Assessing the Training Needs of Village Agricultural Assistants (VAAs) and Village Horticulture Assistants (VHAs) in Visakhapatnam district

Abstract

The present study was designed to assess the training needs of Village Agricultural Assistants in Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh. A total sample of 60 Village Agricultural Assistants and 60 Village Horticultural Assistants working in Rythu Bharosa Kendra’s were taken for the study. The study revealed that majority of the VAAs opined that they need trainings in paddy for suitable paddy varieties for North Coastal Zone of A.P during Kharif, followed by management of over aged nursery in paddy and critical interventions for direct seeding of paddy with drum seeder & seed drill. For field crops they opined that they need training programme on critical management practices in rice fallow green gram & black gram for higher yields, followed by fall army worm management in maize and IPM practices for sucking pest management in green gram & black gram. The study also revealed that majority of the VHAs expressed that need training programme on drip & sprinkler irrigation technologies, followed by fertigation techniques for horticulture crops and grafting as well as propagation techniques in horticulture crops.