Attitude Of Farmers Research Articles

Assessing the Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Farmer on the Biology and Management of Chinese Citrus Fly in Bagmati Province of Nepal

Chinese citrus fly is the major pest of sweet orange in citrus growing districts of Bagmati Province Nepal. Farmer’s production constrains and production problems such as Chinese citrus fly problem in sweet orange are not well documented and studied. This study was conducted in Sindhuli, Ramechhap, Dolakha and Kavre districts of Bagmati Province in 2021 with aim to understand the farmer’s perception, knowledge about CCF and their management practices using semi-structured questionnaire. Collected survey data was analyzed using the SPSS-20 and MS Excel. The survey results depicted that the intensity of Chinese citrus fly damage has been decreased in Sindhuli district with the infestation level of < 20% in sweet orange orchard. However, CCF population as well as their damage level was in increasing trend of > 50% in sweet orange orchard in Ramechhap, and > 80% in Dolakha and Kavre district. Chinese citrus fly loss has been recorded up to 25% in Mandarin orange in Dolakha and Kavre district. Maximum Chinese citrus fly loss was recorded in sweet orange orchard in October month. Farmers usefully managed the dropping fruits by collecting in plastic bags and burying in pits. Great fruit fly bait, has been used for the CCF management in three districts except in Kavre. Majority of farmers reported that chemical pesticides are less effective or sometime not-effective for this pest management. This study provides a preliminary information about sweet orange orchard management practices, general pest problems, Chinese citrus fly and future management strategy in survey districts.

Nepalese farmers’ perceptions of nitrogen inputs and attitudes to soil management: Implications for soil health and environmentally sustainable farming

Across Nepal, there is a decline in soil health. Thus, soils in Nepal requires effective management to ensure its sustainability. The success of these strategies is contingent upon understanding farmers' perceptions, opinions, and attitudes towards maintaining soil health. This paper investigates the current soil management practices, farmers' perceptions of soil nutrient use in relation to soil fertility, yield, and environmental impact, attitudes to soil management, and how these differ by personal and economic characteristics. The result is based on a survey of 300 Nepalese farmers. The findings are that there is a prevalence of practices such as puddling, deep tillage, and broadcasting without incorporation. Over 60% of farmers do not consciously consider the weather or environmental impact in soil management decisions. Financial returns are a significant motivating factor for changing current soil and crop management practices for many farmers. Further, the results highlight a perception amongst a larger proportion of farmers that compared to synthetic fertiliser; manure enhances soil fertility, increases crop yield, and does less harm to biodiversity. The potential for overuse and environmental pollution from misperception around manure are supported by the findings in this paper. The regression results indicate that farmers who perceive different nitrogen inputs as increasing yield, the quality of the harvest, or harming the soil, and those who manage their soil depending on the weather with considerations for the environment tend to use less nitrogen inputs. The paper highlights aspects of farming practices, opinions, and attitudes that can be improved to maintain healthy soils.

Perceptions and attitudes of farmers and landowners on soil salinity management and use of elemental sulphur in Oman

AbstractSoil salinity threatens agricultural sustainability globally and is a significant challenge in Oman. Previous studies in Oman focused on examining the causality and spatiotemporal variation of groundwater and soil salinity, neglecting farmers' perceptions and attitudes towards salinity management. Therefore, this study evaluates (i) perceptions and attitudes of landowners and farmers towards soil salinity and its management, and (ii) determinants of willingness to use elemental sulphur to alleviate soil salinity in Oman. A questionnaire survey (122 responses) assessed perceptions, attitudes and knowledge using Likert scales and qualitative questions. Binary Logistic Regression analysed determinants of willingness to use elemental sulphur. Results reveal variations in perceptions, attitudes, knowledge and management practices. Most of the respondents were aware of adequate nutrient and water requirements for crops (p < .05). Respondents rely on social media (38.5%), fellow farmers (32.1%) and personal experiences (11.5%) for knowledge acquisition about soil salinity management. Half of the respondents did not monitor soil salinity, while the other half relied primarily on visual observation. A substantial number (62.6%) of the respondents did not implement any techniques to alleviate soil salinity, while among those who acted, a majority preferred cultivating date palms (55%) or fodders (29.4%). Awareness of the national salinity management strategy and commercial products is lacking. However, when introduced to elemental sulphur as a soil amendment for salinity, 74.8% of the respondents demonstrated a willingness to utilize it. Most (82.4%) preferred elemental sulphur products within the lowest price range. Being a full‐time farmer, owning a farm, awareness of the national strategy and low‐price preferences were positive determinants, while <1 year of farming experience was a negative determinant of willingness to use elemental sulphur. These findings inform future research on socio‐economic perceptions of salinity in Oman, the Gulf region and similar arid areas facing food production limitations.

