MSc

The study entitled "Techno-socio-economic consequences
of NWDPRA in Thiruvananthapuram district" was undertaken tc
assess the techno-socio-economic consequences on beneficiaries
due to the implementation of NWDPRA. An attempt was also made
to identify the constraints perceived by the farmers and
extension agents.
The study was conducted in the four watersheds, one
from each t a l u k of Thiruvananthapuram district which was
selected randomly. A sample of hundred beneficiaries was
selected according to the probability proportional to size of
the beneficiaries in the selected watershed areas. Data were
collected through well structured and pretested i n t e r v i e v
schedule.
The study revealed the following:
Majority of the farmers had small land holdings. Most
of the farmers received only medium level of technical
guidance.
The percept ions of the major i t y of respondents about
the availability of low cost watershed technologies,
observability of the innovation and complexity of the
innovation were medium.

About three-fourths of the farmers had a favourable
attitude towards watershed development programmes. Most of the
farmers had medium level of extension participation, mass media
exposure and economic motivation.
More than half of the respondents did not attend any
training programme related to watershed management.
More than half of the respondents had only medium
I eve 1 0 f k now led g e i n wa t e r s he d p 1 ann i n g , i nn 0 vat i v e n e ss,
indebtedness and orientation towards incentives.
Majority of the farmers followed medium level of
cropping intensity.
The adoption of the watershed management practices by
the farmers was only at medium level. Social status of the
farmers was on average level.
The perception of the farmers about the employment
generated was low and the perception about the increase in
resource use efficiency was medium.
About half of the respondents were of the perception
that the increase in income and productivity was low on account
of NWDPRA.
Farm size, availability of low cost watershed
technologies, observabiiity of the innovation, attitude towards

watershed development programmes, extension participation, mass
media exposure, training participation, knowledge in w~tershed
planning and cropping intensity had positive and significant
association with adoption of watershed management practices.
Complexity of innovation and indebtedness had negative
association with adoption.
Social status of farmers had positive association with
farm size, technical guidarice, availability of low cost
watershed technologies, observabi 1 i t y of innovat ion, at t i tude
towards watershed development programmes, extension
participation, training participation, knowledge in watershed
planning, innovativeness and orientation towards incentives.
Indebtedness had negative association with social status of
farmers.
Employment generation had positive and significant
relationship with indebtedness and orientation towards
incentives.
Farm size, technical guidance, availability of low
cost watershed technologies, observability of the innovation,
attitude towards watershed development programmes, extension
participation, training participation and knowledge in
watershed planning had positive and significant relationship
with increase in resource use efficiency.

The variables farm size, availability of low cost
watershed technologies, observability of the innovation,
attitude towards watershed development programmes, extension
participation, mass media exposure, economic motivation,
knowledge in watershed planning, innovativeness and cropping
intensity were found to have positive and significant
relationship with increase in income. Indebtedness had a
negative relationship with increase in income.
Increase in productivity had a positive and
significant relationship with farm size, availability of low
cost watershed technologies, observability of innovation,
at tit ude towards watershed deve lopment programmes, ex ens ion
participation, mass media exposure, training p a r t i c i pa t i on ,
knowledge in watershed planning and cropping intensity.
Indebtedness had a negative relationship with increase in
productivity. ~
Stepwise regression analysis revealed that availa
bility of low cost watershed technologies and farm size
contributed to 76 per cent of variation in adoption of
watershed management practices.
The results of s t e pw i s e regression analysis revealed
that the variables farm size, mass media exposure, orientation
towards incentives, technical guidance, observability of
innovation, innovativeness and attitude towards watershed

development programmes contributed to 54 per cent of variation
in social status of farmers.
The important constraint perceived by the farmers was
inadequacy of funds provided to land owners in NWDPRA and the
important constraint perceived by the extension agent was
inadequate co-ordination among the implementing agencies of
NWDPRA.
The results of Spearman's rank order correlation of
constraints revealed that there was agreement between farmers
and extension agents with respect to the constraints in NWDPRA.