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Farmers' Constraints in Diversified Crop Cultivation

A. H. Chowdhury
Lecturer
Department of Agricultural Extension Education, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh

M. H. Rahman
Associate Professor
Department of Agricultural Extension Education, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh

A. M. M. Miah
Professor
Department of Agricultural Extension Education, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh

M. R. I. Chowdhury
Lecturer
Department of Business Statistics, International Islamic University Chittagong, Bangladesh

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

The study was undertaken to determine farmers' constraints in diversified crop cultivation and to explore the relationship between twelve selected characteristics of the farmers and their constraints. Two differently developed villages. one being progressive and another traditional, under two unions of Mymensingh sadar upazila were selected as the locale of the study. From a population of 725, a sample of 96 farmers was selected randomly. Data were collected from the selected farmers using a structured interview schedule during February and March 2003. Pearson's Product Moment Correlation Co-efficient and t-statistics were used in order to analyze the data to fulfill the objectives. Majority of the farmers faced medium to high (85 percent) constraints compared to 15 percent low constraints. Farmers of the traditional village faced more constraint than those of the progressive village. Out of twelve selected characteristics of the farmers level of education, family annual income, farm size, cosmopoliteness, extension media contact. knowledge of crop diversification, awareness on adverse effect of rice monoculture and attitude towards crop diversification were negatively related with farmers' constraint in diversified crop cultivation. Cosrnopoliteness, extension media contact and awareness on adverse effect of rice monoculture showed significant positive relationship with their constraints of diversified crop cultivation in case of the farmers of traditional village while these rendered negative relationships in case of the farmers of progressive village. Farmers' age, family size. training exposure, innovativeness showed no relationship with the constraint. in case of neither the farmers of progressive village nor those of traditional village.

Keywords: Constraint, Diversified crop cultivation, Farmers

Location: Mymensingh area

Start Date: 00-02-2003

End Date: 00-03-2003

Program Area: Socio-economic and Policy

Non-commodity: Seasonality in production

Objectives:

I. To determine the extent of constraint faced by the farmers in diversifying their crop cultivation.

2. To make a comparative analysis of farmers constraints in diversification cultivation regarding two communities of crop different

3. To explore the relationships between the selected characteristics of the farmers and their constraints in crop diversification.

Methodology:

Two unions of Mymensingh Sadar upazila were selected as locale of the study. Suhila village of Ghagra union and Char Ishardia village of Char Ishardia union were purposively selected as progressive and traditional village respectively. The rationale behind the selection was that crop diversification programme was being launched by DAE in these areas for several years. The villages were rightly justified as progressive and traditional following a number of criteria and discussed. Farmers adopting diversified cultivation of crops were the population of the study. According to the list provided by the concerned Block Supervisors there were 490 and 235 farmers in Suhila and Char Ishardia villages respectively. Twenty-percent fanners of Char Ishardia and ten percent of Suhila village were selected as sample following random sampling method. Thus, 96 farmers, 48 from each vilIage were the sample of the study. In order to collect valid and reliable information from the farmers. an interview schedule was prepared carefully keeping the objectives in mind. The schedule contained both open and closed form questions with a test constructed for measuring farmers' knowledge of crop diversification and a scale to reflect farmers' attitude towards crop diversification. Constraints faced by the farmers in diversified crop cultivation was the focus variable of the study, while twelve selected characteristics of the farmers viz. age, level of education, family size, farm size, family annual income, training exposure, cosmopoliteness, extension media contact, knowledge of crop diversification, innovativeness, awareness on adverse effect of rice monoculture, attitude towards crop diversification were the independent variables. The qualitative data were converted into quantitative ones by using suitable scoring techniques where necessary. Constraints faced by the farmers in crop diversification were measured on the basis of their level of constraints in fifteen-selected aspects of diversified crop cultivation. Each respondent was asked to indicate the extent of difficulty caused by each constraint by checking any of the four responses, such as "high", "medium", "low" and "not at all"; and weights were assigned to these responses as 3, 2, I and 0 respectively. Scores of all the fifteen constraints for a respondent were added together to obtain individual constraint score. Therefore, possible constraint score could vary from 0 to 45, 0 indicating no constraint and 45 indicating highest constraint. In order to have better understanding of the comparative constraints in two villages, the fifteen aspects of constraints were ranked according to their mean value in case of all farmers and farmers of both the villages. Data were collected during February and March 2003. Pearson's Product Moment Correlation Co-efficient (r) was computed for exploring the relationship between the selected characteristics of the farmers and their constraints in diversified crop cultivation. For determining differences between the respondents in two locales regarding their constraints student t-tests for the difference of means were conducted.

Source of Information: Progress. Agric. 14 (I & 2) : 163-170, 2003, ISSN 1017-8139

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

1.	Budget: 2.77 Lack

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

The study revealed that majority (85 percent) of the farmers faced medium to high constraint in diversified crop cultivation. Lack of agricultural credit, lack of preservative techniques, lack of proper training, lack of proper knowledge of crop diversification, marketing problems and lack or seeds and other agricultural inputs were some of the important constraints encountered. The extent of constraint varies from one locale to another and from one society to another. An intensive. need based and location specific media campaign is necessary for raising mass awareness on importance or crop diversification. The persuasion technique should be specific for the farmers of a locality and it may vary form one place to another. The study revealed that the extent of constraint faced by the farmers of traditional village was more compared to the farmers of progressive village. Selective exposure may arise for the members of a society.

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