Farmers' perception of the ecosystem services provided by diurnal raptors in arid Rajasthan.

Farmers are the most important stakeholders in wildlife conservation in the agricultural landscape. Understanding the farmer's perceptions, attitude, behaviour, and knowledge toward conservation is critical in developing an effective conservation programme in human-dominated landscapes. We conducted semi-structured face-to-face interviews with 373 farmers to understand the farmer's perception of ecosystem services provided by diurnal raptors in the arid region of Rajasthan from July 2020 to February 2021 and from August 2021 to January 2022. We grouped ecosystem services and disservices into larger categories and estimated the correlation between them, finding that disservices are negatively correlated with benefits. Raptors were perceived as beneficial for their role in controlling rodents and pests, but negatively for poultry predation. In addition, we built a binomial generalised linear model with a logit function to better understand the factors that influence farmers' perceptions of raptors (positive or negative). We observed that males and females have different attitudes toward the ecosystem services provided by raptors. It is critical to understand social perceptions in order to conserve species that are rare on a global scale but may face negative perceptions on a local scale. Our study connects ecological information with socio-demographic factors, which can be useful in developing policy measures for raptor conservation.

Dairy farmer and farm staff attitudes and perceptions regarding daily milk allowance to calves

The benefits of feeding calves more milk are increasingly being recognized by dairy farmers. However, most producers have still not implemented higher feeding plans. The aim of the present study was to gain a deeper understanding of farmer and farm staff attitudes, and the perceptions and factors considered in their decision-making regarding daily milk allowances. We collected data through focus group interviews with dairy farmers, farm managers, and calf-care workers who were selected using purposive and snowball sampling. In total, 40 persons (24 women and 16 men) joined a focus group interview (6 in all, each with 5-8 participants). Interviews were recorded, and recordings were transcribed and analyzed thematically. Participants had contrasting opinions about the minimum, maximum, and recommended daily milk allowances to their calves. Their suggested lowest daily milk allowance to sustain animal welfare ranged from 4 to 8-10 L and the maximum allowance from 6 to 15 L. We found that farmers' and farm staff's choices and recommendations of milk-feeding protocols were influenced by a large number of factors that could be grouped into 4 themes: (1) life beyond work, (2) farm facilities and equipment, (3) care of the calves, and (4) profitability and production. Participants' considerations were similar and aimed to maximize daily milk allowance based on farm conditions. However, the allowances they described as optimal for their calves often differed from what they considered practically feasible. We found that the care of the calves and the well-being of the owners and the staff was central in the participants' decision-making, but that this care perspective was challenged by the social and economic sustainability of the farm. Most participants fed their calves twice daily and did not think that increasing that number would be practically feasible. Our results indicate that the participants' viewpoints regarding calves were important for their decision-making about milk allowances. We suggest that a more holistic perspective should be used when advising farmers about milk allowances, putting particular emphasis on the caring and social sustainability aspects of the individual farm.

