Training Needs of Farm Women about Improved Animal Husbandry Practices in Saurashtra Region of Gujarat

Abstract

Animal husbandry is an integral component of rural farmers and female dominated enterprise in India. It is established beyond a shadow of doubt that women always participated in animal husbandry activities in addition to their daily household chores. In spite of active involvement of farm women, their contribution are undermined, underestimated and lack of exposure and assess to new technology has restricted to show their full potential for the growth of livestock sector. Training is one of the important aspects, which can enhance knowledge, improve skill and change the attitude of farm women. Keeping this in view, present study was thought to be taken out with to measure the training needs of farm women about improved animal husbandry practices in Saurashtra region of Gujarat state, India. Because of Saurashtra region has significant contribution of local cows (45%) among the different region of state. The present investigation was conducted in Junagadh and Gir-Somnath districts of Saurashtra Region which was purposively selected. Two talukas selected from each selected district and three villages were from each purposively selected taluka having more population of cattle and buffalo. Ten respondents from each selected village were taken by using random sampling technique with a condition that the farm women have been rearing animals on their farm at least 3 years or having herd. Thus, total 120 farm women were selected for research purpose. The result of the research study revealed that the most important training needs areas were; construction of scientific low-cost cattle shed (89.17 per cent), followed by selection of breed (86.67 per cent),infertility problems and reproductive disorder (54.16 per cent),chaffing of fodder (53.34 per cent) and watering animal (48.34 per cent). The health care management was information on infectious diseases (87.50 per cent), fodder production is preservation of fodder crops (hay/silage making) (72.50 per cent), hygienic method of clean milk production (55.00 per cent) and use of mineral mixtures/common salt (47.50 per cent). In marketing practices like banking and insurance (91.67 per cent), followed by marketing of livestock and store milk in summer season (88.34 per cent), farm women had low level of knowledge about the loan facility (65.83 per cent) and loan interest rate (67.50 per cent). The overall preference of training needs of farm women on improved dairy farming practices, housing facility (2.69 mean score) was the most preferred training area of rural women (first ranked) followed by health care practices (2.59 mean score), fodder production (2.56 mean score) got second and third ranked, respectively. The financial practices, breeding practices, marketing practices, feeding practices, management practices, daily practices and milk products making got fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth ranked, respectively. So, the study implies that respondents were interested to receive training on improved dairy farming practices for their betterment and soci...