MSc

This study was designed to identify the problems and
prospects of trained rural youth in agriculture with extent of



adoption of scientific practices and their entrepreneurial behaviour. Sericulture being a newly introduced self employment avenue and beekeeping being an old avenue with a lot
of trainings imparted to the unemployed youth were selected as
the self employment avenues for the study. Following multistage
random sampling 200 trained youth were selected from the five
blocks of Idukki district as 50 practising and 50 non practising

in each selected avenue and interviewed to study their
entrepreneurial behaviour, extent of adoption of scientific



practices in sericulture and beekeeping and their


profile



characteristics.


Regarding the problems in sericulture lack of



assured price, small holding size, inadequate extension support,
lack of quality planting materials, non availability of credit,
lack of marketing facilities were identified as major problems
and effective utilisation of family labour, minimise unemployment
status and gain additional income to the family were the major



prospects.


In beekeeping, loss of bees due to virus disease,



lack


of fixed price for honey, inadequate training,


non



availability of credit, disease free bees, lack of organised
marketing network were identified as major problems whereas
effective utilisation of family labour, gain additional income to
the family, and conservation of vegetation were the major
prospects.
Majority of the practising youth in two avenues had
high level of entrepreneurial behaviour and the non practising
youth had low level of entrepreneurial behaviour.
Study revealed that majority of the sampled youth had
high level of adoption in sericulture and beekeeping. Decision
making ability and competition orientation have no correlation
with extent of adoption in sericulture, whereas in beekeeping,
innovation proneness and competetion orientation have no
relation.
Regarding the personal characteristics majority of the
had less farming experience, less annual income less training,
low level of extension contact, extension participation and high
level of knowledge, information seeking behaviour and mass media
exposure. Extension contact, extension participation, mass media
exposure, knowledge and training attended had no significant
relationship with entrepreneurial behaviour.
Farming experience, annual income, mass media exposure,
knowledge and information seeking behaviour were positively and
significantly influencing extent of adoption of scientific
practices.