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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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ThesisItem Open Access Developing a framework of social audit for evaluating projects on climate resilient agriculture in Malawi(Department of Agriculture Extension,College of Agriculture, Vellanikkara, 2020) Joseph Timothy Before; KAU; Jiju P AlexSocial audit as a tool for evaluating development projects and has been found to be efficient for appraising projects in various sectors like health, natural resource management, agriculture, community development, water sanitation and hygiene, land conservation etc. In spite of the interventions by governments and non-governmental organization to ensure food security, agricultural development projects in most countries around the world had been affected with number of issues including climate change, corruption, lack of participatory evaluation mechanism as well as poor involvement of communities in decision making processes. The scenario is not different in Malawi either, specifically Phalombe district which faces a number of climate change problems like floods and droughts throughout the year. The present study which followed expo-facto design was undertaken to assess the effectiveness of projects on climate resilient agriculture that are implemented in Phalombe, Malawi. The study analyzed the outcomes, constraints and impact of selected projects and evolved a framework of social audit for evaluating such projects. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) and the results have been presented quantitatively and descriptively. A total of 120 respondents from three Extension Planning Areas of Tamani, Kasongo and Mpinda were purposively selected for the study since they had participated in climate resilient agriculture projects. The sample also included 15 staff from the three NGOs that were selected for the study. It was found that 96 female farmers (78.3%) and 24 males (21.7%) had participated in the study which showed that more women were taking part in climate resilient agriculture projects compared to men. The research also revealed that manypeople who participated in climate resilient agriculture projects were married and most of them had education upto primary school level (84.2%). Secondary level education was found to have been acquired by 8.3% of the total respondents. Lower level of education was found to contribute to poor demanding of transparency and accountability from NGOs. Assessment of the agreement of respondents on severity of constraints showed that Kendall’s coefficient of concordance W= 0.5, significant at 1 per cent which proved that there was high degree of concordance among the 120 respondents in ranking the constraints according to their importance. The major constraints identified by the beneficiaries were: drying up of water resources, drought/ flood, small quantity of food, late delivery of inputs and poor involvement in decision making The results also showed that both beneficiaries and stakeholders agreed that AEDO and AEDC, NGO staff, Village Headman, Lead farmer, VCPC, ACPC, VDC, Community Policing, ASHP and Community Development Assistant should be part of social audit process. The components identified for social audit of climate resilient agriculture included training programmes, muster rolls, materials procured, input distribution, cash distribution and funding. Based on the study it could be proposed that all actors mentioned in the study should be part of the process. The framework of social audit formulated as part of the study suggested the important aspects that should be subjected to social audit. This would help devise efficient ways of conducting social audit of climate resilient projects in Malawi as it had been evolved through a participatory process involving all the stakeholders of climate resilient development projects in agricultural sector.ThesisItem Open Access Performance analysis of Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP) scheme in Thrissur district(Department of Agricultural Extension, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2020) Rashida, V K; KAU; Mercykutty, M JWomen play a significant role in the development of agriculture and allied fields. In spite of being a key part of the economy, women face much discrimination in terms of wage, credit support and access to various other services. The migration of male workers to urban areas in search of remunerative jobs is one of the factors contributing to the evolution of a kind of transformation in Indian farm sector. And this emerging phenomenon is nothing but a feminization of farm activities. With an objective to empower women in agriculture, government of India has introduced Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP) scheme in 2011. Analysis of the effectiveness of the scheme can provide key inputs for designing further promotional strategies. Keeping these issues in view, the study entitled “Performance Analysis of Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP) scheme in Thrissur district” has been framed. The present research work was taken up to study about the effectiveness of MKSP scheme in Thrissur district. The components of the scheme were delineated. The study has also analyzed the