Social Sciences - Agricultural Extension
1. Role of Rural based Institutions in Technology Dissemination
- Rural based institutions under study are non-formal organizations which were commodity based, development based and mostly tribal oriented. The situation in North-East particularly with reference to transfer of technology or development programmes is fragile because of lack of holistic participation from the local community or difficulty in comprehending the purpose and benefits of the programmes. Channels of communication within the community as existing are also at random without having any scope for exploring the possibility of implementation of the programmes. As these organizations, not like any other formal organizations or NGOs, are consisting of coherent members, operation from within the community and same need with ample scope for mutual consensus and legitimization, implementation of the schemes become very easy.
- Feedback becomes direct and objective oriented as these organizations can effectively turn back the things once the linkage is realized between these organizations and the source agencies.
- Most of these organizations are operating within their locale framework and the linkage with other such organizations in different localities, other formal organizations or NGOs, and institutional arrangements working in similar areas can be harnessed as it would have great impact on technology dissemination and development programmes.
- Statistical analysis like chi-square test and multiple regression shows that management orientation, achievement motivation, linkages, information seeking behavior, decision making, trainings etc, were directly correlated with technology adoption and implementation of schemes. Hence, capacity building programmes on harnessing these factors may properly be delineated for these organizations.
- Participatory approach with the direct involvement of these organizations catalyzes the process of innovation subsequently enhancing awareness creation and technology adoption. Hence while implementing any participatory programmes, these organizations can be given priority in assessing the need and prioritizing the problems in the particular locality.
2. Facilitation centre on medicinal plants
- Training Program conducted for Nursery Growers on Raising Quality Planting Materials for Commercialization of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in Meghalaya.
- Developed agro technique and gave training on Aloe vera, Alpinia galanga and Curcuma longa. Through Buyer-seller meets conducted effective linkage between the farmers and the other stakeholders involved in medicinal plants based products production.
- Mass awareness had been generated though training programs and exposure visits to the institute medicinal garden and through the supply of Quality Planting Material to the farmers.
- Developmental programmes focusing on cultivation of medicinal plants along with other arable crops and in the waste or degraded lands simultaneously enhancing rural healthcare and livelihood.
3. Enhancing Livelihood of Rural Women through Livestock Production
- Gender issues, gender mainstreaming and occupational health hazards were analyzed in terms of decision making in improved piggery production, handling the pig sheds, income generation from piggery production, extent of capacity to include piggery with other enterprises viz., fishery, fodder production, manure production. Community approach with the thrust given to the women farmers can be considered for wide-scale quality fodder production.
- Reinvention of technologies were identified in terms of accessibility to the technologies like women friendly cleaning tools for pig shed, handling animal during healthcare breeding and feeding. Technology assessment and refinement can be taken up in terms of accessibility of women towards these technologies.
- Assessment of the likelihood of women adopting the piggery related technologies was done through the logistic regression analysis and factors like decision making, achievement motivation, access and control over assets and inventory, education, risk taking ability, awareness played major role in enhancing the maximum likelihood of women going for the adoption of the technologies. Thus, continuous capacity building programmes and technological upgradation programmes need to be streamlined to sustain the motivation, and to exploit these factors.
