Browsing by Author "Raj Kamal, P J"

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Study of selected environmental factors influencing extension personnel in communicating improved animal husbandry practices
(Department of Extension, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, 1979) Raj Kamal, P J; Prabhakaran, T
The objectives of the study were to understand the working conditions of the personnel engaged in animal husbandry extension with regard to selected environmental factors and to explore the relationship, if any, existing between the perception of the selected environmental factors by the extension personnel and their self-assessment on their role in the 'Change agent-Client system contact'. The study was conducted in Trichur taluk with all the 60 personnel engaged in animal husbandry extension work. These personnel comprised of Village Extension Officers, Livestock Assistants, Dairy Farm Instructors and Veterinary Surgeons. Results revealed that for majority of the Village Extension Officers the 'Guidance and supervision', 'Services and supplies' and 'Job satisfaction' were only 'some-what satisfactory' and below, while for factors like 'People's participation', 'Interpersonal relations and 'Communication', the environment was 'some-what satisfactory' and above. Livestock Assistants were in general not satisfied with 'Guidance and supervision', 'Services and supplies','Communication' and 'Job satisfaction'; 'some-what satisfied' with 'People's participation' and 'satisfied' with 'Interpersonal relations'. Most of the Dairy Farm Instructors expressed the existence of 'some-what satisfactory' environment on factors like 'Guidance and supervision', 'Services and supplies', 'People's participation', 'Communication' and 'Job satisfaction'. They were quite satisfied with their 'Interpersonal relationship'. For majority of Veterinary Surgeons, all the six environmental factors appeared to be 'some-what satisfactory'. Livestock Assistants had an entirely different perception of the environmental factors leaning more towards total dissatisfaction when compared to other categories in the study. There was almost unanimous agreement by all categories of personnel to the unsatisfactory nature of 'Services and supplies' prevailing in the diffusion of animal husbandry innovations and also in their 'Job satisfaction'. It was found that in the self-assessment of the extension personnel's contacts with clients the environmental factors studied had least importance in the case of Village Extension Officers and some importance in the case of Livestock Assistants and Veterinary Surgeons. The results thus indicate the necessity to improve upon the efficiency of the existing administrative machinery. It also suggests the need for a more detailed study of the working environment prevailing in the projects and organisations engaged in livestock development.
Utilization of communication sources by dairy entrepreneurs of Ollukkara block in Thrissur district
(Department of Extension, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, 2000) Pradeep, C A; Raj Kamal, P J
The utilization of communication sources and the information and skill needs of 60 dairy entrepreneurs in Ollukkara block of Thrissur district were studied. A multistage random sampling procedure was adopted to select the respondents. The socio-personal, socio-economic and socio-psychological characteristics of the respondents were studied along with •availability, preference, utilization pattern, credibility of communication sources and information and skill needs of farmers by using a structured schedule. Suitable statistical tools were used for analysing the data collected. Dairy entrepreneurs were seen utilizing information source in their system, both institutional and media. Of the various sources, the most accessible to them comparatively were milk co-operatives, radio and newspaper. Though veterinary hospital, veterinary college and other professionally qualified persons were the comparatively most preferred for information regarding dairying, yet these sources were not seen utilized adequately, Instead, the sources comparatively utilized were radio, newspaper and friends. The reasons for this strange finding are to be understood. Feature stories and question-answer items in the farm pages of dailies, farm news, Kerala Agricultural University news and farm and home programme of radio were seen frequently read or heard. Hence, the utility of these items/programmes such as training, symposium and farm clinics were found to be less available and evidently less utilized. These programmes need to be adequately organized inorder to address to the needs of dairy entrepreneurs. It was in general observed that availability or access and preference for communication sources influenced their frequency of utilization. The first three most important and trustworthy communication sources mentioned were other professionally qualified persons, veterinary college and veterinary hospital, those most preferred for information, even as the same were comparatively less utilized by the entrepreneurs. This situation obviously demanded for a more entrepreneur friendly approach adopted by these sources. Of the information needs, the most needed ones were heat detection and artificial insemination followed by bread characteristics and source of good dairy animals for purchase. Hence information on these felt needs are to be imparted through appropriate extension methods preferably through the most utilized media sources such as radio and newspaper but regularly and repeatedly. Skills were most needed about first aid measures, preparing concentrate feed and handling milking machine. Demonstrations can help in this regard. Similarly, proper understanding of the importance of skills such as making milk products, preparing silage and urea treatment of straw which are very relevant to economic dairying is to be developed through suitable extension methods. Although all the independent variables studied had together explained considerable and significant variation in the frequency of utilization of communication sources, yet fixed investment, economic motivation and levels of aspiration were found to be the strong determinants of the frequency of utilization of communication sources. While considering information and skill needs together, the strong determinants were educational status, land holding, fixed investment, innovation proneness and marketing orientation.