perception of beneficiary farm women, mission coordinators and facilitators on the effectiveness of MKSP scheme. Various factors influencing the implementation of the scheme were also identified. Knowledge level of beneficiary farm women on cultivation of vegetables and banana and group dynamics of the selected women Joint Liability groups were also analyzed. Along with that influence of profile characteristics on group dynamics were also studied. Apart from this the benefits and constraints of the programme were also analyzed. For this, thirty number each of beneficiary farm women who were cultivating vegetables and banana under MKSP scheme from Nadarhara Panchayat of Ollukkara block were selected as the farmer respondents. Thirty mission coordinators and facilitators from the three blocks viz; Ollukkara, Mala and Iringalakkuda constituted the other category of respondents. The secondary data were collected from the Kudumbashree office and various government websites. The details collected about MKSP scheme implemented in Thrissur district through Kudumbashree mission from 2011-12 onwards revealed that project has surpassed many of the targets and at the same time it was lag behind in input supply due to failure in establishing seed banks. The major components identified under MKSP scheme were training and capacity building, credit support, extension services, market interventions, input supply and value addition. Scheme feature factors were perceived as the most influencing factors affecting implementation stage followed by resource aspects, beneficiary aspect and management approach of mission coordinators and facilitators. It was found that majority of the vegetable farmers has perceived the effectiveness of MKSP scheme as excellent while majority of banana farmers and mission coordinators and facilitators perceived it as good. Percentage analysis was employed and the result showed that among the out puts, socio economic development and drudgery reduction were the most received benefits for both vegetable and banana farmers. Similarly benefits under input supply were the least received component by both respondent categories. Majority of both vegetable and banana beneficiary farm women w belonged to ‘middle’ age group (35 to 50), had high school/higher secondary education,), had farming as major occupation, had middle annual income(50001- 100,000INR), and cultivation was mainly in leased land. But the family of majority of vegetable farmers was medium (3 to 4 members) and that of banana farmers was large family (5 to 6 members). They were also having differences in farm size as majority of vegetable farmers were medium farmers and banana farmers were small farmers. Both vegetable and banana farmers were found to have medium level of mass media exposure, extension contact, market orientation, economic motivation, training received, cosmopoliteness and high level of social participation. Majority of respondents in both beneficiary categories belonged to medium knowledge level and Mann whitney U test revealed that there was a significant difference in the knowledge level of vegetable and banana farmers at 0.05 level. Similarly, Majority of the respondents of both beneficiary categories had showed medium level of Group dynamics Effectiveness. It was revealed that, variables like annual income, farm size, mass media, social participation, training received, economic motivation, cosmopolitans and market orientation had a significant relationship with group dynamics for both vegetable and banana farmers. Occupation of banana farmers had also showed significant relation with its GDEI. Among the constraints, market, financial and infrastructural constraints were the most influenced constraints for both vegetable and banana farmers. But for the mission coordinators and facilitators the major constraints perceived were financial and infrastructural constraints. Good agricultural practices followed by respondents were identified and recorded as soil and moister conservation, nutrient management, pest and rodent management, disease management, weed management, pre harvest practices, harvest and post harvest practices, and storage and processing practices. The important suggestions include increasing the markets by converting weekly markets in to daily markets, detailed orientation for JLGs on converging agencies for exploitation of more markets, enhancing the input supply through strengthening the seed banks and proper system for availing lease land. In a nutshell, the performance of Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana scheme was effective in Thrissur district and it enhanced the capacities of women in collective farming. Feminization of agriculture sector being a key factor in both agriculture and economic development of the country, MKSP would able to empower the women through its various components. However, need for further development still exists especially in components like input supply and market interventions in Kerala.ThesisItem Open Access Technology adoption behaviour cassava growers in Kollam district(Department of Agricultural Extension, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2020) Kavya, V S; KAU; Bindu, PodikunjuCassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz.) commonly called tapioca is the king of