ADOPTION OF MAIZE PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES BY THE FARMERS

Abstract

The main objectives of the study was to find out the extent of the adoption of maize production technologies by the farmers, to describe the selected characteristics of the maize growers and also to explore the relationships between selected characteristics of the growers and their adoption of maize production technologies. The study was conducted in a village named Durgapur under Aditmari upazila of Lalmonirhat district. A total of 100 farmers were selected as sample for the study from a population of 251. Data were collected from the maize growers using personal interview schedule during the period 15 July to 15 August, 2005. Apart from descriptive statistical methods, Pearson's Product Moment Correlation Co-efficient analysis was used in order to analyze data to fulfill the objectives. Findings indicated that the majority (69 percent) of the growers had medium adoption of modern maize cultivation technologies while 30 percent had low adoption and only 1 percent high adoption. Out of ten selected characteristics of the growers, four namely education, area under maize cultivation, annual income, and extension contact had positive significant relationship and age had a negative significant relationship with their adoption of maize production technologies. The rest of the variables namely innovativeness, knowledge in maize cultivation, farm size, cosmopoliteness and agricultural training exposure did not show any significant relationships with their adoption of maize production technologies. Out of 12 problems faced by the farmers two problems in order of importance were: (i) non-availability of storage facilities at farmers' level and (ii) non-availability of hybrid seed.