JEE Journal of Extension Education Vol. 27 No. 4, 2015 Impact of Training on Adoption and Knowledge Gain of Facilitators of People’s Rural Education Movement (PREM) M. Remya1 and Alexander George2 ABSTRACT Present study intended to assess adoption and knowledge gain of trainees after attending training from Kerala Agricultural University (KAU). For that, 90 respondents were selected through simple random sampling. An ex- post facto research design was adopted for the study. Data were analysed using wilcoxon signed rank test, correlation test, and frequency and percentage analyses. Factors affecting adoption and knowledge gain was found out using correlation test. Findings reveal that respondents fully adopted organic and eco friendly farming practices (89%); integrated pest and disease management (76%) and improved animal husbandry practices (74%). All the respondents gained knowledge through the training. 1-P.G. Student, Department of Agricultural Extension, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, Kerala and 2- Professor and Head, Central Training Institute, Kerala Agricultural University, Mannuthy, Thrissur. Training is an important paradigm of agricultural extension for the transfer of technology, skill, knowledge and attitude to farmers to develop their competency. Agricultural technologies and practices are constantly changing hence training plays a crucial role in keeping the farmers abreast with these advancements in the agriculture sector (Pandey et al, 2011). Farmers’ training is ‘an intensive learning activity for a group of selected farmers, assisted by competent trainers to understand and practice the skills required in the adoption of technology.(Okwu and Ejembi, 2005).The very purpose of the agricultural training is to enable the trainee to perform a particular practice or technology with certain standards. Training must have positive impact on knowledge and skill of the trainees that subsequently results in adoption. Impact assessment of training will help us to analyze the extent to which trainees were benefitted from that training. Present study attempted to assess impact of training in terms of adoption and knowledge gain of trainees after attending training from Kerala Agricultural University. Central Training Institute(CTI), Mannuthy of KAU has conducted a series of training programme for facilitators of People’s Rural Education Movement (PREM), Odisha on agricultural and allied aspects from May 2011 to July 2014. PREM is an NGO working for the welfare of the disadvantaged and marginalized sections of Odisha for the past 30 years. A total of nine batches were trained. The study has two specific objectives (1) to find out post training adoption of different practices covered in the training (2) to assess knowledge gain of trainees after attending the training. METHODOLOGY Out of 170 trainees, 90 respondents were selected through simple random sampling. An Received : 29 Mar, 2016; Accepted : 04 May, 2016 5537Impact of Training on Adoption and Knowledge Gain of Facilitators of People’s Rural Education Movement (PREM) ex-post facto research design was adopted for the study. Data were collected through mailed questionnaire. Impact of training programmes was assessed in terms of adoption and knowledge gain of respondents. Adoption was conceptualized as extent to which the respondents implemented the different practices learned at the training in their village after the training. In this study adoption was measured on a three point continuum viz, fully adopted, partially adopted and not at all adopted with a score of 3, 2 and 1 respectively. Knowledge gain was conceptualized as the degree to which respondents acquired knowledge on various aspects covered in the training. Knowledge gain was specifically measured by expressed gain in overall knowledge through the knowledge ladder that was administered to the respondents immediately after the training. Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to determine knowledge gain of respondents by comparing before and after training knowledge scores. Different factors contributing to adoption and knowledge gain were found out using spearman’s rank order correlation. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION Findings reveal that most of the respondents had fully adopted organic and ecofriendly farming practices (89%); integrated pest and disease management (76%) and improved animal husbandry practices (74%). Table 1. Post training Adoption of Different Practices After the Training Frequency Percentage Frequency Percentage Frequency Percentage 1. Organic and eco friendlyfarming practices 80 88.89 10 11.10 0 0.00 2. Processing and value addition techniques 35 38.89 53 58.89 2 2.22 3. Improved animal husbandry practices 67 74.44 22 24.44 1 1.10 4. Any one or more of the following: Vermi composting/ Medicinal plants and fruit crops/Bee keeping /Mushroom production /Nursery management 13 14.44 72 80.00 5 5.56 5. Integrated Pest and disease management 68 75.56 17 18.89 5 5.56 6. Farm mechanization 7 7.78 39 43.33 44 48.89 Partially Adopted Practices Fully Adopted Not at all Adopted High percentages of respondents partially adopted vermi-composting, medicinal plants, fruit crops, bee keeping, mushroom production and nursery management (80%); processing and value addition techniques (59%). The perceived attributes of adoption such as relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trial ability and observability may not be high for these practices, resulting in partial adoption. Farm mechanization was not adopted by 49 per cent of the respondents. However 43.33 per cent were able to adopt farm mechanization practices partially and only 8 per cent were able to adopt farm mechanization practices fully. This may be because obtaining the required farm Sl. No. Journal of Extension Education5538 machinery and having facilities for their repair and maintenance in remote corners of Odisha were lacking. It was heartening to note that all the respondents gained knowledge through the training on agriculture and related aspects. This result underscores the finding of Bhati et al, 2011that there was a significant gain in knowledge about different agricultural aspects included in the training for Krishak Mithras. Land owned, land cultivated and extension agency contacts are the factors which affect the adoption. The finding had congruence with the observation of Sarma et al that operational land holding and extension agency contact had a positive and significant relationship with adoption. Orientation towards scientific and modern agricultural practices had a negative and significant relationship with knowledge gain at 5 per cent level of probability. This finding implies that respondents with lesser orientation towards scientific and modern agricultural practices gained more knowledge. CONCLUSION In a nut shell, the training had a positive Sl. No. Factors Correlation Coefficient 1 Land Owned 0.362** 2 Land Cultivated 0.340** 3 Extension Agency Contact 0.258* Table 2. Relationship Between Adoption and Independent Variables **Significant at 1% level, * Significant at 5% level impact on respondents from Odisha. Training will be successful only when what is gained at the training is replicated into the back home circumstances of the trainee. The extent of adoption by the respondents post training was appreciable. All the respondents had gained knowledge through the training. REFERENCES Bhati, D.S., Verma, J.R, Jasuja, S, Srivastava, A.K. and Sidhu, B.S 2011. Impact of On-Campus Trainings Conducted by the KVK Srinagar on the Knowledge Level of Farmers Friends (Krishak Mithras). Agriculture Update: 33-36. Okwu, J.O. and Ejembi, A.S. 2005. Essentials of a Successful Farmer Training Programme in Agricultural Extension in Nigeria. Proceedings, 10th Annual National Conference, AESON, 14th-17th June, 2005:1-5. Pandey, R., Singh, J.B, Singh, S, and Singh, N.K 2011.Impact Evaluation of Training on Adoption of Technology. Agriculture Update: 114-116. Sarma, K, Talukdar and Mishra 2011. Impact of Training on Adoption of Integrated Rice-Fish Farming Practices. Indian Research J. Extension Education:87-90.