Evaluation of major training programmes conducted by KVK, Akola

Introduction

Agricultural extension systems in India aim to bridge the gap between research and field application. Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) serve as frontline institutions imparting vocational training to farmers, farm women, and rural youth for skill development, sustainable farming, and entrepreneurship promotion. The relevance of training programmes has been well documented in enhancing farmers' productivity and income (Singh et al., 2019; Sharma et al., 2021) [8,6] . The present study focuses on self-evaluation of seven major training programmes conducted by KVK Akola in areas such as goat management, poultry production, cereals processing, fruit and vegetable dehydration, millet farming, natural farming for Krishi Sakhis, and entrepreneurial capacity building. The objectives were: 1. To study training effectiveness 2. To assess training satisfaction 3. To measure the impact of training on knowledge and attitude

Methodology

The present study was carried out in Akola district of Maharashtra, where Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Akola is located. The KVK has been actively organizing capacitybuilding programmes for farmers, farm women, and rural youth.

Research Design: An exploratory and diagnostic design of social research was adopted for the study. This design was considered suitable as the objective was not only to measure the training outcomes but also to diagnose the factors influencing training effectiveness and satisfaction.

Sampling Plan:

The on campus training having 05 days duration were considered for this study.

The study covered the entire population of trainees who attended the seven major on-campus training programmes conducted at KVK, Akola. These programmes included goat management, poultry production, cereals processing, dehydration of fruits and vegetables, millet farming, natural farming (for Krishi Sakhi), and entrepreneurial capacity building. A total of 211 participants were included through a population study approach. [9] .

Statistical Analysis:

The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation, and percentages. The percentage change method was applied to assess improvement in knowledge and attitude. Correlation analysis was used to identify associations between trainee characteristics and training outcomes.

Results and Discussion

Change in knowledge and attitude

The results in Table 2 highlight a remarkable improvement in both knowledge and attitude scores after the training programmes. In Goat Management, the knowledge score improved from 13.20 to 22.65, showing a 71.59% increase, while attitude improved by 65.43%. This indicates that livestock-related trainings effectively addressed practical gaps in farmers' knowledge, confirming earlier findings of Patil et al. (2020) [4] , where goatery training enhanced management skills and confidence among small farmers. In Poultry Production, the knowledge gain was 69.66%, and the attitude gain was 75.98%, suggesting a strong acceptance of poultry as a supplementary income source. The Cereals Processing training exhibited one of the highest attitude gains (88.22%) and a knowledge improvement of 74.94%. This reflects the increasing interest in value addition and agri-processing among farmers, aligning with studies of Meena et al. (2017) [3] , which emphasized the importance of training in agribusiness. Dehydration of Fruits and Vegetables recorded the highest knowledge improvement (89.58%) and an attitude gain of 81.31%, confirming the relevance of food processing trainings in generating rural entrepreneurship (Singh et al., 2019) [8] . Millet Farming showed an 80.32% knowledge gain and 88.89% attitude gain, the latter being the highest among all trainings. This reflects the renewed emphasis on millets as "nutri-cereals" under national policies, also reported by Yadav & Singh (2020) [11] . Natural Farming (for Krishi Sakhi) displayed a 73.89% knowledge gain and 69.31% attitude gain, proving that women-centered programmes are effective in creating sustainable farming mindsets. Entrepreneurial Capacity Building resulted in a 77.24% knowledge improvement and 87.69% attitude improvement, confirming the crucial role of entrepreneurship trainings in rural development (Sharma et al., 2021) [6] . On average, the knowledge gain was 76.75%, and the attitude gain was 79.55%, indicating that the KVK training methodology was highly effective across multiple domains.

Profile of the Respondents

The profile analysis (Table 3) provides insights into the backgrounds of the 211 participants. A significant proportion (31.43%) had high school education, while 22.38% were graduates or above. This educational profile indicates a reasonable literacy base among trainees, which facilitates better absorption of technical knowledge. Similar trends were reported by Singh & Kaur (2018) [7] , where education positively influenced training outcomes. About 35.29% had 6-10 years of farming experience, while 30.64% had more than 11 years. This shows a balanced mix of experienced and semi-experienced farmers, ensuring both openness to innovation and practical application capacity. The majority (27.64%) had semi-medium holdings, followed by medium (24.22%) and large farmers (22.67%). This distribution implies that training impacts extended beyond marginal farmers to commercially oriented groups, supporting findings by Deshmukh et al. (2018) [1] . Most farmers (28.48%) had incomes between ₹2-2.5 lakh per annum, suggesting moderate financial stability. Higher income groups often demonstrated greater adoption willingness (Kumar et al., 2015) [2] . 36.52% were in the high category, followed by 28.79% moderate. The presence of 20% participants in very high and very low groups reflects inclusivity of the training design. About 55% of farmers fell in high and very high categories, which explains the strong responsiveness to new technologies and entrepreneurship. Around 33.81% of trainees had moderate orientation, while 27.62% were low. This indicates the necessity of training to shift farmers toward more scientific approaches. The majority (38.10%) had high motivation, meaning they actively sought income-enhancing activities. About 24.29% were in high risk preference, and 16.19% in very high. This reveals that a considerable number of trainees were willing to try innovative practices and enterprises. This socioeconomic background explains the strong positive response to trainings.