Relationship Between Farmer Characteristics and Farmer Group Dynamics with The Success of Farmer Empowerment Programs Through Agricultural Technology and Information

Extension activities managed by farmers as a process of changing the behavior, mindset and attitude of farmers from traditional subsistence farmers to modern farmers with agribusiness insight through continuous learning are carried out with a learning by doing approach that focuses on developing managerial capacity, leadership and entrepreneurship of key actors in order to realize reliable agribusiness entrepreneurs. This study aims to examine how the relationship between farmer characteristics and group dynamics on the success rate of agricultural technology and information programs in the Tunas Walahir II Farmer Group, Pakapasan Hilir Village, Hantara District, Kuningan Regency from July to September 2022 with a sample of 25 farmers. This study used descriptive quantitative methods with data collection techniques through interviews. The data in this study is in the form of primary and secondary data. The analysis activities use the Spearman Level Correlation Coefficient Test (rs). The results showed that there was a real relationship between the characteristics of farmers (area of arable land and farming experience) with the success of agricultural technology and information programs, while the age of farmers and the level of education of farmers had no real relationship with the success of agricultural technology and information programs. There is a clear relationship between the dynamics of farmer groups and the success of agricultural technology and information programs.

Risk Attitude of Farmers in the Climate Extreme Region of Andhra Pradesh, India

Aim: The objective of the current study was to assess the risk attitude of both insured and non-insured farmers and identify the factors influencing the risk attitude of insured and non-insured farmers.
 Study Area and Design: An ex-post-facto study was conducted, and the stratified random sampling method was used to collect the data at selected villages in Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh.
 Methodology: A sample of 150 farmers of chilli and cotton was collected (90 insured and 60 non-insured). Data regarding the agriculture year 2021-22 was analysed using Moscardi and de Janvry approach. The socioeconomic, institutional and farm characteristics were analysed by using discriminant analysis to identify the factors influencing farmers’ risk attitudes.
 Results: The present study results showed that the majority of the farmers are risk neutral. In the case of risk preferers insured farmers are more compared to non-insured farmers. Insured chilli farmers more than non-insured chilli farmers in case of risk-averse but, it is the reverse in the case of cotton farmers. Occupation, constraints in getting credit facility, membership of the association, the proportion of crop income to the total farm income and family size of insured chilli farmers and family size, education level membership of the association, constraints in getting credit facility, the proportion of crop income to total farm income of non-insured chilli farmers are significant. Variables like age, occupation, farming experience, constraints in getting credit facility and age, occupation, education level, and farming experience of insured and non-insured cotton farmers were found to be significant. 
 Conclusion: The majority of the farmers (both insured and non-insured) are risk neutral.

Knowledge, attitude, and practice of goat farmers towards contagious caprine pleuropneumonia in Amhara region, Ethiopia

Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) is known for its high mortality, morbidity, and economic losses. A cross-sectional study using a multistage cluster sampling technique was conducted in Amhara Regional State from January to June 2019 to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices of goat farmers towards CCPP in the region. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect information from the goat farmers found in 12 districts. A total of 386 goat producer respondents participated in the questionnaire survey. Out of all the households of goat farmers interviewed, 370 (95.8%) were headed by males, while 16 (4.2%) were headed by females. Of all the respondents, 73.58% did not know the disease. The remaining 26.42% were familiar with the CCPP and had seen the disease in their goats or nearby goat flocks, and from this 4%, they experienced CCPP with their goats. Half of the participants who experienced the disease in their flock reported that mixing with neighboring flocks was the major source of CCPP infection. The goat farmers who are familiar with the disease had a high-risk perception of CCPP with a mean score of 4 out of 5 for the seriousness of the disease and 4.12 out of 5 for the risk of infection. These farmers showed a good perception of the effectiveness of prevention practices with a mean score of 4 out of 5 for the usefulness of vaccinations and reporting disease outbreaks to veterinary authorities. This collective understanding demonstrates their awareness of the disease and the proactive measures they are willing to take to mitigate its impact on their flocks. They have a good practice of vaccinating and treating their goats. Most of the farmers use veterinary clinic services to control CCPP occurrence in their herds. Although the farmers familiar with the disease have a good understanding of the risk of the disease and a positive attitude towards control measures, most farmers are not aware of the disease and hence better animal extension about the disease is needed in the study area.

