Journal of Extension Education

From the Editor's Desk: EDITORIAL

PRATHAP D PUTHIRA — 2023-04-20

This JEE EDITORIAL 33(4) throws light on the privacy and security principles for farmers to protect farming data.

Parameters Inﬂuencing Attitude of Doctoral Students towards Research

Spanditha Muppidi — 2023-04-20

Researcher's attitude towards research is important while undertaking research for positive
outcomes. So, this study was conducted to determine the level of attitude of doctoral students by exploring its determinants and comparing them with attitude. College of Agriculture, Vellayani, Kerala was selected for the study where 50 doctoral students were selected randomly and administered with validated questionnaires. Statistical tools like frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation and Pearson correlation coeﬃcient were used. It was found that almost 90 per cent of students had favourable attitude towards research. There was signiﬁcant relationship between independent variables like information seeking skill, methodology skill, problem solving skill, literature availability, research material availability, research work environment, non-advisory committee members support and attitude of students towards their research.

Sources of Information and their Role in Inﬂuencing the Decision-Making Process among the Brackish Water Cage Farming Community in Kerala

Unnikrishnan KV — 2023-04-20

In recent years, the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) along with the
State Fisheries Department has been promoting brackish water cage farming by providing extensive online and ﬁeld-level technical support to the farmers. There are various sources from which farmers gather information for adopting cage culture. A study was carried out among the brackish water cage farmers located in diﬀerent regions of Kerala to identify the signiﬁcance of various sources of information in adopting sustainable cage culture practices. The information
platforms having various sorts of tools and methodologies are generally categorized into four:
print media, visual media, social media, and the traditional type of training programme. All the
sources selected for the study are a rich repository of information and insights on the subject
under discussion. From the study, it was possible to identify the sources of information according
to the magnitude of popularity among various farmers and corelating the same with the rate of
adoption of a technology. The maximum number of farmers gathered information through training programme. Least number of farmers with mean score of 208 utilized print media as a medium to gather information on cage culture.

Analysis of Proﬁtability of Commercial Dog Breeding Ventures in Thrissur and Ernakulam Districts of Kerala

Rashmi Ravindranath VARANI HOUSE — 2023-04-20

Kerala's commercial dog breeding enterprise is a promising one with the potential to reduce
youth unemployment and provide a livelihood. However, the state lacks authentic information on
factors aﬀecting proﬁtability of commercial dog breeding business. The present study was
conducted to identify the association between factors that aﬀect proﬁtability of commercial dog
breeding in Kerala. The study was conducted using an ex-post facto research design on
60 commercial dog breeding units selected randomly from Thrissur and Ernakulam districts of Kerala.Data collection was done using a pretested-structured interview schedule. Study revealed that years of experience, number of dogs reared, number of puppies born, cost of veterinary care, level of adoption and labour cost were correlated with proﬁtability of commercial dog breeding enterprise.

Impact of Agricultural Extension Institutions on Farm Eﬃciency among Rice Farmers in Kerala, India

Anikha S Kumar — 2023-04-20

This study assesses the role of agricultural extension institutions in improving eﬃciency of rice production in Kerala, India. Data were collected through a primary survey of 72 purposively selected rice farmers. Three major extension institutions were identiﬁed. Satisfaction of farmers from extension was measured using principal component analysis and technical eﬃciency through Stochastic Frontier Analysis. Satisfaction scores were poor. However, extension services were found to be signiﬁcantly contributing to technical eﬃciency of rice production. Eﬃciency of extension services could be improved through reforms in the current institutional structure.

Socioeconomic Status and its Association with Economic Motivation among the Dairy Entrepreneurs of Kerala

Shyam Suraj S R — 2023-04-20

The study analyzed the socioeconomic variables of the dairy entrepreneurs of Kerala (India)
and their relationship with economic motivation; speciﬁcally, in the three physiographical regions
of highland, midland and lowland. Data were collected through survey using structured interview.
The results revealed that maximum number of dairy entrepreneurs were male and belonged to elderly group. They were educated mostly up to secondary level and had dairying experience of fewer than 13 years. Largely herd size was between 12-22 animals; and possession of farm assets was weaker than household assets. Majority of the entrepreneurs had gross annual income of below ₹25 lakh from sale of milk and milk products; and local/private sales were more beneﬁcial than co-operative sales. The results showed variance in the socioeconomic variables among the three divisions and hence demands exclusive entrepreneurship development strategies. Regression analysis showed that while milk production and household assets were positively related; experience and sales to dairy cooperatives were negatively related to the economic motivation of the dairy entrepreneurs.

ICT-Use Behaviour of Agricultural Line Department Oﬃcials Of Odisha

Bhavana Sajeev — 2023-04-20

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools will play a prime role in agriculture and allied sectors in future. This study was conducted in 2021 to examine the attitude of agricultural line department oﬃcials towards the use of ICT tools. Purposively Khordha district of Odisha was taken for the study. For the present study, 105 respondents (22 district level agricultural oﬃcials, 59 block level agricultural oﬃcials and 24 village level agricultural oﬃcials) were selected by following stratiﬁed random sampling method. The results revealed that the district level and block level agricultural oﬃcials have most favourable attitude towards almost all the ICT tools. In comparison, village level oﬃcials favoured only Mobile phone and Television. The study has recommended proper awareness, training and knowledge of ICT tools, and uninterrupted power supply in the oﬃces to rectify the constraints in handling of ICT tools.