tropical tubers which assures food security for millions of people especially in the developing countries of the globe. In India, cassava production is mainly confined to the South Indian states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. India is the ninth largest producer of cassava with a total area of 0.24 million hectares and production of 5.1 million tones. (GOI, 2019) The study titled “Technology adoption behaviour of cassava growers in Kollam district” consist of a sample size of 80 farmers from 2 selected blocks of Kollam based on area under cassava cultivation. Data were collected on profile characteristics, attitude, knowledge and adoption of cassava production technology of both POP (Package of practices) of KAU and CTCRI and finally the constraints with the help of structured and pretested interview schedule. The results of independent variables showed that majority of farmers belonged to old age group (57.5%), education of high school (36.25%), family size of 2-4 members (51.25%), means of livelihood being agriculture (57.5%), farming experience of 10-20 years (45%), less farm size (42.5%), less area under cassava cultivation (76.25%), medium innovativeness (42.5%), medium information seeking behavior (65.00%) and medium attitude (76.25%). Taking into account the dependent variable, knowledge about POP of KAU farmers had good knowledge about harvesting time (98.75%), the best method of planting (90.00%), time for intercultural operations (88.7%). Overall 83.75 per cent of the farmers had medium level of knowledge about cassava production technology. While for CTCRI practices high level of knowledge were found on first intercultivation operations (90%), mulching and green manuring practices (90%). Majority of farmers were adopting, vertical storage of harvested stems to be used as planting materials (99.2%), discarding ends of stems for planting (99.20%), and true sett size for planting (89.6%). Overall 66.25 per cent of the farmers had medium level of adoption of cassava production technology (POP of KAU). While for CTCRI practices,72.5 per cent respondents showed medium level of adoption, of which intercultural operations (81.25%) and mulching and green manuring technique (89.16%) were adopted widely. In correlation analysis, the selected variables like education, farming experience, information seeking behavior innovativeness and attitude showed positive and significant relationship with knowledge, whereas, age, farm size, means of livelihood, area under cassava cultivation, were non-significant with the knowledge. Education, information seeking behavior, innovativeness, attitude and knowledge were positively significant with adoption of cassava production technologies and age, family size, means of livelihood, farming experience, farm size, area under cassava cultivation, were found to be non-significant with adoption. The major constraints faced by the farmers were high labour cost, followed by high cost of inputs, incidence of pest and diseases etc.ThesisItem Open Access Oil based biopesticide from Andrographis paniculata (Burm f.) Nees against sucking pests of cowpea(Department of Agricultural Extension, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2020) Anuja, Raveendran; KAU; Santhosh Kumar, TThe study on “Oil based biopesticide from Andrographis paniculata (Burm.f.) Nees against sucking pests of cowpea” was conducted at College of Agriculture, Vellayani during 2018 to 2020 with an objective to develop oil based ready to use formulations against sucking pests of cowpea and to evaluate the formulation for its efficacy. In vitro screening of different oil-based formulations of A. paniculate with EOS ratio of 7:2:1 was done using Aphis craccivora as test insect. 1, 2, 3 and 5% concentration of formulations comprising plant extract of A. paniculata +neem oil + Triton -X-100, plant extract of A. paniculata +pongamia oil+ Triton-X-100, plant extract of A. paniculata + Triton -X-100, Neem oil+ Triton -X-100 + Water (2:1:7)(check) and Pongamia+Triton -X-100 + Water (2:1:7) (check) were sprayed directly over aphids and observation for percentage mortality were recorded at 1, 3, 5 and 7 days after spraying. Results of the laboratory experiment revealed, oil-based formulations of neem at 1% concentration recorded 75.00% mortality of aphidsat1 day after treatment (DAT). Mortality at 3 DAT was 95.00%and 5 and 7 DAT were 100.00%. At 2% concentration of formulations, neem-based formulation exhibited 100% mortality within 24 hours and pongamia based formulation exhibited 100.00% mortality within 5 days after treatment application. At 7 DAT, plant extract of A. paniculata + Triton -X-100 exhibited 100.00% mortality. At 3% concentration of oil-based formulations, neem-based formulation exhibited 100.00% mortality within 24 hours and pongamia based formulation within 72 hours. Plant extract of A. paniculata + Triton -X-100 and pongamia oil + Triton -X-100 exhibited 100.00% mortality at 5 DAT. At 5% concentration of formulations, both neem and pongamia based formulations of A. paniculata exhibited 100.00% mortality within 3 day after treatment and rest of treatments also recorded cent percentage mortality. A pot culture experiment was carried out in cowpea variety Geethika with two superior treatments to assess the field efficacy against sucking pests. 