ROLE OF FARMER FIELD SCHOOLS IN DIFFUSION OF INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN RICE CULTIVATION AS PERCEIVED BY THE FARMERS

Abstract

The aim of FFS is to build farmers’ capacity to analyses their production systems, identify problems, test possible solutions and eventually adopt the practices most suitable to their farming system. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of FFS in diffusion of IPM practices in rice cultivation and explore the contribution of the selected characteristics of the FFS farmers. The selected characteristics were age, education, family size, farm size, annual net income from agricultural sources, organizational participation, innovativeness, knowledge on IPM, cosmopoliteness and adoption of IPM practices. Data were gathered from randomly selected 86 FFS farmers of nine villages of Chinispur and Nuralapurur union of sadar upazilla under Narsingdi district by using interview schedule. For harmonious representation from each village, 86 FFS farmers were selected by using a standard formula. Respondents were selected by using stratified random sampling method. Stepwise Multiple Regression was used to examine the contribution of the selected characteristics of the FFS farmers. The findings revealed that majority of the respondents (51.10 %) perceived medium role of FFS while (34.90 %) had low and (14.0 %) perceived high role of FFS in diffusion of IPM practices. Hence, more than half (65.10 %) of FFS farmers had medium to high role of FFS in diffusion of IPM practices. Stepwise Multiple Regression exposed that education, adoption of IPM practices, knowledge on IPM and organizational participation had significant contribution on role of FFS in diffusion of IPM practices. The R ix 2 value indicates the four independent variables collectively contribute (32.0 %) of the total variation on the role of FFS in diffusion of IPM practices. It may be concluded that role of FFS will be increased with the increase of educational level of the respondents