Peningkatan Produktivitas Domba melalui Pembinaan Kelompok Peternak Domba Desa Pamulihan terkait Keterampilan Manajemen Pemeliharaan

Education regarding the management of sheep rearing in groups of sheep breeders in Pamulihan Village is carried out as a form of effort to increase the productivity of sheep owned by breeders. This educational activity was carried out in Pamulihan Village with an audience of 30 people who are sheep breeders from that village. Educational activities are carried out using the method of delivering material and discussion an evaluating it from pretest and posttest data taken before and after the material delivery session is carried out. Based on the results of the pretest and posttest evaluations, it was found that there was an increase in knowledge about feed management by 22% (from 70% to 92%), planning and recording by 45% (from 40% to 85%), maintenance management by 15% (from 75% to 90%) and Health management as much as 30% (from 60% to 90%). Aspects of the farmer's attitude after participating in the training as much as 90% of the farmers are aware of the deficiencies in the implementation of their farms and 10% are still unsure. In contrast, the desire of the breeders to apply the knowledge gained to their farms is found that 80% of the farmers will implement it, 7% do not, and 13% are doubtful -hesitant. This educational activity succeeded in increasing the knowledge and awareness of breeders in running their farms well. However, it still needs to be given technical examples that are easy for breeders to implement.

Perilaku Petani dalam Budidaya Tanaman Kakao (Subak-Abian Asagan di Kecamatan Selemadeg Timur Kabupaten Tabanan)

Farmers Behavior in Cultivating Subak-Abian Asagan Cocoa Crops (in Selemadeg Timur District, Tabanan Regency)
 Agriculture is a sector that plays an important role in building the national economy. Knowing the attitude of farmers in cacao cultivation in Subak Abian Asagan, Gadungan Village, East Selemadeg District. Knowing the skills of farmers in cacao cultivation in Subak Abian Asagan, Gadungan Village, East Selemadeg District. This research was conducted in Subak Abian Asagan, Gadungan Village, East Selemadeg District, Tabanan Regency. The location of this study was chosen by purposive sampling or intentionally, carried out from April to May 2021, the sample in this study was determined by the random sampling method, where the total population was 60 with a sample of 38 cocoa farmers. Subak Abian Asagan, Gadungan Village, Selemadeg Timur, Tabanan Regency already has knowledge that is classified as high category in terms of cacao cultivation. Subak Abian Asagan, Gadungan Village, Selemadeg Timur, Tabanan Regency already has an attitude that is classified as very good in terms of cacao cultivation. Based on the results of the research and the conclusions above, the following suggestions can be given: The knowledge of Subak Abian Asagan, East Gadungan Village, Tabanan Regency continues to be improved, especially regarding paying attention to soil texture in the cocoa cultivation process and ideal cocoa spacing, as well as disease management. rotten fruit that can inhibit the growth of cocoa plants. The attitude of members of Subak Abian Asagan, Gadungan Village, Selemadeg Timur, Tabanan Regency needs to be improved again with attitudes about differences.

Perilaku Petani Dalam Penerapan Sistem Pertanian Organik Di Kelompok Tani Mertha Sarining Bhuana Desa Bangli Kecamatan Baturiti Kabupaten Tabanan

