FARMER’S PERCEPTION TOWARDS INTEGRATED FARMING SYSTEMS IN MAHARASHTRA: A METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH

Abstract

Farmer’s perception about any developmental activity is priceless resource to policy makers for designing policies in order to reduce vulnerabilities of farmers. A scale was developed to measure the farmer’s perception towards Integrated Farming Systems based on Likert’s technique of scale construction. A list of 50 positive and negative (60:40) statements indicating the perception of farmers was prepared according to suitability of study. The statements were edited in the light of fourteen informal criteria suggested by Edwards. The remaining 37 statements out of 50 were sent to the 60 judges who were the experts in the field of Integrated Farming Systems for rating on three point continuums. The total individual score of judges was calculated by summing up the weights given by judges to the individual statement. On the basis of total individual scores of judges, the top 25 per cent of judges with the highest total scores and the bottom 25 per cent of judges with lowest total scores were taken as assuming that these two groups provide criterion groups in terms of which to evaluate the individual statements. On the basis of calculated ‘t’ values for all statements, 15 statements (11 positive and 4 negative) were retained in the final scale. This scale can be used to measure farmer’s perception beyond the study area with suitable modifications