EMPIRICAL PARADIGM FOR TECHNOLOGICAL EMPOWERMENT OF POTATO GROWING TRIBAL FARM WOMEN IN RURAL MEGHALAYA

Abstract

The present study was carried out in East and West Khasi Hills district where the area and production of potato was the highest in Meghalaya. A total of 200 farm women were randomly sampled from 14 selected villages of the above two districts. In order to see the diffusion effect, if any, due to the training programme, half of the sample i.e. 100 women potato growers were further treated as experimental group and the other half was kept as control. Training need, knowledge level, symbolic adoption and attitude are the research variables in this study which were measured pre- and post-training. Findings revealed that there was considerable change/gain in the behavioural dimensions of tribal women farmers with training. These changes ranged from 13% in case of attitude to 41, 43 and 55% in the symbolic adoption level, retention of knowledge and the knowledge level, respectively. Findings further disclosed that 39% of the untrained women farmers reported gain in knowledge, 35% reported change in symbolic adoption and 15% change in attitude as a result of influence of trained farm women or in other words the diffusion effect of the training programme. Based on the findings technological empowerment of tribal women farmers has been enhanced.