Factors Affecting Attitude of Fish Farmers towards Scientific Fish Culture in West Bengal

Abstract

The present study was carried out during 2005-2008 in the purposively selected North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal focused on the factors influencing attitude of fish farmers towards scientific fish culture practices. The data were gathered using a structured and pre tested interview schedule from 120 randomly selected fish farmers. The findings revealed that majority of fish farmers were middle aged group category. Overall education level is medium that is, primary and middle school level. Majority of fish farmers possessed low to medium level of experience in fish farming. Majority of the fish farmers belonged to medium social participation, low land holding and high income group as they have other source of income. Majority of farmers belonged to high to medium level of innovative proneness and medium level of value orientation, risk orientation and economic motivation. Most of the farmers belonged to low to medium level of credit orientation, and possessed medium to high level of knowledge. Majority of the farmers exhibited medium level of mass media participation and medium to low level of extension agency contact while their cosmopoliteness was high. Majority of the ponds were medium to small sized and water holding capacity were low to medium and rainfed. Most of the ponds were infested with weeds and the extent of weed infestation was low. The attitude of the majority of the fish farmers in North 24 Parganas varied from medium favourable to more favourable attitude towards scientific fish culture practices. However, nearly 1/5th of them were in less favourable category. In North 24 Parganas, out of 24 variables included in the study, 10 variables were positively and significantly related with the attitude of fish farmers towards scientific fish culture practices. Among the variables, all the psychological (except credit orientation), communication factors (except extension agency contact) education, annual income, social participation were positively and significantly related with attitude towards scientific fish culture Path analysis revealed that knowledge about scientific fish culture exhibited highest positive direct effect on the attitude of fish farmers towards scientific fish culture followed by the variables, cosmopoliteness, economic motivation, occupation and family type. Among the total indirect effects, the highest and lowest favourable contributions were by the variables value orientation, age respectively. Majority of the substantial indirect effects were channelised through value orientation, knowledge, cosmopoliteness, economic motivation, family type. Hence, these factors emerged as most dominant variables in influencing the attitude of fish farmers. Hence, these factors emerged as most dominant variables in influencing the attitude of fish farmers. Hence, in the context of climate change, it is a practical challenge for social science to mitigate the problem through technology dissemination system which must be focused on these variables by organizing extension methods.