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6% concentrations of the selected treatments were evaluated with neem oil 2% and thiamethoxam 25% WG as checks. Pre count of pest and natural enemies were documented and a single round of spraying was undertaken at the vegetative phase of crop i.e., 30 DAP. In field evaluation, at 1 DAT, least population of aphids were recorded at 6% concentration of extract of A. paniculata + neem oil + Triton X- 100 and extract of A. paniculata + pongamia oil + Triton X- 100 sprayed cowpea plants and the results were statistically on par with 5% concentration of extract of A. paniculata + pongamia oil + Triton X-100, 3 and 5% concentration of A. paniculata + neem oil + Triton X-100 and chemical check thiamethoxam 25% WG. Neem oil-based formulation at 3 and 5% concentration recorded least population (0.00 per plant) at 3 DAT. No aphids were observed in plants treated with neem-based formulation (2%) and pongamia based formulation at 3 and 5% on 5th day of treatment. Plants treated with 2% concentration of pongamia based formulation recorded zero population of aphids at 7 DAT while recurrence of aphids was observed in plants treated with neem oil (2%). Post count of natural enemies viz. syrphids and coccinellid beetles were recorded in all treatments and compared with botanical and chemical check at interval of 1, 3, 5 and 7 DAT. Control plot recorded maximum and chemical check recorded minimum population of natural enemies. On evaluating the biometric characters, highest pod weight of 49.16 g plant-1 was obtained in 5% concentration of pongamia based formulation. Phytotoxicity studies using treatments like plant extract of A. paniculata + neem oil + Triton X-100, plant extract of A. paniculata + pongamia oil + Triton X-100 and plant extract of A. paniculata + Triton X-100 at 1, 2, 3, 5, 10 and 20 % concentration were carried out and observations for symptoms including yellowing, scorching, necrosis, epinasty and hyponasty were made and graded according to CIBRC (Central Insecticides Board and Registration Committee) protocol. Results revealed that oil-based formulations of A. paniculate does not produce any kind of phytotoxic response on cowpea within a range of 1- 20% concentration. From the above findings it was concluded that for ecofriendly management of sucking pests of cowpea, efficacy of oil-based formulations comprising Andrographis paniculata + neem oil+ Triton-X-100 (7:2:1) at a concentration of 6% was on par with the chemical treatments when applied at fortnightly intervals.ThesisItem Open Access Livelihood support for tribal population in Kerala through planned assistance: an evaluation of the tribal su plan (TSP) in the agricultural sector(Department of Agricultural Extension, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2020) Arya Krishna, K G; KAU; Jiju P, AlexTribal Sub-Plan (TSP), a strategic policy initiative to secure overall development of the STs, was first introduced in the Fifth Five Year Plan. The focus of TSP is on “securing budgetary allocations for tribal development at least proportionate to their population, in order to bring them at par with other sections of society and to protect them from exploitation.” Tribals require specific attention not only with monetary allocation but also for their rapid socioeconomic development. This requires integrated approach combining all departments in a united manner and not interventions in isolation. The Tribal Sub-Plan envisages reducing gaps between the tribals and non-tribals in health, education, communication and other areas of basic amenities of life by providing legal and administrative support. The Sub-Plan also intends to implement livelihood security schemes to enhance the income of tribals by taking into account their aptitude and skill. In Kerala, tribal sub-plan approach was adopted in 1976, to intensify the tribal development programme of the state. The present study focuses on the extent of livelihood options opened up by TSP projects to tribal farmers and its socio-economic impact in their lives, the institutional changes in the TSP administration, the pattern of outlay and utilization of TSP funds in the agricultural sector and the social and institutional constraints in implementing TSP projects. The study was conducted in Wayanad, Idukki and Palakkad districts of Kerala. Two panchayaths were selected randomly from each of these districts. From each panchayath, 10 tribals and 10 people’s representatives were selected by random sampling, making a total of 120 respondents. The livelihood security of the tribals before and after the implementation of TSP projects was measured using the Livelihood Security Index (LSI). The index scores of the tribals showed that livelihood security of tribals had improved significantly after implementation of TSP projects. However, the three districts were found to have attained almost same level of livelihood security. The status of tribal empowerment which was measured using ‘empowerment index’, showed that the status of empowerment of tribals had not increased significantly and had remained at low level for majority. Analysis of the socio-economic impact of TSP shows significant improvement in the levels of their income, production, savings, education and social participation. Distribution