Behavior of Farmers in the Application of Organic Farming Systems in Mertha Sarining Bhuana Farmers Group Bangli Village, Baturiti District, Tabanan Regency
 Organic farming systems have a positive impact on the environment and farming activities compared to conventional farming. However, in reality, the application of organic farming systems has not been fully implemented, therefore it is necessary to have sufficient knowledge to form positive attitudes of farmers and good actions in an effort to implement organic farming systems in their own environment. This study aims to determine the level of knowledge, attitudes, and actions of farmers in the application of organic farming systems in the Mertha Sarining Bhuana farmer group, Bangli Village, Baturiti District, Tabanan Regency. Sampling with a saturated sampling method with the number of respondents 23 people. The data analysis method used is qualitative descriptive analysis. The results of the analysis show that the level of knowledge of farmers about organic farming systems is in the moderate category with a total score of 859, while the attitudes of farmers are in the agree on category with a total score of 1181, and the actions of farmers are in the sufficient category with a total score of 717. and the behavior of farmers regarding organic farming systems is in the moderate category. in the good category with a total score of 2,764. Based on the results of this study, the behavior of farmers is expected to support agricultural development by implementing organic farming systems in the surrounding environment.

Probing the Complexities of Actual and Perceived Levels of Human-Elephant Conflict in the Okavango, Botswana

People’s perception of the conflict they are experiencing with wildlife is a major factor in determining the extent of human-elephant conflict (HEC) occurring and needs to be considered when devising HEC management strategies. To understand perceptions and attitudes, however, it is necessary to identify factors that influence them. This study used a combination of multivariate ordered probit and generalized linear models to probe the complexities of farmer perception and attitudes and reveal underlying influential factors that shape perceived conflict levels. The study shows that the perception of HEC is complicated, influenced by an array of factors, both directly and indirectly, many of which are socio-demographic characteristics of the farmer, rather than quantifiable indicators of actual conflict. It was found that perceived human-elephant conflict (HEC) in the Okavango is affected by the ethnicity of the farmer, the raiding history of a field, the distance of fields to elephant pathways, and a farmer’s feeling towards elephants. Yet, feelings towards elephants are affected by attitudes towards wildlife, which are influenced by the benefits communities receive from living near wildlife. The perceived conflict levels of respondents were higher than the predicted actual conflict levels. Such discrepancies could be interpreted as “people over-reporting the scale of the problem”, yet results indicate that the crop-raiding history of a farmer alone is not adequate to assess the overall level of conflict being experienced because other social and environmental factors are involved in determining farmer perception of conflict. A holistic approach is needed to address the complexities of perceived and actual conflicts to ultimately reduce HEC. This involves targeting mitigation strategies for specific groups of people, considering elephant pathways and field locations in land use planning, and finding ways to improve benefits accrued to the community through wildlife-related enterprises that bring benefits back from living with elephants.

PENGETAHUAN DAN SIKAP PETERNAK SAPI POTONG TERHADAP TEKNOLOGI PENGOLAHAN LIMBAH PERTANIAN SEBAGAI PAKAN TERNAK

This study was conducted using 24 beef cattle farmers which were choosen through purposive sampling. The aim of this research was to know the level of knowledge and attitude of beef cattle farmers and constraints towards adoption of crop residu technology for animal feeding in Klaten Regency, Central Java Province. The study revealed that the majority of beef cattle famers (75%) had moderate level of knowledge and favourable attitude (83,3%) towards adoption of crop residu technology for animal feeding. The major contraints in adopting the technology were lack of inputs, capital, labour, knowledge, and motivation. Collaboration among beef cattle farmers as stake holders, local animal husbandry service, extension workers and financial institution support is definitely required

A Value Chain Analysis of Cauliflower and Tomato in Bangladesh

Improved agricultural value chains linking rural and urban areas can provide opportunities to initiate development interventions. This paper was aimed at mapping the value chain of cauliflower and tomato along with the identification of internal and external governance structures throughout the chain. Data were collected from 100 farmers and 60 traders, selected through the application of simple random and purposive sampling, respectively. Value chain mapping techniques and marketing margins were used for evaluating the economic performance of each actor. To uncover the farmers’ perceptions of internal and external governance structures, the Likert scaling technique was utilized, which was checked by applying the Mann–Whitney U test. Eleven marketing channels were ascertained for cauliflower and tomato, whereas wholesalers contributed the largest share of gross (32.28% for cauliflower and 31.96% for tomato) and net (57.41% for cauliflower and 48.09% for tomato) marketing margins. The highest return on investment was obtained by Aratdars. The lowest amount of cauliflower (1.51%) and tomato (1.30%) were responsible for direct marketing. The benefit–cost ratio was found to be 1.30 and 1.25, respectively, for cauliflower and tomato. This paper revealed considerable differences among NATP and non-NATP farmers with regard to internal and external governance practices. Despite both groups reporting good internal governance practices from their own perspectives, the negative attitude of NATP and non-NATP farmers toward the existence of good external governance practices created a matter of deep concern. To ensure the farmers’ benefits, good governance practices must be implemented throughout the value chain.

