FARMERS’ KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND ADOPTION REGARDING SALINE TOLERANT RICE VARIETIES

Abstract

The research examines the status of farmers’ knowledge, attitude and adoption regarding saline tolerant rice varieties and to explore the relationship of the selected characteristics of the farmers with their knowledge, attitude and adoption regarding saline tolerant rice varieties. The methodology of this study is an integration of quantitative and qualitative methods based on data collection in Chadpur, Kamorpur and Dorista of Dhaliur union of Satkhira sadar upazila. Data were collected from 113 saline tolerant rice farmers from January18 to February 20, 2017. Descriptive statistics and Pearson product moment correlation (r) were used for analysis. Most of the farmers (54.9 percent) belong to medium knowledge, 20.4 percent had low knowledge and 24.8 percent had high knowledge on saline tolerant rice varieties. Most of the farmers (61.9 percent) had favorable attitude towards saline tolerant rice varieties. The highest (48.7 percent) proportion of rice farmers belong to the group of high adoption and the lowest proportion (6.2 percent) of them had medium adoption of saline tolerant rice varieties. Among the influential variables- level of education, training experience of farmers had significant positive relationship with their knowledge on saline tolerant rice varieties and their attitude towards saline tolerant rice varieties. Agricultural extension media contact of farmers had significant positive relationship and problem faced in saline tolerant rice cultivation by the farmers had significant negative relationship with their attitude towards saline tolerant rice cultivation and adoption of saline tolerant rice varieties.