of funds for TSP programs in agricultural sector shows that more funds were allotted to crop cultivation and animal husbandry programmes. Poor communication facilities and illiteracy of tribals were the major constraints experienced by people’s representatives while implementing the TSP programmes. It was also observed that participation of the tribals in developmental activities was very low. High degree of concordance was found to exist among the people’s representatives with regard to the importance ascribed to constraints in implementing TSP programmes . The study highlights that participation of tribals has to be enhanced by government officials while planning tribal development programmes and more efforts have to be taken up to increase the tribal literacy levels. The non-cooperative attitude of tribals towards developmental activities has to be deliberately changed. Emphasis on agriculture should be shifted to varied avenues of income generation to improve their livelihood security.ThesisItem Open Access Participatory guarantee system (PGS) certification for production of oganic vegetables and analytical study(Department of Agriculture Extension, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2020) Aashika Sasindran; KAU; Sherief, A KThe study entitled ‘Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) certification for production of organic vegetables: An analytical study’ was undertaken during 2019-2020. The objectives were to study the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) certification for production of organic vegetables and to analyze the role of PGS farmers in the certification procedure, production and marketing among the VFPCK farmers in Kerala. The constraints faced during the implementation of PGS were also studied and appropriate suggestions are given to overcome the problems. The study was conducted in Kasargod, Idukki, Kottayam and Thrissur districts of Kerala which have maximum active number of PGS local groups under VFPCK. The sample comprised of 80 PGS farmers, out of which 20 respondents were selected from each district. Thirteen independent variables were selected through judge’s rating and role performance and adoption behaviour were the dependent variables selected. On analysis, it was found that 67.5 per cent of PGS farmers belonged to middle age (47-60) category, and 60 per cent of the respondents had education up to high school level. Majority of the respondents (55%) belonged to medium category of land holding with medium farming experience in organic farming (68.75%). About half (47.5%) of the organic farmers had medium level of annual income. More than half (53.75%) of PGS farmers did not possess organic certificate and majority of the PGS farmers belonged to the medium category of Information seeking behavior(66.25), environmental orientation (80%), attitude (77.25%), Knowledge (55%), sustainability (55%), market orientation (53.75%) and trainings acquired (68.75%). The analysis of PGS farmers based on their individual role performance revealed that 75 per cent of them belonged to medium category followed by 15 per cent in the high category and remaining 10 per cent in the low category. The distribution of farmers based on their role performance in the PGS group revealed that 72.5 per cent of them belonged to medium category and high and low category have equal (13.75%) respondents. The mean value of Individual role performance (38.86) is greater than mean value of group role performance (22.9), indicating a higher individual role performance among the PGS farmers. The results of factor analysis revealed that among the individual roles, respondents from all four districts showed characteristics of Individual task proficiency, Individual task adaptivity and individual task proactivity. Among the group roles, group member proactivity was displayed in all four districts, group member proficiency was displayed among the farmers of Kottayam and Kasargod and group member adaptivity was displayed among the farmers of Kasargod and Thrissur. The results of the adoption quotient revealed, that majority of PGS farmers i.e. 67.54 per cent belonged to medium category of adoption, followed by 17.5 and 15 per cent in low and high category of adoption. The mean adoption quotient (AQ) was 67.54 per cent with a maximum and minimum AQ of 81.66 and 51.94 per cent respectively. In case of the recommended practices, nine out of twenty four practices had an overall adoption percentage greater than 90. The results of the correlation revealed that out of 13 independent variables selected for the study, 10 variables were significantly related to the dependent variable adoption of organic methods recommended by PGS. The independent variables, viz., age and sustainability were significant at 1% level of significance followed by certificate status, experience in organic farming, training, information seeking behavior, market orientation, environmental orientation, attitude and knowledge at 5% level of significance The major constraints faced by the PGS farmers were lack of market linkage and satisfactory price for organic products. Unawareness of consumers about PGS certification remains as a barrier to farmers for proper marketing. Pest and wild animal attack and lack of government support are another constraints