Suggestions offered by agricultural officers for improving job performance in Kalaburagi District of Kalyana Karnataka Region

Introduction

Agriculture occupies a place of pride in the economic development of the nation and welfare of people. With increases in population, the pressure on agriculture production is also increasing day by day. There is need to increase production and productivity of agriculture crops to feed the growing population. It is also widely recognized fact that transfer of technology from research station to farmer's field is essential for increasing agricultural production. Raitha Samparka Kendras established under Raitha Mithra Yojane during 2000 are the hobli level organization providing agricultural extension services to the farming community at the hobli level. The staffing pattern of RSKs consists of Assistant Agricultural Officers (AAO's) and Agricultural Officer (AO's). Agricultural Officers are extension personnel and the most important technical personnel at the hobli level, who are entrusted with the vital role of inducing the farmers to take up improved agricultural technology to the farming community. Over the years, the responsibilities of Agricultural Officers have expanded considerably due to the implementation of multiple centrally and state-sponsored schemes, climate-related contingencies, digital reporting systems and increasing expectations from farming communities. Besides extension activities, they are frequently assigned several administrative and nonagricultural duties, which adversely affect their field performance. The implementation of programmes such as the Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA) has further broadened the scope of responsibilities of extension personnel, demanding greater technical competence, effective coordination and efficient resource management (Kudari et al., 2023) [5] . Suggestions from frontline extension personnel are valuable for identifying practical measures to improve organizational efficiency and extension effectiveness. Since Agricultural Officers directly interact with farmers and implement agricultural programmes at the grassroots level, their experiences and recommendations provide useful insights for policymakers and administrators to strengthen the public extension system. Incorporating their suggestions into planning and policy decisions can improve institutional support, reduce operational bottlenecks and enhance the quality of extension services.Therefore, the present investigation was undertaken to identify the major constraints faced by Agricultural Officers and obtain their www.extensionjournal.com suggestions for improving job performance in Kalaburagi district of Kalyana Karnataka region.

Methodology

The study was conducted in seven taluks of Kalaburagi district of Kalyana Karnataka region during the year 2021-22. A total of 60 Agricultural Officers working in 27 Raitha Samparka Kendras were selected as respondents. An ex-post facto research design was employed for the investigation. Data were collected using a structured and pre-tested interview schedule designed to elicit suggestions for improving job performance. The respondents were asked to indicate their suggestions based on their field experiences and organizational requirements. The collected data were classified, tabulated and analyzed using appropriate descriptive statistical tools such as frequency and percentage.

Results and discussion

Suggestions made by Agricultural officers for improving their job performance

The respondents were asked to suggest suitable measures for improving their job performance and enhancing the effectiveness of agricultural extension services. The suggestions offered by the Agricultural officers are presented in Table 1. Increase charge allowance with regard to vacant post 18 30.00

The data presented in Table 1 reveal that 81.66 per cent of the Agricultural Officers suggested that every Raitha Samparka Kendra should be provided with a dedicated vehicle for field visits and extension activities. Since regular interaction with farmers, field inspections and technology demonstrations constitute the core responsibilities of Agricultural Officers, adequate transportation is indispensable for efficient extension service delivery. This finding corresponds with the major constraint identified in the present study, where all respondents reported lack of transport facilities as the most severe problem. Similar observations were made by Kshatriya and Deshmukh (2019) [3] , who reported transport inadequacy as an important organizational constraint affecting extension personnel. Likewise, Gogi Reddy et al.

(2022) [2] emphasized that improved transport facilities would significantly enhance the managerial efficiency of Agricultural Extension Personnel. The second most important suggestion, expressed by 76.66 per cent of the respondents, was the early appointment of Anugars or Service Providers at each village. The respondents indicated that village-level supporting personnel are essential for effective implementation of agricultural development programmes and government schemes. Timely appointment of support staff would reduce the workload of Agricultural Officers and improve programme implementation at the grassroots level. Similar recommendations regarding recruitment of adequate manpower and skilled supporting staff were also reported by Kshatriya et al. (2023) [4] and Gogi Reddy et al. (2022) [2] . Nearly 68.33 per cent of the respondents suggested the appointment of Computer Operators or Data Entry Operators at every Raitha Samparka Kendra, considering the increasing number of online applications, digital reporting systems and scheme management portals. The same proportion (68.33%) also recommended that vacant posts should be filled immediately; indicating that shortage of manpower continues to be a major organizational issue. These findings support those of Kshatriya et al. (2023) [4] , who recommended recruitment of trained staff to reduce workload and improve organizational efficiency. More than three-fifths (61.66%) of the Agricultural Officers suggested the establishment of a separate wing for agricultural input distribution along with dedicated staff for demonstrations. Such an arrangement would enable Agricultural Officers to devote more time to technology dissemination, advisory services and capacitybuilding programmes instead of routine input management. About 58.33 per cent of the respondents recommended that non-agricultural duties assigned by other departments should be minimized. Agricultural Officers are frequently engaged in election duties, census activities, disaster management and other governmental assignments, which substantially reduce the time available for extension activities. Similar observations were reported by Farooq et al. (2010) [1] and Kshatriya and Deshmukh (2019) [3] ,

Conclusion

The study revealed that Agricultural Officers emphasized the need for improved transport facilities, adequate manpower, better digital infrastructure, reduced non-departmental work, and regular capacity-building programmes to enhance their job performance. The major suggestions included providing vehicles for each Raitha Samparka Kendra, filling vacant posts, appointing support staff, improving internet and computer facilities, and conducting need-based training. Implementing these suggestions would strengthen agricultural extension services, improve technology dissemination and enhance the overall effectiveness of Agricultural Officers in serving the farming community.

References

1. Farooq A, Ishaq M, Shah NA, Karim R. Agricultural extension agents and challenges for sustainable development (a case study of Peshawar Valley). Sarhad J Agric. 2010;26(3):419-426.
2. Gogi Reddy VK, Mohapatra BP, Das S, Kishorekumar R. Analysis of constraints faced by the agricultural extension personnel in the state of Andhra Pradesh and suggestions to improve their managerial abilities. Biol Forum Int J. 2022;14(5):1-6.
3. Kshatriya AM, Deshmukh PR. Constraints faced by the extension personnel working in state agriculture department of Marathwada region. Int J Curr Microbiol Appl Sci. 2019;8(12):900-902.
4. Kshatriya AM, Deshmukh PR, Kale ND. Constraints faced by extension personnel working in state agriculture department during their job and suggestions to overcome it. Pharma Innov J. 2023;12(1):677-679.
5. Kudari MB, Patil SL, Biradar G, Mohanakumara V. Constraints faced by the extension personnel in implementation of the Agricultural Technology Management Agency programme (ATMA). Int J Stat Appl Math. 2023;8(6 Spec Iss):1352-1355.