Knowledge of stakeholders towards agricultural skill development training programme

In India, a wide range of training programs are frequently organized with a particular focus on rural communities, farmers and economically disadvantaged groups. These programs aim to equip individuals with the necessary knowledge and skills to enhance their livelihoods. Training serves as a fundamental process through which individuals acquire new skills, develop positive attitudes and gain essential knowledge. This process is crucial not only for those entering a new profession but also for those seeking to improve their productivity within an existing organization or enterprise. By fostering the development of human resources, training plays a vital role in empowering individuals and strengthening communities. In first stage, out of seven FTCs of Saurashtra, four FTCs will be selected for the study on the basis of maximum number of farmers were got training under Farmer Training Centre (FTC). A tentative list of 42 statements was drafted keeping in view the applicability of statements suited to the area of study. The collected statements were edited in the light of the suggested criteria. The result showed less than half (48.75 percent) of trained stakeholders had high level of knowledge, whereas 39.37 percent had medium and 11.88 percent had low level of knowledge about improved agricultural practices. The probable reason of this finding might be the advantage of information gained during attending training.

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Introduction

Training is considered the most important activity for transferring agricultural technologies to farmers. Hence, it is crucial to analyse the institutional training imparted to the farmers at Farmer Training Centre. The history of the wellorganized farmers training programme in India can be traced back to 1948 with the inception of Etawah pilot project.

Training, an age-old concept, serves the therapeutic function of shaping individuals' knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for effective performance in their roles. Programs aimed at agricultural and community development seek to impart information, knowledge and skills, fostering the exchange of experiences and opinions while addressing doubts and challenges. Training ensures individuals possess the specific knowledge, skills and attitudes required to meet established standards. It typically involves four fundamental components: acquiring knowledge of the skill, observing skilled models, practicing the skill and reinforcing newly acquired behaviors. Lynton and Pareek (1990) said that "Training is a process by which the desire, knowledge, attitude, skill and ideas are inculcated, fostered and reinforced in an organism". A systematically arranged training programme aids in the production of desirable changes in the behavior of people. In India various training programmes are conducted especially for rural people, farmers and weaker section for knowledge and skill development. Training is a process of acquisition of new skills, attitude and knowledge in the context of preparing for entry into a vocation or improving productivity in an organization or enterprise. Agricultural skill development training programme sanctioned under gender audit programme for more productive varieties and training and education programme for farmers. Government of Gujarat sanctioned a programme of "Agricultural Skill Development Training Programme for Women Farmers" in the year 2012-13. Afterwords in the year of 2013-14, government have sanctioned this programme jointly. Under this programme, selected women farmers, male farmers and youth have trained and guided in agricultural and allied aspects in scientific method. The programme has completed eight years. Now, it is necessary to study how the Agricultural Skill Development Training Programme has made an impact on perception of farmers.

Objective

To study the knowledge of stakeholders towards agricultural skill development training programme.

Methodology

The present study was conducted in Saurashtra region of Gujarat state during 2021-22. Ex-post facto research design www.extensionjournal.com was followed for carrying out the study. In first stage, out of seven FTCs of Saurashtra, four FTCs will be selected for the study on the basis of maximum number of farmers were got training under Farmers Training Centre (FTC). Two villages from each FTC will be selected, thus forty farmers selected from each village. The villages from FTCs will be selected on the basis of information given by Farmers Training Centre. At the second stage, twenty trained farmers will be selected by multistage purposive sampling method from each selected village. Thus, total 160 trained farmers will be selected as sample for the study. The equal number of untrained farmers also will be randomly selected from the same villages. For measuring the knowledge of stakeholders about improved farming practices of crop, the teacher made knowledge test was used. The knowledge was measured by asking the questions regarding recommended improved farm practices. A comprehensive list of all the practices adopted by stakeholders under above sub heads was prepared. The different weightage was given to each practice. The weightage of particular practice was determined by seeking the opinions of the expert scientist and extension workers, considering the total score 100 (Table 1). High level of Knowledge >Mean + S.D.

