Examining Farmers' Knowledge and Identifying Significant Factors Affecting It in Woredas With Different Levels of Development: The Case of Dalocha and Lanford Woredas in Snnprs
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2002-06
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Addis Abeba university
Abstract
Tholighfa/"lliers' knowledge plays a substantial role in the process of rural development,
in ([cllI([1 pl([lIlIillg practice, however, it is oilly passively integrated into development
"Ialls. Local level studies are hardly made so far to search for the level of knowledge that
Ihe!ftrlllers have abollt differellt devel0Plllent aspects, alld sigll ificant factors ajfecting it.
COlllparative ([lIal ),sis was elllployed to l(JIow the knowledge pattern of farmers found in
IIVO Ivords. The selectioll of the woredas was based on their level of development and
with alld wilhollt NGO development intervention. A ccordingly, one with higher
developllleill level alld havillg NGO develoPlllent intervention and the other with lower
de veloplII ell t level alld without NGO development intervention were selected and
cOlllpared. Based 011 this, sample household head farmers were selects and were asked by
IIsilig opell alld objective type questiolls, believed to be useful to understand their
kllowledge aholll elelllentary techniques, causation af diseases agricultural practices,
IIlIlrilioli. /illlllall ferlility control, local credit and saving institutions and marketing
sit/taliOIIS.
Mlilliple regressioll allalyses alld focus group discussiolls were employed to filter out,
Ihose hypothesized, Ihe variable strongly sigllificant in explaining the aforementioned
([SpeCIS offarlllers kllowledge. Focus group discussions were also carried out.
Based on lIIulliple regression clIIalysis and results of focus group discussions congruence
is seell helIVeell Ihe level of socioeconomic development of the woredas and empirical
/mowledge of Ih efitrln ers. Moreo ver, the analyses revealed education level, exposure to
/lIass lIIedia, spalial lIIobililY and NGO development intervelltion to he the most relatively
slgnlficanl indepelldent variables, which explain ftlrll1ers' kllowledge.
In accordance Ivilh Ihe findings, ellcouraging ftlrmers' confidence to different sectoral
policies Ihal affeci Iheir life, incorporate agricultural marketing and basic health
edllcalion in Ihe new extension program, grain banking to avert market risks was
recollllll ended. In additioll to these, extension agenls should peliorm their intended
prilllarv jo", cuilural Ireatlllelit for taboos existed in knowledge about human fertility
con/rol and IIII/ri/iolial aspects alld incorporating significant independent variables in the
('{!/egorizatioll of develoPlllent levels of woredas for the purpose of budget allocation
Il'ere also recollllllended
Description
Keywords
Examining Farmers' Knowledge