FARMERS’ KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICE ON POND FISH FARMING

Abstract

The major purpose of this research study was to determine farmers’ knowledge and practice of pond fish culture and also to explore the relationships between 10 characteristics of the pond farmers and their knowledge and practice of pond fish culture. The study was conducted in 4 villages of Kaijuri union of Faridpur district. The populations of pond farmers in these villages were 253, from where 101 samples were drawn by using random sampling technique. An interview schedule was used for data collection. Knowledge and practice of pond fish farming was determined by a validated test. The data were collected during 20th March to 12th April 2013. Appropriate scales were developed in order to measure the variables. Descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation, range and percentage were used to describe the variables under consideration. Correlation test was used to ascertain the relationship between the concerned dependent and independent variables of the research work. The majority 44.6 percent of the pond farmers’ possessed medium knowledge, 25.7 percent of the pond owners possessed high knowledge and only 16.8 percent of the pond owners had low knowledge and 12.9 percent of the farmers possessed very high knowledge. About 61.4 percent of the pond farmers had medium practice, while 27.7 percent farmers had low practice and only 10.9 percent farmers had high practice. Age, pond size, commercialization and training exposure of the pond farmers had positive significant relationship with farmers’ knowledge on pond fish farming, while problem faced had negative relationship. In case of farmers’ practice pond size, commercialization and training exposure had positive significant relationship and problem faced had negative relationship. The pond owners faced such major problems as: proper marketing facilities, poor communication system, natural calamities, shortage of pond water in dry season, insufficient credit and low price of pond fish in pick period.