Training Satisfaction

The data related to Training satisfaction analysis presented in Table 4 revealed that most participants were fully satisfied with different aspects of training. In case of Technical Competence; Field visits (76.09% fully satisfied) and subject matter (77.95%) were highly appreciated. Skill development scored lower (53.73% fully satisfied), indicating scope for further hands-on practice. With reference to Facilities Provided; Classroom facilities (93.79% fully satisfied) and boarding arrangements (88.20%) scored high, while library facilities received the least satisfaction (22.36%). This suggests strengthening of learning resource centers. In case of Communication Mode; Over 90% of participants were satisfied with free exchange of ideas, clarity of information, and training methods, confirming the interactive pedagogy. The mean overall satisfaction score (Table 5) was 4.08/5, reflecting very high acceptance. Similar findings were reported by Rathod et al. (2012) [5] , where infrastructure and participatory methods significantly influenced satisfaction.

Training Effectiveness

As evident from data in Table 6, the Topics covered were www.extensionjournal.com considered complete by 88.10% participants, with a high rating of 4.44/5. Utility of topics was rated most useful by 80% of trainees. Relevance of lectures scored the highest at 4.67/5, indicating the training content was contextually appropriate. Fulfillment of expectations was complete for only 54.76%, suggesting the need to align training content more closely with participant aspirations. Practical orientation scored lower (3.83/5), as only 51.90% felt the training was fully practical. This indicates the need for more experiential modules, a challenge also emphasized by Tripathi et al. (2021) [10] . As depicted in Table 7, Quality of training was rated good by 89.05%, with an average score of 4.11/5. The overall effectiveness rating stood at 4.22/5, demonstrating the robust impact of the KVK's training methodology.

Correlates of Training Impact

As evident from Correlation (Table 8), Education (r = 0.563 with attitude, 0.335 with knowledge) shows higher education enhanced understanding and application of training. Socio-economic status (r = 0.504 with attitude, 0.445 with knowledge) revealed that economically better-off farmers were more receptive. Farm size and income showed moderate correlations, indicating resource-rich farmers adopt practices faster. Innovativeness (r = 0.433 with attitude) and risk preference (r = 0.423 with attitude) were strong predictors of adoption behavior. These results are consistent with Kumar et al. (2015) [2] and Singh & Kaur (2018) [8] , who reported education and socioeconomic conditions as key determinants of training effectiveness.

Acknowledgement

www.extensionjournal.com determinants of impact. Future programmes should enhance practical orientation, resource material quality, and followup support for sustained adoption. Improving facilities like libraries will further strengthen outcomes.

References

1. Deshmukh R, Shinde P, Pawar S. Impact of farmer training programmes on adoption of improved agricultural practices. Indian J Ext Educ. 2018;54(2):112-6.
2. Kumar A, Singh R, Jha S. Determinants of knowledge gain in vocational training programmes. J Community Mobil Sustain Dev. 2015;10(1):45-51.
3. Meena MS, Singh R, Chauhan A. Effectiveness of agricultural training programmes on skill enhancement among rural youth. Int J Agric Ext. 2017;5(1):23-9.
4. Patil SS, Kumbhare NV, Tiwari R. Capacity building through skill development training in agriculture: A case study. Agric Ext Rev. 2020;32(3):56-61.
5. Rathod P, Nikam T, Dhandi S. Farmers' satisfaction with agricultural training programmes. J Rural Dev. 2012;31(4):473-82.
6. Sharma V, Yadav R, Mehta S. Effectiveness of KVK training programmes in farmers' knowledge and adoption. Indian Res J Ext Educ. 2021;21(2):87-92.
7. Singh A, Kaur J. Socio-economic determinants of training effectiveness among farmers. J Ext Syst. 2018;34(2):67-75.
8. Singh P, Kumar N, Gupta R. Role of KVKs in capacity building and agricultural transformation. Indian J Ext Educ. 2019;55(3):14-20.
9. Thakare UG, Ingle PO. Development and Standardization of Socio-Economic Status Scale. Indian J Ext Educ. 2007;4:8-16.
10. Tripathi S, Choudhary K, Mishra H. Assessing the effectiveness of capacity-building programmes in agriculture. Int J Ext Educ. 2021;17(1):32-9.
11. Yadav R, Singh S. Farmers' training and knowledge gain in agriculture: An evaluation study. J Agric Ext Manag. 2020;21(1):45-52.