KNOWLEDGE AND ADOPTION OF CASTOR AS INTERCROP WITH GROUNDNUT IN SOUTH SAURASHTRA AGRO CLIMATIC ZONE OF GUJARAT
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Date
2012-09
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jau,junagadh
Abstract
Despite considerable advance in agricultural production technology as well as expansion in infrastructure for increasing productivity of various crops, the gap between know how already attained and their application in the field is still quite large. There is a wide scope for increasing the castor production per unit area. Castor is the most important non-edible oil seed crop. The castor as intercrop with which crops is popular in Saurashtra region. There are many problems experienced by the farmers in adoption of recommended crop production technologies. In this content, it is right time to examine the technological knowledge of farmers with respect to castor as intercrop with groundnut. It is equally important to know the level of adoption of this practice. This would be useful to prepare extension strategy, if there is communication gap. It would also be useful to increase the adoption level by identification and analysis of the factors responsible for it. Hence, it felt necessary to take up the study entitled “Knowledge and adoption of castor as intercrop with groundnut in South Saurashtra Agro Climatic Zone of Gujarat” was undertaken with following specific objectives.
1. To study the personal, socio-economic, communication, psychological and situational characteristics of the respondents.
2. To measure the knowledge level of respondents about recommended crop production technology of castor as intercrop with groundnut.
3. To know the extent of adoption of respondents about recommended crop production technology of castor as intercrop with groundnut.
4. To ascertain the relationship between knowledge level of respondents about recommended crop production technology of castor as intercrop with groundnut and their selected characteristics.
5. To ascertain the relationship between adoption of respondents about recommended crop production technology of castor as intercrop with groundnut and their selected characteristics.
6. To identify the constraints faced by respondents in adoption of recommended crop production technology of castor as intercrop with groundnut.
7. To seek the suggestions from the respondents to overcome the constraints in adoption of recommended crop production technology of castor as intercrop with groundnut.
In context to above objectives, a sample of 120 respondents representing 24 villages of Keshod, Vanthali, Manavadar, Dhoraji, Jetpur and Upleta Talukas of South Saurashtra was drawn by using multistage purposive sampling techniques. To measure respondents’ level of knowledge about recommended crop production technology of castor as intercrop with groundnut, a teacher made knowledge index was developed and used. To measure respondents’ extent of adoption of recommended crop production technology of castor as intercrop with groundnut, the teacher made adoption index was developed and used. The scale developed by Chattopadhyay (1974) was used with slight modification. The data were collected with the help of structured schedule by personal interview method. The data were collected, analyzed and interpreted in the light of specific objectives.
Major findings
Majority (68.33 per cent) of respondents belonged to medium extension participation, medium risk orientation (67.50 per cent), medium size of land holding (65.83 per cent), medium annual income (61.67 per cent) and medium cropping intensity (60.83 per cent).
More than one half (56.66 per cent) of respondents belonged to medium mass media exposure, medium localite- cosmopolite value orientation (56.66 per cent), primary level of education (55.00 per cent), medium social participation (52.50 per cent) and middle age group (50.83 per cent).
As less than one half (49.17 per cent) of respondents belonged to medium innovativeness and bore well irrigation potentiality (39.17 per cent).
Majority (65.00 per cent) of the respondents had medium level of knowledge about the recommended crop production technology of castor as intercrop with groundnut. Whereas, 20.00 per cent and 15.00 per cent respondents had low and high levels knowledge about recommended crop production technology of castor as intercrop with groundnut, respectively.
Majority (60.00 per cent) of the respondents had medium adoption about the recommended crop production technology of castor as intercrop with groundnut. Whereas, 21.67 per cent had low and 18.33 per cent had high extent of adoption of recommended crop production technology of castor as intercrop with groundnut, respectively.
The characteristics of the respondents like education, extension participation, innovativeness, risk orientation and cropping intensity had positive and highly significant relationship with the knowledge of farmers about recommended crop production technology of castor as intercrop with groundnut.
The characteristics of the respondents like size of land holding, social participation, localite-cosmopolite value orientation, mass media exposure and irrigation potentiality were positively and significantly related with the knowledge of farmers about recommended crop production technology of castor as intercrop with groundnut.
There was no significant relationship with the knowledge about recommended crop production technology of castor as intercrop with groundnut and their annual income. Age was negatively and significantly related with the knowledge of farmers about recommended crop production technology of castor as intercrop with groundnut.
The characteristics of the respondents like education, extension participation, innovativeness and cropping intensity had positive and highly significant relationship with the adoption of recommended crop production technology of castor as intercrop with groundnut.
The characteristics of the respondents like social participation, localite-cosmopolite value orientation, mass media exposure and risk orientation had positive and significant relationship with the adoption of recommended crop production technology of castor as intercrop with groundnut.
There was no significant relationship with the adoption of recommended crop production technology of castor as intercrop with groundnut and their annual income, size of land holding and irrigation potentiality. Age was negatively and significantly related with the adoption of recommended crop production technology of castor as intercrop with groundnut.
The important constraints faced by respondents were : high price of chemical fertilizers, less supply of electricity, high price of improved and hybrid seeds, high cost of threshing and harvesting as well as high cost and lack of skilled labours, scarcity of FYM/compost fertilizers, non-availability of chemical fertilizers in required quantity in time, high price of insecticides/ pesticides and fungicides, non-availability of irrigation water at important growth stages of castor and insufficient demonstration of improved technologies on farmers’ fields etc.
However, the suggestions given by the respondents to overcome the constraints in adoption of recommended castor production technology the five most important suggestions expressed by respondents were: remunerative price of the product should be made available, the projects for increasing availability of irrigation water should be implemented, chemical fertilizers should be made available at subsidized rate, there must be regular electric supply at the time of critical stages of crops for irrigation and cost of threshing and harvesting should be reduced by innovation of improved machinery.
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