faced by farmers. The strategy to overcome these constraints is to develop proper market linkage by VFPCK and to recognize and brand the products as PGS organic among consumers. Moreover, Crop insurance and other incentives should be provided to the farmers who have suffered pest and animal attack. It could be concluded that, PGS was initiated as a credible, relevant and cost-effective mechanism through which farmers can provide a trust or guarantee of their products as organic to consumers. The findings of this study indicate that the individual role performance among registered PGS farmers is greater than group role performance. Also, the intensity of total adoption of organic practices was significantly high (67.5%) among the PGS farmers. For effective functioning, VFPCK should review their existing PGS in order to build their systems procedures that enable and encourage all their key stakeholders to take part in the design and implementation of their PGS.ThesisItem Open Access Training need analysis of agricultural officers (AOs) of department of agriculture development and farmers welfare Kerala(Department of Agricultural Extension, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2020) Sandipamu, Raahalya.; KAU; Sreedaya, G SThe study entitled “Training need analysis of Agricultural Officers (AOs) of Department of Agriculture Development and Farmers’ Welfare Kerala” was designed to assess the training need of agricultural officers. Attitude of the respondents towards training, their profile characteristics, constraints faced by them while implementing their duties were also studied The study was conducted in two zones of Kerala viz., Kannur from North Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram from South Kerala. Forty five Agricultural Officers were selected from both Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur districts. Ex-post facto research design was used for the study. Ten independent variables were selected through judges rating. Training need analysis of agricultural officers and attitude of AOs towards training were the dependent variables of the study. On analysis of data, it was found that majority (46.67%) of AOs were middle aged (3545), 47.78 per cent of them were post graduates and 45.56 percent had 10-20 years of job experience.Majority of the respondents (71.11%) had medium exposure to technical or professional literature, mass media contact (77.78%), job satisfaction (78.89%),organisational commitment(61.11%),scientific orientation (72.22%) and satisfaction with the facilities at the training centre(52.22%). The study revealed that 38.89 per cent of the respondents had undergone less than ten trainings. Training need analysis of AOs were studied in two dimensions mainly training need in agricultural practices and training need in extension. It was reported that majority (60%) of the respondents belongedto medium training need category in agricultural practices. More than half(58.89%) of the respondents belonged to medium training need category in extension and 62.22 per cent of them belonged to medium training need category in both agricultural practices and extension in the two selected districts. From the results of the training needs of AOs in agricultural practices and extension, it was evident that ‘identification of pests and their control in important crops’, ‘integrated pest control’ and ‘identification of diseases and their control in important crops’ were given first, 86 second and third rank respectively. ‘how to motivate and encourage farmers to adopt recommended practices’ and ‘production of recommendations of major crops and their implications’ were assigned fourth rank and fifth rank respectively. The correlation analysis revealed that out of ten independent variables job satisfaction, scientific orientation and facilities at the training centre were positively and significantly correlated with the training need of AOs in agricultural practices. Scientific orientation and facilities at the training centre were positively and significantly correlated with the training need of AOs in extension whereas job satisfaction, scientific orientation and facilities at the training centre were positively and significantly correlated with the training need of AOs in agricultural practices and extension. Majority (68.89%) of the respondents had neutral attitude towards training. The correlation analysis revealed that mass media contact and scientific orientation were positively and significantly correlated with the attitude of AOs towards training. The major constraints identified were the lack of time for extension activities. Suggestive measures recommended were introduction of Agricultural Knowledge Centres (AKCs), proper need based training to the AOs, providing incentives and rewards for better performance and also increasing promotional opportunities. To conclude, It was reported that majority of the respondents belonged to medium training need category in agricultural practices and extension. Even though majority of the agricultural officers had a neutral attitude towards training, they expressed their requirement of training in the areas ‘Identification of pests and their control in important crops’, ‘integrated pest control’ and ‘identification of diseases and their control in important crops’.ThesisItem