Sr. No.	Practice	Weightage out of 100
1	Planning	10.94
2	Variety	9.48
3	Soil and field preparation	6.92
4	Seed Treatment	7.28
5	Crop rotation	5.49
6	Sowing method and time	7.14
7	Seed rate & Spacing	3.86
8	Fertilizer	9.84
9	Irrigation	11.93
10	Weed management	6.75
11	Plant protection	16.42
12	Storage	2.41
13	Other	1.54
Total		100

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The weightage given to different practices in the scale

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Results and Discussion

It is the body of understood information possessed by an individual with respect to improved agricultural practices.

As discussed in the research methodology, a teacher made knowledge index was developed and used. The knowledge scores of respondents were calculated and a unit score was rewarded for each correct response. The respondents' knowledge of improved agricultural practices is presented in Table 2. This finding of trained stakeholders was in partially conformity with findings of Dubey and Srivastava (2007) [1] , Dubey et al. (2008) [2] , Rathore and Dhakar (2012) [7] , Malabasari and Hiremath (2016) [3] , Roy et al. (2016) [8] , Pandey et al. (2017) [4] , Patel et al. (2019) [5] , Poshiya et al. www.extensionjournal.com (2019) [6] and Sipai et al. (2019) [10] .

No.	Categories	Trained (n=160)	—	Untrained (n=160)	—
		Frequency	Percentage	Frequency	Percentage
1.	Low level of knowledge (< Mean – S D.)	19 (<72.93)	11.88	44 (< 64.78)	27.50
2	Medium level of knowledge (Mean ± S.D.)	63 (72.93 to 80.09)	39.37	85 (64.78 to 72.14)	53.12
3.	High level of knowledge (> Mean + S D.)	78 (>80.09)	48.75	31 (>72.14)	19.38
Total		160	100.00	160	100.00
Mean		76.51		68.46
Standard deviation		3.58		3.68

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Distribution of the respondents according to their knowledge of agricultural skill development training programme about improved

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Sr. No.	Level of knowledge	Range
1.	Low level	< Mean – S.D.
2	Medium level	between Mean ± S.D.
3.	High level	>Mean + S.D.

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Distribution of the respondents according to their knowledge of agricultural skill development training programme about improved

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In case of untrained stakeholders Table 2 reveals that more than half (53.12 percent) of the respondents had medium level of knowledge while 27.50 percent and 19.38 percent had low and high level of knowledge, respectively. The knowledge of trained stakeholders is generally higher than that of untrained stakeholders due to their exposure to structured learning and development opportunities. This structured learning ensures they are well-versed in the current methodologies, tools and strategies that can enhance their effectiveness and efficiency. As a result, they possess a deeper understanding of their domain, enabling them to make informed decisions and contribute more effectively to their roles. On the other hand, untrained stakeholders, who lack formal training and access to continuous education, may rely on outdated information and traditional methods. This gap in knowledge can limit their ability to perform optimally and respond to new challenges effectively. This finding of untrained stakeholders was in partially conformity with findings of Dubey et al. (2008) [2] , Rathore and Dhakar (2012) [7] , Sarma et al. (2013) [9] and Patel et al.

(2019) [5] . From the Table 3, it can be observed that the Z calculated is less than Z tab. Therefore, it is inferred that there was significant difference in knowledge level of trained and untrained stakeholders. The study of Table inferred that the significance level of t test calculated is less than "t" tabulated at 95 percent level of significance. Thus, it can be said that there was significant difference among the knowledge level of stakeholders. Thus, from Table 3 it can be concluded that the trained stakeholders had statistically significant higher knowledge level than untrained stakeholders. Therefore, it can be concluded that training conducted by FTCs were able to create a significant advantage to knowledge level of stakeholders.

—	Knowledge level of trained stakeholders	Knowledge level of untrained stakeholders
Mean	16.51	12.41
Standard Deviation	3.58	3.41
Sample Size	160	160
Z cal	9.084
Z tab at 95% los	1.96

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Z test for two mean of knowledge level

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Conclusion

The majority (48.75 percent) of trained stakeholders had high level of knowledge followed by 39.37 percent and 11.88 percent had medium and low level of knowledge, respectively. In case of untrained stakeholders more than half (53.12 percent) had medium level of knowledge while 27.50 percent and 19.38 percent had low and high level of knowledge, respectively. Among the respondents, the trained stakeholders had statistically significantly higher knowledge level than untrained stakeholders. Therefore, it can be concluded that training conducted by FTCs was able to create a significant advantage to knowledge level of stakeholders.

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