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A research study was conducted to identify and analyse the endangered
skills in the farming systems of Mukundapuram Taluk, Thrissur District. The study
also aimed at analysing the relationship of participation of farm youth in farming
and their acquisition of indigenous skills with their behavioural characteristics. The
factors associated with the endangered conditions of farm ski lis and the constraints
in relation to the participation of farm youth in farming were analysed.
The study was conducted in two phases - phase I and phase H. The
sample selected for the study was of 100 farm youth which consisted of 50 each of
young farmers and young farm labourers. The phase I of the study covered all the
27 panchayats of Mukundapuram Taluk, and the phase II was conducted in five
selected panchayats of the Taluk. The research endeavour identified 73 indigenous
farm skills of which 38 skills were endangered, 33 still popular and two extinct
skills. The factors associated with the endangered conditions of farm skills were
identified.
The phase II revealed significant variaticn In the indigenous skill
acquisition index (ISAI) of farmers. Majority (54%) of the farm youth were in the
range of very Iow to Iow ISAI. Index of participation in farming (IPF) revealed
that almost half of the farm youth had very low to Iow participation in farming.
The physical participation of majority of young farmers were low to very Iow but
they had high to moderately high participation as supervision, in farming. The
young farm labourers had high to moderately high physical participation while
they had low to very low supervision in farming.
Statistical analysis revealed that 39.24 per cent of the variation in the
participation of farm youth in farming was influenced by six variables namely
self confidence, risk orientation, social participation, agricultural background,
attitude towards self employment in agriculture and allied fields and econorrnc

moti vation. About 19.7 per cent of variation in the acquisition of indigenous skill
by farm youth was explained by five variables namely primary occupation, attitude
towards self employment in agriculture and allied fields, self confidence, sense of
responsibility in farming and farming experience.
Among the constraints perceived by farm youth in relation to their
participation in farming, risk and uncertainty involved, drudgery of labour and low
profit from agriculture were perceived as important. These imply that farming
should be viewed as an enterprise and strategies and programmes should be
devised to inculcate the entrepreneurial skills in the farm youth. Concerted efforts
for evolving appropriate, small machines and promotion of farm mechanisation are
also needed in this context. Identification, documentation and utilisation of the
extinct/endangered farm skills can form the starting point of such efforts of applied
research.