Balakrishna Pillai, GViju, AKAU2020-02-122020-02-121985http://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/handle/1/5810142914PGThe research was conducted in. Nedumangad taluk of Trivandrum district to study the adoption behaviourof tribal farmers. The method of probability proportionate to sample size was followed for selecting 110 'Kanikkars'. Extent of knowledge about the improved agricultural practices attitude towards farming and extent of adoption of improved agricultural practices were measured. The data were collected by interviewing using the interview schedule developed. Croup discussions and participant observation were also made use of The study revealed the following Majority of the *Kanikkars' had a medium level of knowledge about improved agricultural practices, a medium level of attitude towards farming and a low level of adoption . Extent o f knowledge about improved agricultural practices had positive association with educational status, social participation , risk orientation, cosmopollteness and annual income. Fatalism had negative association with the extent of knowledge. Attitude of tribal farmers towards fanning had positive relation ship with educational status, social participation, risk orientation, economic motivation and annual income, whereas status of land tenancy was negatively correlated . Extent o f adoption of improved agricultural practices had positive association with educational status, economic motivation and annual income. Stop-wise regression analysis revealed that risk orientation , educational status# indebtedness, social participation and economic motivation contributed to 73 per cent o f the variation in the extent o f knowledge about improved agricultural practices. Risk orientation# educational status, indebtedness, social participation, economic motivation, annual income and status of land tenancy contributed to 69.3 per cent of the variation in the attitude towards farming. Risk orientation, economic motivation, indebtedness, annual income and educational status contributed to 62.8 percent of the variation in the extent of adoption of improved agricultural practices. Risk orientation emerged as the most Important variable in a ll the three regression analyses.ennullThesis