FARMERS’ PERCEPTION TOWARDS HARMFUL EFFECTS OF SOIL SALINITY ON FOOD PRODUCTION

Abstract

Soil salinity seems to be one of the Important aspects of climate change that have harmful consequence on crop production .The purpose of this study was to determine farmers’ perception towards harmful effects of soil salinity on food production and to explore the relationships between the characteristics of the farmers and their perception towards harmful effects of soil salinity on food production. The study was conducted in 3 villages of Taltali upazila under Barguna district. The populations of the farmers in these villages were 713 from where 106 samples were drawn by using random sampling technique. An interview schedule was used for data collect ion. Perception towards harmful effects of soil salinity on food production was measured by 5 point likert scale. Descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation, range and percentage were used to describe the variables under consideration. Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient test was used to ascertain the relationship between the concerned characteristics

and

focus variables. Majority (84.9 percent) of the farmers’ possessed favorable perception and (15.1 percent) of the farmers had unfavorable perception towards harmful effects of soil salinity on food production. Education, farm size, land under soil salinity, knowledge on soil salinity effects, of the farmers had positive significant relationship with their perception towards harmful effects of soil salinity on food production. The policy makers may concentrate the significant factors while making policy to reduce the harmful effects of soil salinity on food production