Browsing by Author "Sreevalsan J Menon"

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Coping strategies of flood affected farmers in Thrissur district
(Department of Agricultural Extension, College of Agriculture, Vellanikkara, 2021-11-09) Meghna Gireesh; Sreevalsan J Menon
The study was conducted among 80 flood affected paddy farmers and 80 flood affected banana farmers in Thrissur district to assess their coping strategies for mitigating the impact of flood of 2018 that devastated Kerala. The impact of flood was manifest as changed cropping pattern, labour disengagement, silt deposition in fields and temporary displacement of farmers. The impact on well water contamination and change in total cropped area were considerably less consequential. The overall average coping strategy index of the flood affected farmers was 66.69. The coping strategy index of paddy and banana farmers were 69.34 and 64.04 respectively. Majority of the farmers had medium level of coping strategy. The coping strategy index was constructed using the four components viz., institutional coping, psychological coping, technological coping and economic coping. In the case of institutional coping, farmers received more support from voluntary organizations and Krishi bhavans. Majority of the farmers had medium to high level of achievement motivation, decision making ability, environmental orientation and faith and belief orientation. Agricultural technology coping such as liming, nutrient management, pest, disease management and field sanitation have been adopted by majority of the farmers. Almost all paddy and banana farmers disposed off their assets and borrowed money from banks. Almost all paddy farmers incurred extensive losses in their farms, livestock and household articles at an estimated mean loss of about rupees 1,31,171 per homestead. All banana farmers incurred losses in their farms, livestock and household articles at an estimated average loss of about rupees 1,07,110 per homestead. The average asset disposal value of banana farmers was Rupees 2,27,101 which was higher than that of paddy farmers whose disposal value was Rupees 2,08,488. The average residual funds available for paddy and banana farmers was more than rupees 4.50 lakhs and this fund was utilized to cover the losses due to agricultural and non-agricultural entities. Almost all farmers used the funds mustered to survive the loss due to floods. The average residual funds available for banana farmers was higher than that of paddy farmers. The coping strategy index of farmers of Koratty panchayat was higher than those Padiyur panchayat. When crop-wise comparisons are made, flood affected paddy farmers were observed to be coping better than banana farmers. The coping strategy indices between paddy and banana farmers are observed to have a significant relationship. However there is no relationship between panchayat wise coping strategies of farmers. The interaction between crops and panchayats has a significant relationship with the coping strategy index of farmers. Majority of the farmers were males who had completed high school level education and were in the age group of 40 to 60 years. Majority of the farmers were under the small and marginal farmers category with more than 21 years of experience in farming. Their level of extension agency contact, mass media exposure, social participation and risk orientation were medium. Farmers’ political participation was found to be low. All farmers received flood related monetary compensation from the government. More than one fourth of the farmers diversified their enterprises but one fifth reduced their enterprises and half of the them maintained the enterprises as such as a result of flood. Farm size, risk orientation and extension agency contact had positive and significant relationship with coping strategy index. Farm size had positive and significant relationship with institutional coping, psychological coping and technological coping and economic coping. Increased risk orientation enhanced psychological coping and a smaller family size were found to enhance economic coping.
Perception of agricultural officers and selected progressive farmers on computer mediated communication: A socio-psychological analysis
(Department of Agricultural Extension, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2008) Grace Sarala, S; Sreevalsan J Menon
Taxonomical analysis of agricultural modernity of farmers
(Department of Agricultural Extension, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 1995) Sreevalsan J Menon; Bhaskaran, S
This study was undertaken based on the premise that any attempt to design a suitable extension strategy for modernizing agriculture requires a through understanding of the individual modernity of a farmer. The study area was the Perumbazhuthoor Panchayat and a sample of 120 farmers were randomy selected. The data were collected with the help of a pre-tested interview schedule and suitable statistical tests were applied. The main findings of the study were as follows: Among the four components viz., socio-psychological behaviour, adoption behaviour, communication behaviour and economic behaviour, adoption behaviour received maximum weight. Nine items (determinants) were selected out of 18 items proposed across the four components. The number of determinants were three under socio-psychological behaviour and two each under adoption, communication and economic behaviour. A composite agricultural modernity index was developed with the nine determinants viz., education, attitude towards scientific cultivation, knowledge, adoption of improved practices, innovativeness, information source utilisation, information dissemination behaviour, economic motivation and management orientation. Increase in the nine determinants viz., education, attitude towards scientific cultivation, knowledge, adoption of improved agricultural practices, innovativeness, information source utilization, information dissemination behaviour, economic motivation and management orientation enhanced CAMI. For every five unit increase in each of the determinants namely education, attitude towards scientific agriculture, knowledge, adoption of improved agricultural practices innovativeness, information source utilization, information dissemination behaviour, economic motivation and management orientation, there was one unit increase in CAMI. Nearly two third of the total respondents belonged to the medium modernity level. None of the categories of farmers came under very high modernity level. Two third of the farmers under Category I, II, III belonged to the medium modernity level, and nearly one fourth belonged to the high modernity level. None of the farmers under Category III came under the low modernity level. Almost half of the respondents had high levels of satisfaction and calculability but had low levels of social participation. Nearly two third of the farmers were less environmentally oriented and less fatalistic. Increase in the psychographics, viz., satisfaction, calculability, social participation and environmental orientation enhanced CAMI and a decrease in fatalism enhanced CAMI. For every three unit increase in satisfaction, there was two unit increase in CAMI ceterisparibus. For every one unit decrease in fatalism ceterisparibus, there would be one unit increase in CAMI. For every two units increase each in calculability and social participation ceterisparibus, there were three units increase and one unit increase in CAMI respectively. For every one unit increase in environmental orientation, there were two units increase in CAMI ceterisparibus. Increase in the factors viz., farm size, number of enterprises, credit behaviour, cosmopoliteness, training and risk orientation increased CAMI and a decrease in farming experience increased the CAMI. For every one unit increase each in cosmopoliteness, training and risk orientation there was one unit increase in CAMI ceterisparibus.