IMPACT ASSESSMENT OF A 15-DAY INTEGRATED NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT TRAINING PROGRAMME ON KNOWLEDGE AND ADOPTION BEHAVIOUR OF FERTILIZER AND INSECTICIDE DEALERS

Abstract

Integrated Nutrient Management is an important approach towards improving sustainable farming‚ soil and crops. Fertilizer and pesticide dealers can have a significant role in linking research centres with the farmers. Therefore‚ their technical practice-related knowledge should be developed to promote adequate nutrients use. To address this‚ the Krishi Vigyan Kendra at Ramgarh‚ Jharkhand conducted a series of well-structured 15-day INM training programmes for the fertilizer and insecticide dealers from 2019 to 2025‚ reaching out to more than 500 dealers. This study aimed to evaluate how effective these training programs were in boosting participants' knowledge‚ their willingness to apply INM practices‚ and their ability to provide advice on nutrient management. A well-prepared questionnaire was used to measure the knowledge before and after the training using a structured approach. The information was analyzed by descriptive statistics and inferential statistics by using Paired t test.The results revealed a significant increase in their knowledge after the training with an average score of 78.54 compared to 42.36 before training. This increase was highly significant at 1% level (p < 0.01) as confirmed by the paired t-test. Likewise‚ the adoption index rose from 38.20 to 71.65 indicating definitely the acceptance and intended use of INM techniques. There was also positive change in behavior and increased confidence of dealers on balanced nutrient practices owing to the training provided. The study concludes that training programs of Krishi Vigyan Kendras with a well-planned thinking and provision of long term training are very effective in strengthening the skill of agricultural input dealers. This results in improved service to farmers and greater adoption of sustainable nutrient management practices among farmers.