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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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19861
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Subject: Agricultural Extension × Author: Subramoniam, K × End date: 1986 × Start date: 1986 × Type: Thesis ×
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Communication behaviour of tribal farmers - a system analysis
    (Department of Agricultural Extension, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 1986) Subramoniam, K; KAU; Balakrishna Pillai, G
    The research was conducted in Nedumangad taluk of Trivandrum District to study the communication behaviour of tribal farmers Data were collected from 110 'Kanikkars. from six villages of the taluk based on the method of probability proportionate to size. Farmers were interviewed individually, using the schedule developed for the purpose. Group discussions and participant observations were also made use of for the investigation The study revealed the following; Majority of the tribal farmers had only low level of communication behaviour. The information input of tribal farmers was relatively high. They received information from mass media such as the radio and newspaper and personal localite sources -such as neighbours and relatives. Majority of the farmers communicated information to other farmers of the settlement while personal talk during home visit. Feed back to the mass media was nil. Feed back-to cosmopolite sources was relatively less, while that to personal localite sources was comparatively high. Highest feed back was about the information regarding the sanction of subsidies etc. ’Neighbours and relatives' were the most important sources of information to the tribal farmers followed by radio and newspaper. Tribal leader and Tribal Extension Worker were the next' sources in the order of preference. Age was found to be negatively correlated with communication behaviour. Education, . innovation proneness, attitude towards block extension agency, social participation, information seeking behaviour and cosmopoliteness were positively associated with communication behaviour, whereas fatalism had no correlation. Step wise regression analysis revealed that information seeking behaviour, attitude towards Block extension agency, education and social participation explained 83.00 per cent variation in communication behaviour, while all the independent variables together contributed only to 84.22 per cent of change in communication behaviour. Information seeking behaviour emerged as the most important variable in predicting the communication behaviour by contributing to 74.00 per cent of the variation