Solanki, DhiritiKaur, Chamandeep2017-05-252017-05-252016Kaur and Solanki, 2016http://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/handle/1/5810012391Adoption of Improved Maize Production and Post Harvest Technologies by Farm Families of Agro-climatic Zone IV A of RajasthanThe present study was undertaken to assess and compare the knowledge of improved maize production and post harvest technologies among farmers and farm women; to find out the extent of adoption, gap in knowledge and adoption and constraints faced by the farm families in adoption of maize production and post harvest technologies. The study was conducted in two purposively selected districts viz. Udaipur and Chittorgarh of Agroclimatic zone IV A of Rajasthan. Two panchayat samities from each district were selected purposively and three villages from each panchayat samiti were selected on random basis. Thus, there were total six villages from each district and total 12 villages from both the districts. Fifteen farm families from each village and 90 farm families from each district were selected. One male and one female member of the farm family who was actively involved in maize cultivation was included in the sample. Thus, total sample for the present study was 360 respondents (180 farmers and 180 farm women). The interview schedule consisted of four sections i.e. personal characteristics of the respondents, knowledge of the respondent about improved maize production and post harvest technologies, extent of adoption of improved maize production and post harvesting technologies by the farm families and constraints in adoption of improved maize production and post harvest technologies by the farm families. Frequency distribution, percentage, mean score, paired t-test and analysis of variance were used to analyze the data. The findings of the study revealed that equal number of farmers and farm women (40%) belonged to 46-60 years, whereas 40 and 31.11 per cent farm women were in the age group of 31-35 years. All the respondents were married, 40 per cent farmer and farm women were under backward caste category whereas, equal number of farmer and farm women (20%) were from SC/ST, upper middle class and upper caste. All of the respondents were from joint family. Majority of the respondents (80%) had medium size family consisting of 5-8 members. Farming was the main occupation of all the respondents (100%) and 50 per cent respondents were engaged in dairy as a subsidiary occupation along with farming. Majority of the farmers (63.89%) and farm women (83.33%) were illiterate. Most of the respondents (93.33 to 96.11%) had no organizational membership. Equal number of respondents (33.33%) belonged to marginal, small and large farmer category. Majority of the farm families (60%) were residing in pucca house. Majority of farmers (59.44%) and farm women (56.67%) were in the category of low socio-economic status followed by 21.11 and 23.89 per cent farmers and farm women who belonged to medium socio-economic status. The farmers possessed good knowledge about improved maize production and post harvest technologies as majority of them belonged to good knowledge category with overall MPS 70.89 and 68.25, respectively. In case of farm women they possessed poor knowledge about improved maize production and post harvest technologies as majority of them (93.33%) belonged to poor knowledge category with MPS 23.61 and 30.42, respectively. With regard to adoption, farm families had high level of adoption of improved maize production technologies with overall MPS 83.99 whereas, farm families had medium level of adoption of improved post harvest technologies of maize with overall MPS 59.44. Gap in knowledge and adoption of improved maize production technologies revealed that the overall gap in knowledge and adoption was found to be 13.10 and 60.38 per cent in case of farmer and farm women, respectively. The adoption score were significantly higher than the knowledge scores. In Post harvest technologies, in case of farmers the overall gap in knowledge and adoption was found to be 8.21 per cent with knowledge significantly higher than the adoption. In case of farm women, the overall gap in knowledge and adoption was 30.41 per cent with adoption significantly higher than the knowledge. The most important constraint faced by farm families was damage of maize field by the blue bulls due to absence of proper fencing (96.11 MPS). The other constraints faced by the farm families in adoption of improved maize production and post harvest technologies were high labour charges (93.06 MPS), unavailability of labour and fragmented land holdings (91.11 MPS), high cost of farm implements (87.50 MPS) and agricultural inputs (83.89 MPS), non availability of fumigants in time (50.83MPS) and lack of knowledge about improved storage structure (37.50MPS).ennullThesis