Description of Farmers' Knowledge and Attitudes in Using Pesticides in Koto Tuo Kenagarian IV Village Koto Hilie Kec. Stem Cotton Regency. South Coast.

Pesticides are biocides, which means they are toxic to plants, animals and humans. Inappropriate use of pesticides can result in serious short-term or long-term health problems. The research was conducted with an initial survey in February 2022 in Koto Tuo Village, Nagari IV Koto Hilie. From the results of surveys and interviews with 10 people, it was found that there are still many farmers who have not implemented the behavior of using pesticides in accordance with applicable standards and regulations. The research design is quantitative descriptive, the population in this study is 320 people, the samples taken are 178 farmers. The results of this study found that the farmer's experience determines whether or not the knowledge and attitude of a farmer determines personal and environmental safety. to use pesticides

Farmer Attitudes on Farmer Behavior in Adopting Innovation of Rice Planting (Transplanter) In the Seputih Agung Subdistrict

The use of mechanization in agriculture in addition to increasing rice productivity can also be a strategy in overcoming labor scarcity as well as the use of technology and the adoption of the transition from using traditional tools to modern tools. The transplanter machine is a new innovation for some people in Central Lampung Regency, such as in Seputih Agung District, which is one of the sub-districts that received transplanter assistance from the government which is expected to be implemented by farmers on their farming land. Transplanter machine technology if adopted by farmers is very profitable, because it can facilitate the planting of rice seeds, speed up work time, is effective, and also saves production costs for the planting process. The behavior of farmers in adopting transplanters is formed through the level of knowledge they have which will affect farmers in determining their attitude to accept and implement an innovation. The objectives in this study were to determine farmers’ attitudes towards transplanter innovation adoption, determine farmer behavior in adopting transplanter innovation and analyze the effect of farmers’ attitudes towards transplanter innovation adoption. This research was conducted in January 2023 in Seputih Agung District, Central Lampung Regency for farmers who are members of farmer groups receiving transplanter machine assistance with 70 respondents. The research method used is quantitative descriptive with statistical analysis of Partial Least Square (PLS) assisted through SmartPLS Software version 3.0. The results showed that the cognitive attitudes of farmers were included in the fairly high category, which means that farmers had sufficient knowledge about rice transplanter machines. The affective attitude of farmers is included in the high enough category, which means that the affective attitude is sufficient to provide support for the attitude of farmers in adopting transplanter innovations. The conative attitude of farmers is included in the fairly high enough category, which means attitudes that tend to be followers or imitators. This also happened in Seputih Agung Subdistrict, farmers wanted to use the transplanter machine if many farmers had used it and acknowledged the benefits they would get. The behavior of farmers in adopting transplanter innovations as measured by selecting seeds and selecting seeds, making nurseries in dapog, setting spacing, setting soil depth, and setting the number of seeds is included in the moderate category. The results of the analysis of the variable attitude of farmers towards the behavior of farmers in adopting transplanter innovations have a significant influence, these results indicate that the greater the attitude of farmers is able to increase the behavior of farmers in adopting transplanter innovations.

