
    (Division of Agricultural Extension, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 1964) Nair, G T; KAU; Sharma, S K
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Response of special package programme for agriculture development in Kerala
    (Department of Agricultural Extension, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 1979) Abdul samad, K; KAU; Thiagarajan Nair, G
    This study was designed to measure the programme participation, programme knowledge, knowledge on improved practices and adoption of farmers in the IED, CE and EEs unit of Kerala State. Sample' of farmers from the three types of units were selected by random sampling process. Sample of JAOs of the units vac also selected to collect data. The analysis revealed the following 1. There was no significant difference in programme participation between the farmers of the IH) unite implemented over five years and leas than five years and also between tho farmers of the CP areas of disease free and disease affected areas. 2. The farmers of PE areas showed better participation than the farmers of IED areas. But there was no difference between the farmers of the EP and CP areas. 3. There was no significant difference in programme knowledge among the farmers of the different IED and CE areas. 4. Earmars of PP areas had better programme knowledge than the farmers of the IPD and CP areas. 5. Tho farmers of IPD areas had better knowledge on seed rate, fertilizer requirement, nutrients, liming and HYVs than the formers of the control areas. The farmers of CP areas had better knowledge on hybrid seedlings and spacing than control areas. The knowledge on hybrid pepper, pit size, nutrients, fertilizer requirement and pest and diseases were more in the cane of farmers of PP areas than control areas. 6. Majority of JAOs and farmers had a favourable attitude towards the respective package programmes. 7. The adoption of improved agricultural practices was more in all the package areas than the control areas. 8. In both IPD and CP programmes, programme knowledge on improved practices, participation and attitude had significant influence on adoption behaviour. But in the caso of PP programe, programme knowledge had no significant influence.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    To investigate the extent of adoption of the package of practices recommended by central tobacco research institute, Rajamundry by the tobacco growers in east Godavary district of A P
    (Department of Agricultural Extension, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 1978) Koteswararao, Naidu S; KAU; Thampi, A M
    A study has been undertaken amongst the tobacco growers of East Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh with regard to their extent of adoption of the package of practices recommended by Central Tobacco Research Institute, Rajahmundry. Adoption behaviour was assessed interms of their situational variables namely farm size, market orientation and other personal variables namely age, education, economic status, social participation, knowledge of the practices, information sources used and practice attributes. The variables have been selected based on an intensive review of the work done by other researchers in the field of adoption. An hypothetical approach has been followed to study the relationship between the independent variable and extent of adoption. The extent of adoption has been measured using an Adoption Quotient developed by Chhattopadhyay (1963) and modified by Sing and Sing (1974). The potentiality of the package of practices were conceived as the maximum degree to which a farmer can adopt, which was based upon the recommendation by Central Tobacco Research Institute for the respective package of practices. Scales developed by Trivedi (1963) and Sing and Sing (1974) were used to measure the situational and personal variables. Data has been collected from 106 farmers using a pre-tested, valid interview schedule. Data statistically analysed using appropriate parametric techniques. Results revealed that only 41.51% of tobacco farmers used the varieties recommended by Central Tobacco Research Institute, namely CTRI Spl. and kanakaprabha. Tobacco growers have given least importance to the application of farmyard manure to the tobacco in the nursery stage. Whereas two third of them applied the same in the mainfield. Over adoption has been evidenced with regard to seed rate as well as application of inorganic fertilizers. The tobacco growers gave over and above importance to the application of nitrogenous fertilizer. 44.34% of tobacco farmers never followed the deep ploughing either by tractor or crow bar in the mainfield. Size of farm held by tobacco growers as well as to their orientation to the tobacco market were not found to influence their extent of adoption of package of practices recommended by Central Tobacco Research Institute. Aged farmers adopted less. Though education was found to enhance their adoption behaviour, their knowledge on the practices and sources of information used has not specifically influenced the tobacco farmers. The attributes of package of practices were also not considered by them. Social participation did not help to the tobacco growers in adopting the practices recommended by Central Tobacco Research Institutes.