Social Network Analysis of Direct seeded Rice in Bihar
Loading...
Files
Date
2022
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Department of Extension Education, BAU, Sabour
Abstract
The study titled “Social Network Analysis of Direct Seeded Rice in Bihar” was conducted during the year 2021-22 in the Bhagalpur and West Champaran districts of Bihar with the purpose (i) to identify social network of different innovation- diffusion process of direct seeded rice, (ii) to assess the attributes of those social network, (iii) to understand the role of different actor in diffusion process and (iv) to generate suggestions for improving the efficacy of social network in the diffusion process. The study was carried out in the Sultanganj and Kahalgaon blocks of the Bhagalpur district and Nautan and Bairiya of West Champaran district. 60 respondents from each blocks who were growing direct seeded rice were purposefully chosen to participate in the data collection, thus the total number of respondents were 240. The data was coded, tabulated, and statistical analysis was performed on it. Numerous statistical methods, including frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and statistical software such as SPSS and UCINET-6 were used to analyse the data.
Results of the study on the socioeconomic traits of the respondent farmers revealed that the age of average respondent farmers was between 44-64 years in both districts. The respondent farmers’ modal education attainment was ‘middle school’ in Bhagalpur and ‘primary school’ in West Champaran district. The average family size was medium in Bhagalpur district and high in West Champaran district. The respondent farmers’ modal family type was ‘joint’ in both the district. In Bhagalpur district average land holding of the respondent farmers was small and marginal in West Champaran district with agriculture as their primary source of income. The respondent farmers' modal income ranged from 75000 to 150000. The average farming experience of the respondent farmers was above 25 years in Bhagalpur and between 10 to 25 years in West Champaran district. The average respondent farmers had medium level of mass media exposures, cosmopoliteness and extension contact.
Additionally, the investigation into the social networks of various innovation diffusion processes for direct-seeded rice indicated that there were total 120 actors with the web of 234, 270, 371, 322, 297, 256, 234 and 322 ties in the communication networks of direct seeded rice on seed and planting material, agricultural packages of practices, nutrients, irrigation, plant protection, harvesting, credit and government schemes in Bhagalpur district with the network density for all the eight domain of 16, 19, 26, 23, 21, 21, 16, 23 per cent respectively. The average degree were 1.9, 2.2, 2.96, 2.6, 2.47, 2.32, 1.9, and 2.6 per cent for the domains. Similarly, for west Champaran district total 120 actors with the web of 214, 128, 201, 198, 188, 126, 172 and 191 ties in the communication networks of direct seeded rice on seed and planting material, agricultural packages of practices, nutrients, irrigation, plant protection, harvesting, credit and government schemes domain were studied. They had network densities of 15, 10, 14, 11, 7, 13, 12 and per cent for each of the eight domains with average degree of 1.78, 1.78, 2.37, 1.58, 1.56, 2.33, 2.33 and 1.5 per cent in West Champaran district.
Further, study on different attributes of social network such as network density, degree centrality, closeness centrality and betweenness centrality showed that network density (measure of linkage) was high for nutrients domain followed by government schemes, the mean in degree centrality (measures of tie directed toward an actors from other actors) was high for nutrients domain, the mean in closeness centrality (measures of closeness) was high for plant protection domain followed by government schemes, the between centrality (measures of liaison relationship) was high for credit domain followed by plant protection domain in Bhagalpur district. In the West Champaran district, the mean degree centrality was high for the domain of seeds and planting materials, the mean closeness centrality was high for the harvesting domain followed by the agricultural packages of practices domain, and the mean betweenness centrality was high for the credit domain then irrigation and harvesting domain.
The study on central actors' contributions to diffusion process revealed that the employees of Krishi Vigyan Kendra, the Agricultural Technological Manager, opinion leaders, progressive farmers, farmers' friends, and the agricultural coordinator were important actors in the diffusion of innovation in the Bhagalpur district. In West Champaran district central actors involved in diffusion process were Agricultural Technical Manager, progressive farmers, farmers’ friends, opinion leaders, Krishi Vigyan Kendra personnel and agricultural coordinator.
Major suggestion which were generated at the time of interview from respondent farmers revealed that conducting training for farmers, holding demonstrations and minikit trails in order to effective gain knowledge about the direct seeded rice followed by timely credit and resources supply as some of the main suggestions in Bhagalpur district. In West Champaran district, the primary recommendations made at the time of the interview by the respondent farmers included provision of timely financing and resources to farmers followed by the provision of expert services and resource development for key and central actors, utilization of information and communication technology for promotion of direct seeded rice among farmers network.
Based on the study it can be concluded that introduction of new innovation needs to be promoted at grassroots level of farmers. Direct seeded rice is a new and an innovative technology which is being diffused among famers network at a slow pace. To accelerate the pace of the diffusion of direct seeded rice or any new innovation there is need of promotion of such innovation among farmers social network. The development of key and pivotal actors' capacities is crucial since their participation in the dissemination process is crucial. Additionally essential are government initiatives for the diffusion and promotion of specific new innovations. Therefore, it is advised that focus be placed on direct seeded rice promotion and dissemination activities among farmers' social networks.