Assessment of training needs and training preferences of agricultural officers 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.

Training is an essential component of human resource development that enhances the knowledge, technical skills, managerial abilities and professional competence of extension personnel. In the rapidly changing agricultural scenario, Agricultural Officers are expected to disseminate improved technologies, implement various government programmes, provide timely advisory services and address the emerging challenges faced by farmers. Continuous capacity building through need-based training is therefore indispensable for improving their efficiency and effectiveness in delivering agricultural extension services. The role of Agricultural Officers has expanded considerably with the introduction of climate-resilient technologies, digital agriculture, precision farming, egovernance initiatives and multiple centrally and statesponsored development programmes. To effectively perform these responsibilities, extension personnel require regular updating of their technical knowledge and practical skills. However, training programmes often fail to achieve the desired outcomes due to inadequate assessment of training needs and limited consideration of trainees' preferences regarding training content, duration, methodology and resource persons. A systematic assessment of these aspects is therefore essential for designing effective training programmes that are relevant to the professional requirements of Agricultural Officers. Considering the importance of capacity building in public extension, the present study was undertaken to assess the training needs and training preferences of Agricultural Officers 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. The required information was collected through a structured and pre-tested interview schedule. Training need was measured using a standardized training need scale. Information regarding respondents' preferences on different aspects of training, such as place of training, duration, preferred months, training interval, nature of training, training methods and preferred resource persons was also collected. The collected data were coded, tabulated and analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation.

Results and Discussion 1. Extent of training needs of Agriculture officers in the area of technical aspects

The results pertaining to the extent of training needs of agricultural officers are presented in Table 1 and it was reported that majority (53.33%) of AOs, require training in medium extent and 23.33 per cent require training in low and high extent equally on agricultural practices. This shows that majority of agricultural officers require training to the medium to high extent to update their knowledge and skills. Similar findings were reported by Nongtdu et al (2012) [2] , Yadav et al (2012) [3] . The preference for KVKs and Research Stations may be attributed to their better infrastructure, availability of subject matter specialists and opportunities for practical learning and field demonstrations. Similar observations were reported by Raahalya and Sreeday (2021) [1] andHanif and Waman (2015) [4] .

Preferred Duration of Training by Agriculture officer

The findings presented in (2020) [5] and Yadav et al. (2012) [3] . [6] . September -October 06(10.00%) V 6.

Training months not preferred by Agriculture officer

The results presented in Table 5 reveal that all respondents (100.00%) considered July-August unsuitable for organizing training programmes. This was followed by September-October (91.66%) and May-June (70.00%). These months coincide with major agricultural operations such as sowing, crop management and extension activities, limiting the availability of Agricultural Officers for training programmes. January-February 00(00.00%) V 6.

March -April-00(00.00%) VI

Preferred Interval of Training programmes

The findings in [2] . Once in two year 09(15.00%) IV 5.

Once in five year 00(00.00%) VI

Preferred Nature of Training

The preference regarding the nature of training is presented in [1] and Nongtdu et al. (2012) [2] . [4] and Yadav et al. (2012) [3] . The preference for KVK and ARS scientists may be due to their practical field experience, technical expertise and familiarity with region-specific agricultural problems. Their involvement in training programmes is likely to enhance the relevance and effectiveness of capacity-building initiatives. Similar findings were reported by Mohan et al. (2020) [5] .

Conclusion

The study revealed that a majority of the Agricultural Officers had a medium level of training need, indicating the necessity for continuous capacity building to enhance their technical knowledge and professional competencies. The respondents expressed a clear preference for need-based training programmes conducted at Krishi Vigyan Kendras and

References

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