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COMPENDIUM, IEEC-2023   ( ISBN : 978-81-967860-4-5 )
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Theme-3: Bio-diversity and Resource Conservation, Livelihood and Food Security towards Sustainable Agri-food Systems

Construction of Knowledge test to Assess Knowledge level of Farmers about Conservation Agriculture in Indo-Gangetic plains of Uttar Pradesh

Shubhi Chaurasia, Siddhartha D. Mukhopadhyay

Visva Bharati University Shantiniketan
shubhic14@gmail.com

Abstract

The challenge for agricultural scientists to increase food production to meet food security needs and even more still persists 40 years after in post Green Revolution era since population growth continues to increase. However, today this must be done sustainably by minimizing the negative effects on the environment and equally important providing increased income to help improve the livelihoods of those employed in agricultural production. Conservation Agriculture (CA) practices were looked upon as next best alternative to regain sustainability. UP being hotspot of crop residues burning after Punjab and Haryana. The challenges of depleting natural resources, decline soil health, depletion in ground water table can be only address by adopting CA. In Indo gangetic plains of UP, major advantage of adopting CA in shorting duration between paddy harvesting and wheat planting by Zero tillage and alternate uses of crop residues. Despite of having beneficial technology still the extent of CA cultivation in India is at a budding stage. Farmers’ awareness and knowledge about CA play a very crucial in deciding the upcoming course of actions. So it is very important to measure knowledge level of farmers for its greater adoption. With this goal, the present study aimed at construction of standardized knowledge test to assess knowledge level of farmers regarding CA practices in Uttar Pradesh. For tool development, pilot study was conducted in Bachchaon village of Varanasi, U.P which was excluded during final data collection. The step included item collection, item selection, item analysis, finding reliability and validity of test and finalization of items. Initially forty-eight items were mailed and relevancy scores were calculated on three point continuum and item with average relevancy score of 2.6 or more were chosen. The final knowledge tool containing 28 items was a set for data collection. The reliability coefficient value of 0.786 indicated test as highly significant.

IEEC-2023 at RARI (SKNAU, Jobner), Jaipur, Rajasthan organised by Society of Extension Education, Agra, India