Construction of knowledge test to assess knowledge level of the dairy farmers regarding dairy practices in Garhwal Division of Uttarakhand

Abstract

Livestock is an inherent component of agriculture, both being intrinsically linked and complementing each other for overall food security. Over 70 percent of the milk produced in India is by small and marginal farmers whose landholdings are small with few heads of cattle or buffaloes. Hence it is a powerful instrument to bring about social and economic transformation, which can improve their livelihoods and development pattern that will lead to the economic growth of the country. The knowledge gap regarding scientific dairy practices and farmers’ ignorance towards recent advances like social media and ICTs was questioned seriously. At, this juncture, farmers’ awareness and knowledge about scientific dairy practices play a very crucial in deciding the upcoming course of action. Thus, it is necessary to measure the knowledge level of farmers for its greater adoption. With this goal, the present study aimed at the construction of a standardized knowledge test to assess the knowledge level of farmers regarding scientific dairy practices. The steps included- item collection, item selection, item analysis, finding reliability and validity of the test items, and then finalization of items. The reliability coefficient value of 0.856 indicated that the test was highly significant. The final knowledge tool containing 36 items was set for data collection. Other researchers or academicians who measure the knowledge level of farmers regarding dairy practices can use this standardized knowledge test.