Open Access Performance analysis of Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP) scheme in Thrissur district(Department of Agricultural extension, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2020) Rashida, V K.; KAU; Mercykutty, M JWomen play a significant role in the development of agriculture and allied fields. In spite of being a key part of the economy, women face much discrimination in terms of wage, credit support and access to various other services. The migration of male workers to urban areas in search of remunerative jobs is one of the factors contributing to the evolution of a kind of transformation in Indian farm sector. And this emerging phenomenon is nothing but a feminization of farm activities. With an objective to empower women in agriculture, government of India has introduced Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP) scheme in 2011. Analysis of the effectiveness of the scheme can provide key inputs for designing further promotional strategies. Keeping these issues in view, the study entitled “Performance Analysis of Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP) scheme in Thrissur district” has been framed. The present research work was taken up to study about the effectiveness of MKSP scheme in Thrissur district. The components of the scheme were delineated. The study has also analyzed the perception of beneficiary farm women, mission coordinators and facilitators on the effectiveness of MKSP scheme. Various factors influencing the implementation of the scheme were also identified. Knowledge level of beneficiary farm women on cultivation of vegetables and banana and group dynamics of the selected women Joint Liability groups were also analyzed. Along with that influence of profile characteristics on group dynamics were also studied. Apart from this the benefits and constraints of the programme were also analyzed. For this, thirty number each of beneficiary farm women who were cultivating vegetables and banana under MKSP scheme from Nadarhara Panchayat of Ollukkara block were selected as the farmer respondents. Thirty mission coordinators and facilitators from the three blocks viz; Ollukkara, Mala and Iringalakkuda constituted the other category of respondents. The secondary data were collected from the Kudumbashree office and various government websites. The details collected about MKSP scheme implemented in Thrissur district through Kudumbashree mission from 2011-12 onwards revealed that project has surpassed many of the targets and at the same time it was lag behind in input supply due to failure in establishing seed banks. The major components identified under MKSP scheme were training and capacity building, credit support, extension services, market interventions, input supply and value addition. Scheme feature factors were perceived as the most influencing factors affecting implementation stage followed by resource aspects, beneficiary aspect and management approach of mission coordinators and facilitators. It was found that majority of the vegetable farmers has perceived the effectiveness of MKSP scheme as excellent while majority of banana farmers and mission coordinators and facilitators perceived it as good. Percentage analysis was employed and the result showed that among the out puts, socio economic development and drudgery reduction were the most received benefits for both vegetable and banana farmers. Similarly benefits under input supply were the least received component by both respondent categories. Majority of both vegetable and banana beneficiary farm women w belonged to ‘middle’ age group (35 to 50), had high school/higher secondary education,), had farming as major occupation, had middle annual income(50001- 100,000INR), and cultivation was mainly in leased land. But the family of majority of vegetable farmers was medium (3 to 4 members) and that of banana farmers was large family (5 to 6 members). They were also having differences in farm size as majority of vegetable farmers were medium farmers and banana farmers were small farmers. Both vegetable and banana farmers were found to have medium level of mass media exposure, extension contact, market orientation, economic motivation, training received, cosmopoliteness and high level of social participation. Majority of respondents in both beneficiary categories belonged to medium knowledge level and Mann whitney U test revealed that there was a significant difference in the knowledge level of vegetable and banana farmers at 0.05 level. Similarly, Majority of the respondents of both beneficiary categories had showed medium level of Group dynamics Effectiveness. It was revealed that, variables like annual income, farm size, mass media, social participation, training received, economic motivation, cosmopolitans and market orientation had a significant relationship with group dynamics for both vegetable and banana farmers. Occupation of banana farmers had also showed significant relation with its GDEI. Among the constraints, market, financial and infrastructural constraints were the most influenced constraints for both vegetable and banana farmers. But for the mission coordinators and facilitators the major constraints perceived were financial and infrastructural constraints. Good agricultural practices followed by respondents