Impact of front line demonstrations conducted by AICRP on maize and its correlation with socio-economic characteristics of maize growers

Abstract

Front Line Demonstrations (FLDs) under the All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) on Maize have been a key extension strategy to showcase improved production technologies and bridge the gap between research and practice. The present investigation was carried out in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra with the objectives of studying the socio-economic characteristics of maize growers, and to analyze their relationship with the impact of FLDs. Total 150 maize growers (75 beneficiaries of FLDs and 75 non-beneficiaries) were selected for these study. It was observed that the socio-economic characteristics were significantly correlated with the impact of FLDs. Data were collected through a structured interview schedule and analyzed using correlation coefficients. The impact was measured in terms of changes in knowledge, adoption of recommended technologies, productivity, area under maize cultivation, and annual income. The results revealed that among beneficiaries, variables such as education, landholding, farming experience, area under maize, scientific orientation, extension contact, sources of information, economic motivation, and innovativeness were positively and significantly correlated with the impact of FLDs. The findings indicate that FLDs were effective tools in enhancing knowledge and adoption among farmers with favorable characteristics.