FARMERS’ KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDE TOWARDS SUMMER TOMATO CULTIVATION

Abstract

The major purpose of this research study was to determine farmers’ knowledge and attitude towards summer tomato cultivation and also to explore the relationships between each of eight selected characteristics of the farmers and their knowledge and attitude towards summer tomato cultivation. The study was conducted in 6 villages of Bagherpara upazila under Jessore district. The populations of summer tomato farmers in these villages were 168, from which 101 samples were drawn by using random sampling technique. An interview schedule was used for data collection. The data were collected during 20

March to 5 th April 2015. Appropriate scales were developed in order to measure the variables. With respects knowledge, it was found that the majority (52.4 percent) of the farmers’ possessed high knowledge, while 42.6 percent of the farmers possessed medium knowledge and only 5 percent of the farmers had low knowledge on summer tomato cultivation. Regarding attitude, the study showed that about 49.5 percent of the farmers had favourable attitude, while 37.6 percent farmers had unfavourable attitide and 12.9 percent farmers showed neutral attitude towards summer tomato cultivation. Education, land possession, annual family income, extension contact of the farmers had positive significant relationship with farmers’ knowledge on summer tomato cultivation, while problem faced had negative relationship with their knowledge. Land possession of the farmers had positive significant relationship with their attitude towards summer tomato cultivation.