Exploratory Analysis on the Management of Agricultural Knowledge and Information by Smallholder Farmers in Batticaloa District

Extent of farmer knowledge and availability of reliable information at the level of farm are considered key driving forces in agricultural development as both support interchangeably to transform the livelihoods of rural poor into one with increased household income stability and food security. The farmers who do not have a free/subsidized and open/fair access to the vital agricultural information would, therefore, face severe difficulties in their attempt to achieve the goals of farming. The purpose of the study was to investigate the factors that trigger or hinder farmer access to agricultural knowledge and information. The smallholder agricultural farmers in the Batticaloa district in Sri Lanka was used as the case. A series of pre-tested structured questionnaire-based face-to-face interviews were carried out with a cross section of farmers (n=144) to gather data and both descriptive and quantitative techniques, including Factor and Logistics Regression analysis, were employed to analyse data. The results show that the level of acquisition of agricultural knowledge by farmers has a positive and negative relationship with the level of education and age of farmer, respectively. Amongst other factors, the farmers, in general, requested badly the valid and reliable agricultural information on a regular basis with regard to the market prices of inputs and outputs, credits/subsidies/loans etc. available and the measures of crop protection, i.e. pests and disease control. The inadequacy in information services and agricultural officers, limited infrastructure and insufficient funds/resources hinder farmer access to agricultural knowledge and information. The outcome of analysis, overall, implies the importance of developing appropriate packages to facilitate information sharing and knowledge mobilization and targeting so to specific farming communities in need with a right mix of market-based and regulatory incentives.