Knowledge of the respondents towards improved French bean cultivation practices in Ri-bhoi district of Meghalaya, India

Introduction

The cultivation and significance of French beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) are explored in the content, pressing their various names similar such as common bean, green bean, kidney beans, string bean, snap beans, fine beans, haricot bean or navy bean depending on the region. French beans are a largely sought-after crop globally, with India leading in both production and consumption, particularly of the Raj-Mah variety. The crop is grown by both large-scale growers and smallholder growers, and its dwarf and climbing growth habit makes it easy to cultivate in small gardens. French beans are adaptable to a wide range of soil, with welldrained loams being the most suitable and a soil Ph of 5.2-5.6 being optimal (Singh et al., 2022) [7] . French beans rank as the third most important food grain legume worldwide, after soybeans and peanuts, and offer significant nutritive and profitable benefits for both human and livestock. In India, the consumption of French beans has been steadily rising, especially in the North Eastern region, driven by adding mindfulness of its nutritive advantages. Farmers are increasingly turning to French beans due to their profitability compared to other pulses crops and their versality as a vegetable cover. In Meghalaya, French beans ae primarily grown as an intercrop with maize. Tribal farmers in Meghalaya also cultivate French beans as a crucial crop, providing them with an additional source of income alongside their main crops. This practice has motivated farmers to continue growing French beans in subsequent years, showcasing the crop's importance in their livelihood. French bean is a traditional vegetable crop in the North-Eastern region, and its cultivation proves to be profitable in agricultural practices. Furthermore, this crop is relatively resistant to pest and disease issues, which is an additional benefit. As a self-pollinated crop, the production of French bean seeds and the maintenance of their purity is significantly easier than that of other vegetable crops. The tender pods are utilized as a vegetable, while the mature seeds are consumed as dal (Tongbram et al., 2021) [8] . Objectives 1. To assess the socio-economic profile of the respondents. 2. To determine the knowledge of the respondent towards improved French bean cultivation practices.

To find out the association between selected independent variables with knowledge of improved French bean cultivation practices.

Research methodology Locale of the study

The study was conducted in Ri-bhoi district of Meghalaya.

The current studies utilized a descriptive research design, which is suitable for studies that seek to outline the characteristics of a phenomenon. A multi-stages sampling method was implemented to select the necessary samples for this study. Meghalaya consist of 12 districts, out of that Ri-bhoi district was chosen as maximum area under French bean cultivations. The Ri-bhoi district is divided into four blocks in which Um-sning block was selected through purposive sampling based on the maximum numbers of the respondents growing French bean. A total of 130 respondents were randomly selected on a proportional basis, reflecting the extent of French bean cultivation in each locality.

Methods and data collection:

A pre-tested structured interview schedule, crafted to gather data aligned with the study's objectives, was created. A survey method of the data collection was utilized for the present study. The data were subsequently classified, tabulated, analysed to determine their relevance to the specified objectives.

Statistical Analysis of Data

The data collected from the respondents were converted into a three-point Likert scale and then tabulated. The data were assessed, and the relationship between the independent and dependent variables was establish by using mean, frequency, percentage, and correlation.

Results and discussion

Socio economic characteristics of the respondents Similar findings is also reported by Devi et al., (2020) [2] . From the above table it reveals that majority (56.15%) of the respondents had medium level of knowledge about French bean cultivations followed by 27.70 percent of the respondents had high level of knowledge and 16.15 percent of the respondents had low level of knowledge toward French bean cultivations. Association between selected independent variables with the knowledge of the respondents towards French bean cultivation practices. The data reveled that out of the twelve independent variables, i.e, age, annual income, occupation, type of house, family type, extension contact, mass media exposure, social participation, sources of agricultural and risk orientation positively and significantly correlated with knowledge of farmers towards French bean cultivation practices whereas the independent variable of education and land holding of the respondents was availed negatively and significantly correlated with the knowledge of the farmers towards improved French bean cultivation practices.

Knowledge of improved French bean cultivation Practices

Conclusion

It was concluded that majority of the respondents were of young age (below 35 years), most of the respondents had attained primary school, maximum number of the respondents were involved in agricultur + labour, majority of the respondents income was 48,001-96,000 rupees, majority of the respondents had > 1acre of land, majority of the respondents had medium level of extension contact, social participation, sources of agricultural information and risk orientation. Majority (56.15%) of the respondents had medium level of knowledge, followed by 27.70 per cent of the respondents had high level of knowledge and 16.15 per cent of the respondents had low level of knowledge towards improved French bean cultivation practices. Subsequently, the independent variables, i.e.age, education, annual income, occupation, type of house, extension contact, mass media exposure, social participation, sources of agricultural information and risk orientation positively and significantly corelated with knowledge of farmers towards French bean cultivation practices.

References

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