ATTITUDES OF FARMERS TOWARDS GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE: THE CASE OF ÇAMLIDERE

This research was conducted to reveal the attitudes of farmers towards global climate change. The study group of the research, which was carried out in the qualitative research design, consists of 8 farmers in the Çamlıdere district of Ankara, which were selected by the easily accessible sampling method, one of the purposive sampling methods. In the research, scanning model, which is one of the general research types, was used. The data collection tool is a semi-structured interview form consisting of 5 questions prepared for the research by the researchers. The data collection process took 8 weeks. In the analysis of the data, the semi-structured interview form was subjected to content analysis and the findings were reached. As a result of the findings and interpretation of these findings, it was concluded that the participant farmers had negative attitudes towards global climate change, they had knowledge about the concept, but it was not within the scope of scientific knowledge. Çamlıdere district of Ankara province is affected by climate change. The participants are aware of global climate change, but they are desperate for their individual efforts to be insufficient, the fact that they have not made any changes in agricultural products, they want to create irrigation tanks, and they are interested in greenhouse activities show these results. As a research proposal, explaining global climate change to farmers with a scientific activity can form a basis for measures to be taken on global climate change.

Farmer Attitudes On Climate Change, Farming Practices, and Livelihood Threats, and the Impact to Conservation in the Kasigau Wildlife Corridor, Kenya

Farmer Attitudes On Climate Change, Farming Practices, and Livelihood Threats, and the Impact to Conservation in the Kasigau Wildlife Corridor, Kenya

Development of a Scale to Measure the Attitude towards Innovation Use in Rice Farming

This study elucidates the entire methodology adopted for the development of a scale to measure farmers’ attitude towards innovation use (AIU) in rice farming. To measure the attitude of farmers towards innovation use in rice farming, a comprehensive list of 30 statements was developed by thoroughly reviewing the literature available and modifying some items from pre-existing scales. The items for this Likert-type scale were developed following the criteria put forward by Edwards and Kilpatrick (1948). These items were subjected to a thorough sorting process in consultation with domain experts and 19 statements were finally selected for the measuring instrument to be developed. These items were sent to judges for expert content evaluation. Based on the content validity index score for items and modified Kappa statistic, 15 statements were finally selected to constitute the proposed scale. The internal consistency check using Chronbach’s alpha was used to ensure the reliability of the proposed scale, and a value of 0.88 was obtained, indicating higher reliability. The standardized scale has practical applicability in measuring the attitude of farmers towards innovation use in rice farming.

A survey on management practices and attitudes of broiler buy-back farmers towards farm animal welfare in Gampaha district, Sri Lanka: a case study of a commercial broiler chicken processing company

Contract grower/buy-back farming system is well established in the present poultry industry in Sri Lanka. This study assessed farmer profile, key management practices and attitudes of the buy-back farmers towards broiler chicken welfare. A total of 40 buy-back farmers in Gampaha District, Sri Lanka were interviewed via telephone conversations using an open structured type questionnaire. Data were statistically analyzed using SPSS version 23.0. Relationships among variables were computed by Ordinal Logistic Regression. Majority (56%) of the farmers were in between the age group of 35-50 y, and 17.6% were females. The most popular flock sizes were in between 1000-5000 birds (64.1%). All the farmers stated that they purposely check for sick or injured birds and 97.4% of them practiced isolation of sick birds. However, no one euthanized severely injured or sick birds. All farmers informed that they practice up-right position when catching and handling birds. Half of the farmers (56.4%) were not well aware of concepts of farm animal welfare. Farmers’ attitudes on farm animal welfare, transportation, and slaughtering were compared with farmers’ profile and resulted in no significant relationship. There was a positive relationship that tend to be significant (P = 0.051) with welfare awareness (YES) vs the welfare positive attitudes on handling of birds. When flock size increased, farmers’ awareness of pain of birds was significantly decreased (P<0.05). In conclusion, a considerable number of buy-back farmers had poor or uncertain attitudes regarding broiler chicken welfare, and their management practices were mostly production-focused. It is suggested that poultry welfare awareness programs would be beneficial to improve farmers' positive attitudes to ensure the welfare of broiler chickens.