A Study on Correlates of Profile Characteristics and Adoption Behaviour of Rythu Bharosa Kendra (RBK) Beneficiaries in Anantapur District, Andhra Pradesh

Abstract

Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBK) or Farmers Assurance Centres are the one-stop-shop for the farmers’ welfare introduced by the Andhra Pradesh government at every panchayat to cater for their needs at the grass-root level. These centres provide a range of services like e-Crop booking, Crop health monitoring, CMAPP, Polambadi (Farmers Field School) programmes, Product procurement, financial assistance, field assistance etc. The present study highlights the correlates of adoption behavior of RBK beneficiaries in the Ananthapur district of Andhra Pradesh. Simple random sampling method was used and a sample size of 90 was selected from 18 villages under 6 RBKs of two blocks. Descriptive research design was used for the purpose of the study. The findings specify that the variables viz., age, education, land holding, social participation, extension agency contact, mass media exposure, extension participation, economic motivation had a positive and significant relationship with the level of adoption. Occupation, family size, farming experience and annual income had non-significant relationship with adoption of technologies disseminated by RBKs.

Extent of socio-economic and technological changes in tribal farmers of Andhra Pradesh through RBK interventions

“…RBKs provide a comprehensive array of services, encompassing farmer training, soil testing, crop insurance, demonstrations, beneficiary identification for various schemes, market intelligence, and the issuance of animal health cards (Reddy, 2020) [11] . This holistic approach has revolutionized the agricultural sector by addressing farmers' needs from seed to sale (Anuhya et al, 2022) [1,2] . www.extensionjournal.com…”

“…The international acclaim of Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBKs) is evident as they have been nominated for United Nations Organization (UNO) awards, bringing pride to the nation (Anuhya et al, 2022) [1,2] . The RBK system has effectively bridged the gap between the extension system and the farming community, fostering transparency (Reddy, 2020) [11] .…”

Effectiveness of Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBKs) Services as Perceived by Farmers in the East Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh, India

“…Agriculture is the main source of livelihood for most of the population in India. Pre and postgreen revolution extension systems in India played a commendable role in the dissemination of transfer of technologies [1]. On the other hand, farmers encounter numerous issues while buying inputs, selling their products and determining market prices etc.…”

“…There are limited testing facilities for agricultural inputs like seeds, fertilizers and pesticides in the state. All of these lead to the supply of low-quality inputs to farmers leading to huge losses [1]. The availability of extension functionaries to farmers is very less.…”

“…The RBK concept is one of the six initiatives that were nominated by the Centre for the UN Award. The initiative has revolutionised the agriculture sector by meeting farmers' needs from seed to sale [4].…”