MVSc

The objectives of the study were to analyse the profile of farm women, to
assess the training needs and to identify the problems of farm women engaged in
dairy and poultry farming. The data were collected through personal interviews
using pre-tested schedule from 120 respondents selected from two development
blocks of Thrissur Taluk by multistage sampling.
Majority of the farm women were middle aged, married, of medium
income group, had long years of farming experience with small sized herd and
medium flock size but had not attended any training in dairy and poultry farming.
Their innovation proneness, economic motivation, risk orientation and credit
orientation were found to be medium. Nearly half of them were high school
educated. Half of the farm women were engaged in house hold work as well as
agriculture and allied activities. More than half of them had low level of social
participation and extension agency contact but had medium information source
utilization and marketing orientation.
Out of the five major farm operations' studied in dairy farming, the farm
women needed training the most in housing. The minor items preferred the most
for knowledge need were proper design of cattle shed, selection of breeds,
compounding balanced feed using locally available ingredients, vaccination and
banking and insurance. As for skill need, constn:ction of scientific low cost cattle
shed, selection of breeds, compounding balanced feed using locally available
ingredients, symptoms of common diseases and banking and insurance were
preferred the most. In poultry farming, feeding and management was the most
preferred major farm operation. The minor items preferred the most for both
knowledge and skill training were proper design of poultry shed, selection of eggs
for hatching, compounding balanced feed usmg locally available ingredients,
vaccination and banking and insurance.
In dairy farming, problems in health care was perceived as the most
serious one. Under major farm operations, the most serious problems were

inadequate knowledge about scientific housing, repeat breeding In crossbreds,
high cost of concentrates, reduction in milk yield due to diseases and low price of
milk and milk products. In poultry farming, farm women perceived problems in
feeding and management as the most serious one. Under major farm operations,
the most serious problems were inadequate knowledge about low cost scientific
cage construction, low hatchability of eggs in summer, problems of predators,
losses due to bacterial and viral diseases and financial difficulties.