Development of an attitude scale to analyse the attitude level of dairy farmers regarding dairy waste handling practices

Abstract

Livestock rearing serves as an important supplementary livelihood for small and marginal farmers in India; however, scientific dairy waste management remains inadequately addressed, particularly in urban and peri-urban areas. This study aimed to develop and standardize an attitude scale to assess dairy farmers’ attitudes toward dairy waste management practices and to analyze their attitude levels. The study was conducted during 2025–26 in Rewa and Sidhi districts of Madhya Pradesh using an exploratory, ex post facto research design. A total of 240 dairy farmers (80 urban and 160 peri-urban) were selected through stratified random sampling. An attitude scale was developed following the summated rating method. Initially, 102 statements were generated and reduced to 78 after editing. Based on expert judgment (n=67), 41 statements were retained through relevancy testing. Item analysis using the ‘t’ test further refined the scale to 28 statements (17 positive and 11 negative). The split-half reliability coefficient was 0.75, which, after Spearman–Brown correction, yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.86, indicating high reliability. Content and face validity were ensured through expert evaluation. The findings revealed that 62.5% of respondents had a moderately favourable attitude, 37.08% had a favourable attitude, and only 0.42% had an unfavourable attitude toward dairy waste management. Urban farmers exhibited significantly more favourable attitudes (81.25%) compared to peri-urban farmers (15%). Although awareness regarding environmental protection, soil fertility, and sustainable agriculture was evident, favourable attitudes did not always translate into improved practices due to prevailing constraints. The developed scale proved to be a reliable and valid tool for assessing farmers’ attitudes toward dairy waste management and can aid policymakers and extension agencies in designing targeted interventions.