Perception of farm women regarding attributes of KVK homestead technologies

Introduction

Women dominate agricultural production, contributing to 60 per cent of the workforce and 73 per cent of farmers, while growing 80 per cent of food crops for domestic use. (Shukla 2022) [7] . In our country, women and men have equal status. As a result, women's development must be considered when implementing various programs to address rural and socioeconomic development. (Bharathy & Selvakumar 2014) [2] . Home Science technologies are quickly expanding in the current world. Progress in any industry is significantly relied on the swift and successful dissemination of new techniques or technologies to beneficiaries, as well as the return of their difficulties to research labs for resolution. (Gupta et al. 2013) [4] . The Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), also known as the Agriculture Science and Knowledge Centre, is a grassroots project developed and maintained by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) for the past four decades. The Krishi Vigyan Kendra's are specifically designed to improve farmwomen's capacity through training, demonstration campaigns and enlightenment activities. Some of the trainings are designed exclusively for women, allowing them to earn money and support their families through profitable businesses such as vermi compost, kitchen gardens, tailoring, fabric, fruit and vegetable preservation/nursery, horticulture, pisiculture, ornamental fish and so on. Women farmers receive less than 5 per cent of extension assistance globally. (Acharya et al. 2019) [1] . The Home Scientists at Krishi Vigyan Kendra organize these vocational training courses. (Kaur 2019) [5] . In order to accommodate the needs of women at home, it also provides flexible working hours. By establishing Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and providing entrepreneurship training to boost confidence, drive financial independence, decision-making abilities, leadership and social mobility, KVK supports women's empowerment. (Chauhan, 2023) [3] .

Materials and Methods

The study was conducted in the Telangana State. Among the KVKs in the state, four KVKs were purposively chosen for the study since they were operational in the specified districts. These included two KVKs -NGOs and two KVKs under PJTAU, from each KVKs 45 farm women were selected thus a total of 180 were selected, to study the perception of farm women towards attributes of KVK homestead technology intervention, homestead technologies selected like Nutrigarden, Backyard poultry, Tailoring, Drying equipment for drying fruits & vegetables and Value addition to millets. The data was obtained by a structured interview schedule in an informal setting. Data was www.extensionjournal.com analyzed using frequencies and percentages. To know about perception of the farm women towards attributes of technologies, the responses of farm women were measured on a three-point scale: agree undecided and disagree, with scores of 3, 2 and 1, respectively. The maximum and minimum possible scores were 57 and 19 respectively. As a result, the class interval was decided and the respondents were divided into three categories low, medium and high.

Results and Discussion Perception of farm women towards attributes of technologies

In this study an attempt was made to study perception of respondents towards attributes of technologies i.e., Relative Advantage, Compatibility, Complexity, Trialability and Observability. Perception measured using a structured schedule developed by Jyothi Rani (2020) [6] with necessary modifications According to 1, overall distribution of respondents according to their perception towards attributes of Homestead technologies and it indicated that, 53.33 per cent of PJTAU KVKs beneficiary respondents had medium level of perception, followed by high level (33.33%) and low level (13.34%) of perception. Regarding NGO KVKs, it was found that, 48.89 per cent of respondents had medium level of perception, followed by high level (28.88%) and low level (22.23%) of perception. In relative advantage, majority of beneficiaries felt Homestead technologies are of low cost of adoption, monetarily beneficial and multiple use potential. Among the compatibility attributes, majority agreed on Homestead technologies were physical, cultural and social compatible. In complexity/simplicity attributes, most of the respondents felt Homestead technologies were easy to apply/use, increases efficiency. With respect to trialability attributes, respondents agreed on Homestead technologies can be used to establish enterprise. In terms of observability attributes, majority of respondents agreed on Homestead technologies were health benefits to the households. Respondent's medium perception on Homestead technology attributes was due to the fact that, Homestead technologies were cost-effective, provided continuous benefit and worked on a regular basis, fitted into daily routines and were simple to maintain. Farm women identified multiple uses such as saving money, income generation and extra earning, technology usually fits existing environments and cultural aspects and has social compatibility, simplicity and basic principles that are understandable and easy to adopt. Another explanation could be that Homestead technologies can be used to develop enterprises, with the benefits mostly evident to farm women (better nutrition, increased income and millet consumption).

Conclusion

Perception towards attributes of Homestead technologies was found medium level among farm women i.e. 53.33 per cent of PJTAU KVKs beneficiary respondents had medium level of perception. Regarding NGO KVKs, it was found that, 48.89 per cent of respondents had medium level of perception. Therefore, there were need to give importance to promote successfully adoption of KVK technologies. Farm women can play an important role in entrepreneurship by participating effectively and competently. So, the training approach must stimulate critical analysis in women and encourage them to think independently and fight uneven gender relations and exploitation. T 2 he findings of this study can be used by administrators, scientists and extension authorities to improve the effectiveness of trainings and extent of adoption.

Acknowledgement

AcknowledgementThe authors thank the Honourable Vice Chancellor of Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University, Rajendranagar, for his encouragement.

References

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