MUGA CULTURE IN DHAKUAKHANA: AN ALTERNATIVE FARM-BASED SERICULTURAL ACTIVITY FOR SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOOD
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Date
2021
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Publisher
AAU, Jorhat
Abstract
The present study was carried out at Dhakuakhana sub-division of
Lakhimpur district, Assam with a sample of 160 respondents by following simple
random sampling technique to attain the objectives of the study. Appropriate
statistical tools viz., frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, weightage mean
score, correlation, chi square and multiple regression analysis were employed to
analyze the data.
The findings revealed that majority (48.75 %) of the respondents were
in the age group of 36-56 years with primary school level of education (30.00 %) and
were belonged to small sized family consisting of 2-4 members (53.75 %) who
considered agriculture as their primary source of income (53.75 %). Most of them
(70.00 %) had an average annual income between Rs. 1,00,000 to Rs. 2,77,000; most
of the respondents (75.00 %) had 3-5 working members in their household and were
small farmers with land holding from 1-2 ha (46.25 %). Moreover, majority (50.62
%) of the respondents were having medium level of farming experience between 10-
20 years, medium level of extension contacts and knowledge level on recommended
practices of muga (75.62 %) cultivation. Majority of the respondents (75.00 %) did
not have membership in farmers’ organization and utilization of communication
channel for collecting information was also low for most (40.78 %) of the
respondents. Majority of the respondents (58.75 %) had medium level of training
exposure and most of them put in their own finance for investment in cultivating
muga (55.63 %). Besides these, majority of the respondents (60.00 %) sell their
produce through village traders. Most of the muga rearers (58.75 %) exhibited a
medium level of extent of adoption of recommended scientific practices of muga.
Through multiple regression analysis it was found that age, education,
average annual family income, size of operational land holding, farming experience,
extension contact and training exposure were the significant factors that influenced
the extent of likelihood of adoption of scientific muga rearing practices.
The findings suggested that the government should take proper
initiatives to help the muga rearers and proper financial, technical, and other supports
should be provided to the rearers by the extension agencies, institutions etc.
Periodical need-based training should be provided and timely meetings should be
made between the rearers and experts to get proper information and solutions.
It is imperative to conclude from the study that muga industry is strong
enough to establish a distinctive identity in the study area. Muga culture involves
simple scientific technology which is easy to understand and adopt. The rearers need
to be encouraged towards the adoption of scientific recommended practices of muga
to achieve more production and income generation. Thus, the rearers of Dhakuakhana
should be made realized about the economic importance of muga and encourage them
to consider it as an alternate farm-based plan for their sustainable livelihood.