were identified and recorded as soil and moister conservation, nutrient management, pest and rodent management, disease management, weed management, pre harvest practices, harvest and post harvest practices, and storage and processing practices. The important suggestions include increasing the markets by converting weekly markets in to daily markets, detailed orientation for JLGs on converging agencies for exploitation of more markets, enhancing the input supply through strengthening the seed banks and proper system for availing lease land. In a nutshell, the performance of Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana scheme was effective in Thrissur district and it enhanced the capacities of women in collective farming. Feminization of agriculture sector being a key factor in both agriculture and economic development of the country, MKSP would able to empower the women through its various components. However, need for further development still exists especially in components like input supply and market interventions in Kerala.ThesisItem Open Access Multidimensional analysis of awardee farmers of department of agriculture development and farmers welfare in southern Kerala(Department of Agricultural Extension, College of Agriculture , Vellayani, 2020) Reshma, R S.; KAU; Sreedaya, G SThe study entitled ‘A multidimensional analysis of awardee farmers of Department of Agriculture Development and Farmers’ Welfare in Southern Kerala’ was undertaken during 2019-2020. The objectives was to study the agripreneurial behaviour of awardee farmers and their adoption behaviour with respect to package of practices recommendations of Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) in major crops. The study also aimed at documenting the good agricultural practices (GAP) followed by awardee farmers in these crops. The constraints faced by the farmers at the farm level and strategies to overcome the constraints was also assessed. The sample comprised of 70 awardee farmers, 35 from Thiruvananthapuram and 35 from Pathanamthitta districts. Twelve independent variables were selected through judge’s rating. Agripreneurial behaviour and adoption behaviour were the dependent variables selected. On analysis, 54.28 per cent of awardee farmers belonged to middle age (35-55), and 51.42 per cent of the respondents had education upto high school level. Majority of the respondents (88.57% ) belonged to medium category of land holding with medium farming experience (60%). More than half (77%) of the awardee farmers had medium level of annual income. Majority of the awardee farmers were in the medium category of decision making ability (67.14%), economic motivation (77.14%), dealing with failure (75.71%), level of aspiration (72.85%), creativity(71.43%), credit orientation (64.28%) and trainings acquired (65.71%). The distribution of awardee farmers based on their agripreneurial behaviour revealed that 67.14 per cent of them belonged to medium category followed by 17.14 per cent in the high category and remaining 15.71 per cent in the low category. The mean agripreneurial behaviour index was 64.6 with a minimum and maximum value of 50 and 81 respectively. The correlation analysis revealed that decision making ability, economic motivation, dealing with failure, level of aspiration, creativity, credit orientation and training acquired were positively and significantly correlated at 1% level of significance. The results of adoption index revealed that majority of awardee farmers belonged to medium category of adoption (65.71%) followed by high (18.57%) and low category (15.71%). The mean adoption index was 59.48 with a maximum and minimum adoption index of 77.20 and 43.25 respectively. Independent variables like decision making ability, economic motivation, dealing with failure, level of aspiration, creativity, credit orientation and training acquired were significant at 1% level of significance whereas farming experience at 5% level of significance. Majority of the awardee farmers followed good agricultural practices like application of a mixture of sand, salt and ash in the pit before transplanting of coconut (92.8%), soaking of seeds in fresh water in jute sacks for one day and keeping wet seeds for three days for germination in the case of rice (81.43%), covering of banana bunches with dried banana leaves to increase bunch size (85.71%) and spraying neem oil -garlic emulsion (2%) to control aphids of chilli (90%). The study also revealed that the awardee farmers implemented many innovative technologies and enterprises that might be the reason for their high agripreneurial and adoption behaviour which might have helped them in procuring the awards declared by Department of Agriculture Development and Farmers’ Welfare. The major constraint faced by the awardee farmers was pest and wild animals attack. The strategy to overcome this constraint is to develop proper pest surveillance system and crop health management system by the experts in the agriculture field. To conclude, the agripreneurial behaviour of awardee farmers was highly correlated to adoption behaviour which shows the importance of following the package of practices recommendations of Kerala Agricultural University and other innovative technologies and enterprises by the awardee farmers in receiving the awards.
