Scale to Measure Attitude of Farmers Towards Mixed Farming Onima V.T.1,*, Chauhan N. B.2 1KrishiVigyan Kendra, NAU, Navsari-396450, India 2Department of Extension Education, AAU, Anand, 388110, India *email: onimavt@gmail.com
Online published on 13 January, 2016. Abstract Mixed farming systems focuses on the use of integrative and holistic mechanisms, and rational building on and use of the natural and local resource base without exhausting it, while enhance biodiversity, optimize complementarities between crops and animal systems as well as increase opportunities in rural livelihoods. In an era of instability in agriculture with declining prices, increasing land hunger by increasing population and futile search for an insulating mechanism of farmers against fall in income and employment, interest in integration of farms with any other economic activity has revived. As attitudes assist individuals in processing complex information and to make decisions, an instrument has been developed to measure attitude of farmers towards mixed farming, for which "Scale Product Method" which combines the Thurston's Equal Appearing Interval Scale (1928) for selection of the items and Likert's Summated Rating Scale (1932) for ascertaining the response on the scale was followed. A total of 36 statements were drafted from the subject matter of mixed farming system keeping in view the applicability of statements suited to the area of study. A total of 23 statements resulted after edition of 36 statements as per the criteria laid down by Edwards (1957)and were sent to extension educationists, experts of agronomy and animal husbandry of Anand Agricultural University for the critical evaluation of statements on a 5 point continuum. The score of each individual item on the scale was calculated by summing up the weights of the individual items. Scale and Q value was calculated by using Thurstone and Chave inter-quartile range. Finally the scale consisted of 12 statements whose median (scale) values were greater than Q values. However, when a few statements had the same scale values, statements having lowest Q value were selected by arranging the scale value in an order. The co-efficient of reliability was calculated with Rulon's formula (Guilford, 1954), which came to 0.79 when tested with 25 respondents and validity of the scale was also examined. Top Keywords Attitude, Mixed farming, Validity, Reliability. Top |