Raising Knowledge: Farmers in Southern Rajasthan Adopted Polyhouse Vegetable Cultivation by utilizing Diverse Information Sources and Channels

Author: Vishal Dadheech, Shubham Mishra, Abhilasha Gehlot, Abhinav Gupta and Hitesh Salvi

Download PDF

Abstract

Information has received a wide range of acceptance as an essential resource of this century. It has been described as a simulating creativity, resulting in new outcomes and processes. All human societies depend very much on information for existence that is information is life. Polyhouse vegetable cultivation has emerged as a promising practice to enhance crop production and income for farmers in many regions. However, its successful adoption depends on farmers' access to accurate and timely agricultural information. The study explores the various agricultural information sources used by farmers and their influence on the adoption of polyhouse vegetable cultivation practices. The key challenges in this study are assessing the accessibility of diverse information sources and channels by farmers. Understanding which sources are readily available and commonly used can be complex, as it may vary among regions and communities. The study was conducted in two districts of Rajasthan namely Bhilwara and Chittorgarh. Data was collected through surveys and interviews conducted with farmers in the region. To identify various sources of information the respondents were asked to respond to various sources of information used by them on three continuums viz., regular, occasional and never. Each source of information was assigned 3, 2 and 1, respectively and the recorded response was counted and converted into mean per cent score for each statement and then ranked accordingly. The study clearly show that out of all the selected respondents, majority of respondents (66.00 %) seeking information from various sources regarding vegetable cultivation in polyhouse whereas, 19.00 per cent respondents were more active in seeking information and remaining 15.00 per cent was less in contact with information sources. The study also shows that the respondents were utilizing mass contact to the greatest extent with MPS 87.33. These were followed by individual contact with MPS 85.55 however, the extent of group contact with MPS 82 and institutional sources with MPS 80.94 by respondents in the study area. Further studies also indicate that in mass contact methods “Television” ranked first with overall MPS 99.33.

Keywords

Information, Polyhouse, Mass contact, Group contact

Conclusion

The study shows that out of all the selected respondents, majority of respondents (66.00 %) seeking information from various sources regarding vegetable cultivation in polyhouse whereas, 19.00 per cent respondents were more active in seeking information and remaining 15.00 per cent was less in contact with information sources. Findings highlights that, among the chosen information sources, respondents predominantly utilized mass contact, scoring the highest at 87.33 MPS. Following closely behind was individual contact, securing the second position with an MPS of 85.55. In contrast, group contact scored 82.00 MPS, placing it in the third position, while institutional sources ranked fourth with an MPS of 80.94. the finding also revealed that majority of farmers are seeking information from gram sevak, progressive farmers, Demonstration, Farmers education tour/visit, television, radio, krishi mandi and Agriculture department for adopting polyhouse cultivation practices.

References

-

How to cite this article

Vishal Dadheech, Shubham Mishra, Abhilasha Gehlot, Abhinav Gupta and Hitesh Salvi (2023). Nurturing Knowledge: Farmers in Southern Rajasthan Adopted Polyhouse Vegetable Cultivation by utilizing Diverse Information Sources and Channels. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 15(10): 304-308.