RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FARMERS WITH EXTENT OF KNOWLEDGE GAINED AS A RESULT OF PARTICIPATING IN KRUSHI MAHOTSAV

S.P. PANDYA¹*, K.S. PATEL², M.R. PRAJAPATI³, D.B. PATEL^4
1Sardarkrushinagar Dantiwada Agricultural University, Sardarkrushinagar, Banashkantha, 385506, Gujarat
²Sardarkrushinagar Dantiwada Agricultural University, Sardarkrushinagar, Banashkantha, 385506, Gujarat
³Sardarkrushinagar Dantiwada Agricultural University, Sardarkrushinagar, Banashkantha, 385506, Gujarat
⁴B.R. Hort. Polytechnic, Sardarkrushinagar Dantiwada Agricultural University, Jagudan, Mehsana, Gujarat
* Corresponding Author : pandyasp@gmail.com

Received : 09-04-2016     Accepted : 16-04-2016     Published : 28-06-2016
Volume : 8     Issue : 22       Pages : 1414 - 1416
Int J Agr Sci 8.22 (2016):1414-1416

Keywords : Krushi Mahotsav, Correlation analysis, Multiple Regression analysis
Conflict of Interest : None declared
Acknowledgements/Funding : None declared
Author Contribution : None declared

Transfer of scientific technologies from research station to farmers’ fields plays the vital role for rural development and rural upliftment. Transfer of technology takes place through Central Government, State Government and various NGOs to some little extent. Due to wide geographic area, illiteracy, lack of skilled government officers and many other reasons people cannot aware about scientific technologies. Implementations of these programmes in rural area are essential for improving standard of living of rural community. The government of Gujarat organizes Krushi Mahotsav every year before monsoon. Krushi Mahotsav is a unique and combine approach of transfer of technology in the whole rural area. There are 18000 villages in Gujarat and Krushi Rath equipped with scientific technology through posters, panels, TV moves in every village. The scientists of agricultural universities are appointed to deliver latest technical know-how. It was started in 2005, it is a festival especially designed for the benefits of farming community and the duration of the festival is of one month, eight Krushi Mahotsav have been completed till study. There was need of deeper probe into the resultant effect of Krushi Mahotsav. The present study to find out relationship between selected characteristics of the farmers with extent of knowledge gained as a result of participating in Krushi Mahotsav. Four districts of Gujarat state Banaskantha, Mahesana, Sabarkantha and Kachchh were randomly selected for this study. From each selected district, two talukas and from each taluka three villages were selected randomly for the study. A list of villagers/farmers who had attended all the three Krushi Mahotsav (2006, 2007 and 2008) was made available from government authority. Later on ten farmers from each village were randomly selected which consisted a sample size of 240 respondents. There are fifteen variable used for the study, out of them 14 variables namely education, social participation, size of land holding, occupation, annual income, market orientation, credit orientation, risk-preference, economic motivation, innovative proneness, rationality in decision making, attitude towards Krushi Mahotsav, extension participation and source of information were positively and significantly correlated with extent of knowledge gained through Krushi Mahotsav. Whereas, age was negatively and significant correlation with extent of knowledge gained through Krushi Mahotsav. It can be concluded that 57.90 per cent total variation in knowledge gained through participating in Krushi Mahotsav was explained by a set of 15 independent variables together. Further, out of 15 variables, four variables viz., attitude towards Krushi Mahotsav, age, innovative proneness and extension participation had significant contribution in knowledge gained through participating in Krushi Mahotsav. Transfer of scientific technologies from research station to farmers’ fields plays the vital role for rural development and rural upliftment. Transfer of technology takes place through Central Government, State Government and various NGOs to some little extent. Due to wide geographic area, illiteracy, lack of skilled government officers and many other reasons people cannot aware about scientific technologies. Implementations of these programmes in rural area are essential for improving standard of living of rural community.