Strategies to Enhance the Adoption of Recommended Tea Cultivation Practices by the Trained and Untrained Small Tea Growers in the State of Assam

Abstract

Tea industry has significant contribution towards the state’s economy as well as India’s economy and also plays vital role in employment generation and poverty alleviation of the country. The study was conducted in Upper Brahmaputra Valley Zone of Assam by selecting the highest concentrated districts of small tea growers (STGs) i.e., Tinsukia, Dibrugarh and Golaghat. Multistage purposive cum random sampling design was used for selection of respondents. A total of 400 (200 trained and 200 untrained) respondents constituted the sample of the study. Strategies drawn for the problems faced by the small tea growers through the primary data were collected through personal interview and questionnaires. Also the secondary data were being obtained through journals, research papers, books and by visiting various websites. Ranking of the strategies for the problems faced by the small tea growers were done based on the data obtained. The various strategies drawn for the problems were extension agencies or extension personnel interference in creating awareness about the recommended practices among the tea growers, concerned institutions should take care on adoption and proper management of tea cultivation so that farmers may be able to minimize their problems at farmer’s level, use of ICT based technology also helps the farmers to minimize pest and insect related problems at farmers field.