Effectiveness of communication channels in the adoption of farm practices
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Date
2006
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Publisher
CCSHAU
Abstract
Improved and effective communication is a crucial requirement for
sustainable agricultural development and is directly related to social and
economic development.
While transferring improved agricultural practices, the research and
client systems represent two separate social systems, each having its own
peculiar characteristics, set of norms, values, languages and communication
behaviour. The extension system is a link between these two and if this
system is not properly equipped, it may lead to serious communication gap
resulting in yield reduction.
The effective communication system based on specific communication
requirements of farmers has to cope with several constraints faced by the
farmers for sustainability in the paddy/cotton-wheat cropping system. This
would mean to identify and disseminate sustainable paddy/cotton-wheat
production technologies through appropriate compatible communication
channels.
The study was conducted in two blocks, namely, Hisar-II and Thanesar
from Hisar and Kurukshetra districts respectively. A total of 100 respondents
from four villages, two from each block were selected randomly.
The selected communication channels were mass media, group
discussions, meetings, demonstrations, personal contact and indirect
influence. The selected improved practices were use of improved seed,
fertilizer application, green manuring and plant protection measures.
The background variables of respondents were studied to find the
degree of influence on their behaviour. A majority of respondents belonged to
young age category (49.00 per cent), having educational level upto matric (66.00 per cent), high caste (92.00 per cent), joint family type (68.00 per cent)
and large family size, above five members (64.00 per cent). The respondents
were in a comfortable position as most of them were in the large holding size
group (46.00 per cent). The degree of enthusiasm of respondents for social
participation varied and is lacking i.e., majority had not participated in the
activities of social organizations (69.00 per cent) like panchayats,
cooperatives etc. Since farming was their role occupation, hence monthly
income was low.
The respondents were distributed in three categories, according to
their extent of adoption. The majority belonged to partial-adopters category
(45.25 per cent) followed by non-adopters (42.75 per cent) and then
full-adopters (12.00 per cent).
Regarding the comparative effectiveness of communication channels,
indirect influence leads (47.68 per cent) followed by demonstrations (19.11
per cent). Personal contact and group discussions through A.D.Os. were at
par (11.32 per cent) and 11.09 per cent) respectively. This was followed by
meetings (5.49 per cent) and mass media (5.31 per cent). The mass media
and meetings were effective at the initial stages of adoption, i.e., awareness
and interest, whereas others were at evaluation and trial stages of adoption.
In all the selected practices indirect influence showed high
effectiveness percentage except in green manuring practice where
demonstrations by A.D.Os. have shown high effectiveness (45.85 per cent).
While analyzing the overall critical constraints faced by the
respondents in the non-adoption of improved farm practices in
paddy/cotton-wheat cropping system. It was found that lack of technical
guidance, high cost of inputs, lack of irrigation facilities, unawareness about
the incidence of pests-diseases and their control were the major constraints
of concern to respondents.
The suggestions based on findings of the study are that the
characteristics of farmers along with particular practices need to be taken
into account while formulating extension strategies. Conducting
demonstrations at farmers’ fields for increasing adoption of green manuring
in the paddy/cotton-wheat cropping system is must. Strengthening of
irrigation facilities and awareness regarding the seeds of green manuring
crops is also stressed in this study. It is, therefore, recommended that a
target approach in imparting technological education to the farmers
belonging to different socio-economic sections of the society is likely to be
more effective. The pattern of land holdings strengthened the case for target
approach in providing technical education for agricultural development