The profile characteristics of beneficiary farmers of reliance foundation information services (RFIS) and their association with the impact of RFIS in Saurashtra region of Gujarat

Abstract

A study was conducted in Junagadh, Gir Somnath and Jamnagar Districts of Saurashtra region of Gujarat to know profile of RFIS beneficiaries and its association with the impact created by RFIS. Multistage random sampling was followed to select two talukas from each selected district and three villages from each taluka. From each village, ten respondents were selected randomly. Thus, a total of 180 respondents were selected for the study. The results indicated that with respect to profile characteristics, majority belonged to middle age group; had middle/secondary school education and had medium size of family. In socio economic characteristics majority had farming + animal husbandry as main occupation; semi medium size of land holding and medium annual income. With regards to communicational characteristics, majority had medium level of mass media utilization and medium level of social participation. In psychological characteristics, majority had medium level of innovativeness; medium access to weather forecast; medium level of decision-making ability; medium level of credibility and medium level of risk orientation. The characteristics of the farmers viz. education, land holding, annual income, mass media utilization, risk orientation, had positive and highly significant relationship with the impact of RFIS. Whereas, occupation, social participation, innovativeness, access to weather forecast, and had positive and significant relationship with the impact of RFIS. Age had negative and highly significant relationship with the impact of RFIS while size of family, decision making ability and credibility had non-significant with the impact of RFIS.