A PROFILE STUDY OF FARM OPINION LEADERS AND THEIR FOLLOWERS IN GUNTUR DISTRICT OF ANDHRA PRADESH

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Date
1999
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad
Abstract
The study was conducted during the year 1998-99 in the purposively selected Bapatla Mandal of Guntur district in Andhra Pradesh. Out of 20 villages in Bapalla Mandal, 2 villages Murukondapadu and Rhartipudi were selected on progressiveness criteria as progressive and non-progressive villages respectively. Six opinion leaders and 48 followers from each village were selected based on sociometric scores. Selected opinion leaders and followers were inter-viewed to know their personal, socioeconomic and psychological characteristics and to assess their knowledge and adoption regarding rice cultivation practices. The major findings of the study were : The concentration of socioeconomic score of the best-perceived opinion leader was higher with sociometric score of 318 in the non-progressive village, than that in the progressive village where the best-perceived opinion leader had sociometric score of 79 only. In the non-progressive village, 50.00 percent each of the opinion leaders had middle school and high school levels of education. In progressive village majority of the; opinion leaders (83.33) had high school level of education. Majority of the followers in the non-progressie and progressive village had lower educational levels compared to opinion leaders. Majority of the opinion leaders in the non-progressive village (66.67%) and in progressive village (83.33%) belonged to middle age group. Among the followers, 66.67 percent in the non-progressive village and 62.50 percent in the progressive village were in middle age group. In both villages, the majority of the opinion leaders had medium to high levels of participation informal organizations, cosmopolites, mass media participation, extension participation, extension contact, innovative proneness, economic motivation, scientific orientation and risk preference whereas, the followers belonged to medium to low level. In non-progressive and progressive villages, the majority of the respondents (81.48°/o and 68.52%, respectively) had a medium level of knowledge regarding recommended cultivation practices of rice. In the non-progressive village and progressive village, the majority of the respondents (72.22°/o and 53.70%, respectively) had a medium level of adoption regarding recommended cultivation practices of rice.
Description
Keywords
null
Citation
No . of references 78
Collections