Performance of agro service centres of department of agriculture-Kerala

Abstract

The study entitled “ Performance of Agro Service Centres of Department of Agriculture-Kerala: A Multidimensional analysis” was conducted among the beneficiaries and all extension personnel of Agro Service Centres in Thrissur, Kannur and Kottayam districts representing the central, northern and southern Kerala respectively, during the year 2018-19. The main focus of the study was to assess the performance effectiveness of Agro Service Centres in the dissemination of information and technology, measure the performance effectiveness of Agro Service Centres on farmer’s income and, study the attitude of farmers towards Agro Service Centres and elicit the problems encountered by these centres in providing services to the farmers. The sample of the study comprised of 120 farmers i.e., 45 farmers from Thrissur, 45 farmers from Kannur and 30 farmers from Kottayam and sixty extension personnel associated with Agro Service Centres. Agro Service Centre (ASC) is an initiative by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare from 2012-13 onwards and it was designed as a single window delivery system for different farming inputs and services to farmers (GoK, 2016). Performance effectiveness of ASCs as perceived by farmers was measured using Performance Effectiveness Index (PEI) developed consisting of three components. Among these, performance effectiveness of ASCs on farmer’s income contributed 38.56 per cent of the PEI followed by performance effectiveness of ASCs in the dissemination of information and technology (35.85%) and performance of ASCs in service delivery (25.59%). Based on the analysis of data, it was found that 40 per cent of the farmers scored the ASCs into high category of PEI. Majority (46.67%) of farmers scored the ASCs into high- performance effectiveness category in the dissemination of information and technology and 56.67 per cent of the beneficiaries scored the ASCs into the medium category of performance in service delivery. Nearly sixty per cent (60.83%) of the beneficiaries scored ASCs into high category based on its performance effectiveness on farmer’s income. Half of the respondents (50%) had a medium level of favourable attitude towards ASCs. Majority (56.67%) of the extension personnel had a favourable attitude towards the service delivery system of ASCs. The study revealed that most of the beneficiaries of the ASCs belonged to old age category and had a high school or above educational qualification. Most of the beneficiaries of ASCs were marginal (55.84%) and small (26.66%) farmers. Annual farm income of majority (40.84%) of the farmers was found to be more than one lakh rupees. Most of the farmers had farming experience of more than 10 years and only 35.83 per cent of the beneficiaries of ASCs were having farming experience of fewer than 10 years. Among the beneficiaries, more number of Vegetable (78.33%) and Banana (60.83%) growers utilized the services of ASCs. The study revealed that 62.50 per cent of farmers belonged to the high category of resource utilization. More than forty per cent (43.34%) of the farmers had high decision-making ability and high- risk orientation (45.84%). Nearly fifty per cent (48.33%) of the farmers were in the medium category of change proneness and information source utilization (45%). Majority of the respondents had regular contact with extension agencies like Krishi Bhavan (67.5%) and ASC (85.84%). Agricultural facilitators and service providers were the two main categories of extension personnel in ASCs. Majority of the extension personnel of ASCs belonged to middle and old age category and 23.34 % of respondents had a Diploma in agriculture and SSLC as educational qualification. Majority (41.66%) of the respondents had experience in extension work up to five years and majority (56.66%) of the extension agents received 2 training programmes. More than fifty per cent (56.67%) of the extension personnel had medium extension service orientation and 43.33 per cent of extension personnel of ASCs had medium work commitment and 36.67 per cent of extension agents had moderate and high problem solving ability. There was almost equal distribution of respondents in medium and high category with respect to leadership ability. Correlation analysis revealed that the performance effectiveness of ASCs was positively and significantly correlated with the attitude of beneficiaries at 1 per cent level of significance. The results of the correlation between PEI and independent variables revealed that farming experience, annual farm income and change- proneness had a positive and significant correlation with PEI and age and risk orientation had a negative and significant correlation with PEI. The attitude of beneficiaries towards Agro Service Centre was positively and significantly correlated with farming experience, annual farm income, resource utilization and change-proneness and it was negatively and significantly correlated with risk orientation. The result of the correlation between attitude of extension personnel and independent variables of extension personnel pointed out that extension service orientation, work commitment, problem-solving ability and leadership ability had a positive and significant correlation with the attitude of extension personnel. Region wise comparison of information and technology disseminating system of ASCs in all the three districts showed a similar trend where, field demonstrations, field visits and meetings were the most frequently used dissemination system. Discontinuance of service providers for better jobs, insecurities related to permanent job or salary and absence of land and other basic infrastructure facilities were the three major constraints faced by the extension personnel of ASCs while delivering services to the farmers. The most important problems encountered by the farmers in getting the services were lack of subsidy, non-availability of services in time and poor response to repair the machinery. It can be concluded that considering the 26 ASCs brought under the purview of the study, 40 per cent of them were categorized in high performance group by the respondents and of the three indices, service delivery was identified as the least contributing factor to the performance effectiveness which is also reflected in the constraints identified by the respondents. This implies the need to strengthen the service delivery aspects of the ASCs.