MSc

The study entitled ‘A multidimensional analysis of awardee farmers of
Department of Agriculture Development and Farmers’ Welfare in Southern Kerala’ was
undertaken during 2019-2020. The objectives was to study the agripreneurial behaviour
of awardee farmers and their adoption behaviour with respect to package of practices
recommendations of Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) in major crops. The study
also aimed at documenting the good agricultural practices (GAP) followed by awardee
farmers in these crops. The constraints faced by the farmers at the farm level and
strategies to overcome the constraints was also assessed. The sample comprised of 70
awardee farmers, 35 from Thiruvananthapuram and 35 from Pathanamthitta districts.
Twelve independent variables were selected through judge’s rating. Agripreneurial
behaviour and adoption behaviour were the dependent variables selected.
On analysis, 54.28 per cent of awardee farmers belonged to middle age (35-55),
and 51.42 per cent of the respondents had education upto high school level. Majority of
the respondents (88.57% ) belonged to medium category of land holding with medium
farming experience (60%). More than half (77%) of the awardee farmers had medium
level of annual income. Majority of the awardee farmers were in the medium category of
decision making ability (67.14%), economic motivation (77.14%), dealing with failure
(75.71%), level of aspiration (72.85%), creativity(71.43%), credit orientation (64.28%)
and trainings acquired (65.71%).
The distribution of awardee farmers based on their agripreneurial behaviour
revealed that 67.14 per cent of them belonged to medium category followed by 17.14 per
cent in the high category and remaining 15.71 per cent in the low category. The mean
agripreneurial behaviour index was 64.6 with a minimum and maximum value of 50
and 81 respectively. The correlation analysis revealed that decision making ability,
economic motivation, dealing with failure, level of aspiration, creativity, credit orientation
and training acquired were positively and significantly correlated at 1% level of
significance.
The results of adoption index revealed that majority of awardee farmers belonged to
medium category of adoption (65.71%) followed by high (18.57%) and low category
(15.71%). The mean adoption index was 59.48 with a maximum and minimum adoption
index of 77.20 and 43.25 respectively. Independent variables like decision making ability,
economic motivation, dealing with failure, level of aspiration, creativity, credit orientation
and training acquired were significant at 1% level of significance whereas farming
experience at 5% level of significance.
Majority of the awardee farmers followed good agricultural practices like
application of a mixture of sand, salt and ash in the pit before transplanting of coconut
(92.8%), soaking of seeds in fresh water in jute sacks for one day and keeping wet seeds for
three days for germination in the case of rice (81.43%), covering of banana bunches with
dried banana leaves to increase bunch size (85.71%) and spraying neem oil -garlic emulsion
(2%) to control aphids of chilli (90%). The study also revealed that the awardee farmers
implemented many innovative technologies and enterprises that might be the reason for their
high agripreneurial and adoption behaviour which might have helped them in procuring the
awards declared by Department of Agriculture Development and Farmers’ Welfare.
The major constraint faced by the awardee farmers was pest and wild animals
attack. The strategy to overcome this constraint is to develop proper pest surveillance system
and crop health management system by the experts in the agriculture field.
To conclude, the agripreneurial behaviour of awardee farmers was highly correlated
to adoption behaviour which shows the importance of following the package of practices
recommendations of Kerala Agricultural University and other innovative technologies and
enterprises by the awardee farmers in receiving the awards.