Computer multimedia was compared with traditional approach of training sugarcane growers in ratoon management practices in three villages of Tamil Nadu state, India using pre-test post-test control group experimental design. This article also addresses issues such as perception of farmers about the two media of instruction, suggested improvements in the multimedia and the overall impact in rate of adoption. A CD-ROM was developed as a multimedia resource to support the training process. Farmers in group II who received instructions through lecture followed by computer multimedia had maximum gain in knowledge (29.10%). The learning index was also high in group II (48.65) compared to 37.55 in group I (multimedia alone) and 31.48 in group III (traditional lecture alone). ‘Z’ test indicated that the mean difference was highly significant in all the groups. Farmers perceived that the use of different multimedia building blocks made it an interesting and educative tool. Traditional training using lecture was considered to be boring and monotonous with limited attention span. This study is an attempt for understanding the feasibility of computer based transfer of technology in rural villages

Keyword: Interactive multimedia; C