FARMER’S PERSPECTIVE ON SUGARCANE DISEASES AND THEIR MANAGEMENT IN DISTRICT RAHIM YAR KHAN

Abstract

This study aimed at exploring the awareness and adoption of recommendations regarding sugarcane diseases management in District Rahim Yar Khan of the Punjab, Pakistan. Total 343, randomly selected farmers participated in the study as respondents. Participants were interviewed face to face on a structured questionnaire. Collected data were analyzed on Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Findings indicated a huge difference in awareness of the recommendations among farmers and the level of adoption. More than half (59.5%) of farmers had awareness about the recommendations but the adoption appeared from very low level to low level (x̄= 1.56±0.95), indicating an extensive adoption gap. Traditional information sources like fellow farmers were the most preferred information sources for farmers and this could be one of the profound reasons behind poor adoption of recommendations. The fellow farmers would have shared their experiences with the fellow farmers but not the recommendation among farmers. This study urges awareness campaigns among farmers to make them aware about the sugarcane disease management. The Public sector extension should integrate the modern gadgets like mobile phone, helplines and internet to expedite the information delivery mechanism. Moreover, the synergistic work of research and extension is much needed.