KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDE OF THE FARMERS TOWARDS MAIZE CULTIVATION IN SELECTED AREA OF GAIBANDHA DISTRICT

Abstract

The major purpose of this research study was to determine farmers’ knowledge and attitude towards maize cultivation and also to explore the relationships between each of nine selected characteristics of the farmers and their knowledge and attitude towards maize cultivation. The study was conducted in 4 villages of Gaibandha Sadar and Fulsari upazila under Gaibandha district. The populations of maize farmers in four villages were 173 and sample size was 78 (45% of total population, using random sampling method). An interview schedule was used for data collection. The data were collected during 11 January to 11 February 2019. Scales were developed in order to measure the variables. Majority of the farmers (78.2%) had medium to high knowledge on maize cultivation and 21.8 percent of the farmers possessed low knowledge on maize cultivation. Regarding attitude, the study showed that about 55.1% of the respondents had high favorable attitude, 25.6% of the respondents had unfavorable attitude and 19.2% of the respondents had neutral attitude towards maize cultivation. Age, level of education, annual family income, organizational participation, cosmopolitess and extension media contact of the maize farmers had significant positive relationship and problem faced by the maize farmer had negative significant relationship with their knowledge on maize cultivation, while farm size and income from maize had no significant relationship with their knowledge on maize cultivation. In case of attitude age, level of education, annual family income, income from maize, organization participation and extension media contact of the farmers had significant positive relationship with their attitude towards maize cultivation and problem faced by the maize farmer had negative significant relationship with their attitude towards maize cultivation, while farm size and cosmopoliteness of the farmers had no significant relationship with their attitude towards maize cultivation.