Vol. 12, Issue 1 (2023)

Author(s):
SY Gadmale, PB Kharde, Preethi Battu, MK Rathod and PS Patil

Abstract:
Department of Agriculture and Co-operation (DAC), Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India launched Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana from 2007-08. The project entitled Farmer FIRST under RKVY is an MPKV, Rahuri initiative to move beyond the production and productivity and to privilege the complex, diverse and risk prone realities of majority of the farmers through enhancing farmers-scientists contact with multi stakeholders’ participation. The period of the project was from 2016 to 2019. Mole plough technology was the one of the area-based technology implemented under RKVYFFP. The study was conducted in the year 2021, expost-facto research design was used for the study. 30 beneficiary farmers and 30 non-beneficiary farmers were selected from Satara, Sangli and Kolhapur districts (because technology was implemented under these three districts) and one village from each district were selected, hence total 60 respondents selected. Most of the beneficiary and non-beneficiary farmers were of middle-aged (48.39%) and (41.94%), respectively. Most of the beneficiaries had secondary level education (35.48%) and most of the non-beneficiaries had primary level education (32.26 %). Majority of beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries had agriculture as their primary occupation. Majority of the beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries were having fair cropping pattern. Near about half of the beneficiaries were semi-medium farmers (48.39%). Similarly, slightly more than quarter of the non-beneficiaries were semi-medium farmers (35.48%). 67.74 percent of the beneficiaries had ‘medium’ level annual income and 61.29 percent of the non-beneficiaries had ‘medium’ level annual income. More than half (54.84%) of the beneficiaries had ‘medium’ level of knowledge and in case of non-beneficiaries only 35.48 percent of the non-beneficiaries had ‘medium’ level of knowledge about mole plough technology for ill drained soil. Majority of the beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries were having medium sources of information, extension contacts, achievement motivation and risk orientation.