MSc

The study entitled "Technology needs and risks assessment in specialised homegardens‘ was conducted at Thiruvanathapuram district covering 60 homegardens with 12 respondents each from the five agro-ecological units. The objective of the study was to delineate the technology needs, categorize the different dimensions and the risk of specialisations in homegardens. The study also focused to delineate extent of horizontal cum vertical integrations, constraints and solutions as perceived by the homegarden farmers who incorporated specialisations in their homegardens.
The personal characteristics (independent variables) of the specialised homegarden farmers include age, education, family size, occupation, annual homegarden income, effective homegarden area, attitude, extension contact, extension participation and market orientation. The technology needs and risk assessment as perceived by specialised homegarden farmers were the other variables of the study.
The maximum crop dominance (numeric dominance) was noticed for coconut (1.89) followed by banana (1.94), rubber (2.32), tapioca (3.45), vegetables (3.67), yams and colocasia (4.22) and arecanut (4.60) in the decreasing order of dominance. The extent of horizontal diversification revealed that 60 per cent of the specialised homegardens had 4 or more than 4 tiers of diversification, whereas 61.6 per cent of the specialised homegardens had less than 3 levels of vertical diversification.
Value addition technology needs (1.93) were more when compared to production (2.58) and protection (2.23) in dominant crops as perceived by the respondents. Similarly for Animal Husbandry components, technologies related to
goat (2.00) were more required when compared to cow (2.67) and poultry (2.50). Under the dimensions of technology delineated, economic dimension was felt the most important by both specialised homegarden farmers and Agricultural Officers. Under economic dimension, regularity of returns (E5), income generation potential (E2) and initial cost (E1); under technical dimension, flexibility (T12), desirability (T14) and availability of supplies (T15); under environmental dimensions, sustainability (Ev18): under socio-economic dimension, social acceptability (SC19); under psychological dimensions, attitude (P 1); under human resource dimensions, physical labour requirement (HR 26) and skilled labour (HR 27) were perceived to be important by both specialised homegarden farmers and Agricultural Officers. There also exists positive and significant relationship between the independent variables viz. extension contact and extension participation with technology needs at 1 % level significance.
The benefit cost ratio as perceived by the farmers undertaking specialisations at the time of data enumeration showed that ornamentals derived maximum profit (B:C ratio-3.44) followed by rubber (3.15), livestock - cow (2.76), fruit trees (2.4) and aquaculture (2.15).
On analysis of risks it was found that maximum risks was for homegarden with floriculture as specialisation (86.41) followed by aquaculture (84.59), poultry (83.33) and the least was observed for banana (68.84) as perceived by the farmers with specialisations. However an analysis of the different types of risk in relation to the different specialisations, it was noticed that for crop based specialisations, protection risks (14.12) was the highest followed by value addition (10). Further the results of the risk assessment for different specialisations with respect to production, marketing, financial, legal and environmental risks and human resource risks revealed that marketing risks was the highest with a score of 213.72 and legal and environmental risks was perceived to be least with a score of 162.27. When different types of risk was co-related with independent variables, it was found that extension contact (0.319) and extension participation (0.341) were positively and significantly related with production risks at 1 per cent level of
significance. Similarly occupation (0.280) and effective homegarden area (0.279) were positively and significantly related with marketing risks at 5 per cent level significance.
Lack of timely skill based extension service, lack of poor harvest and storage facilities, lack of markets for specialised homegarden products were the primary constraints which needed utmost importance as perceived by the specialised homegarden farmers. Solutions as perceived by the respondents included frequent field visit by extension officials, provision of subsidies, market cluster approach to increase profit and reduce risks and farmer friendly homegarden suited implements to face labour shortage. However, agricultural officer‘s primary suggestions include market intelligence-resource pool marketing, nurturing innovation platform, provision of incentives and rewards for performing specialised homegardens for augmenting the specialised homegardens in terms of space all over Kerala. Technology interventions suitable to the specialisations, appropriate dimensions of technology perceived by the farmers along with risk mitigating strategies could definitely make homegardens a well-established agricultural production system. Scaling up of extension activities for promoting specialisations in homegardens by competent authorities combined with effective action from policy makers can enhance the welfare of the farmers and also the economic development of the state.