Learning impact of farmer field schools extension approach on soybean farmers through KVK-ATMA convergence in Madhya Pradesh

AbstractFarmer field school is an innovative and unique participatory extension education approach which deals with the farmers in a group focused for teaching learning and practical or skill development approach at their fields to provide them technical backstopping, problem solving for better production and sustainable income. Farmer field schools approach used as is one the field based group extension methods, by which farmers receives learning at prime importance and learning by doing and seeing is believing basic principles of extension get adopted. The main 10 soybean recommended technologies were taught to the farmer through farmer field school extension approach, the efforts were made for knowledge improvement and experiential learning opportunities for sustainable skills development to the farmer field school attending farmers group. The study was conducted on the farmer field school programme organized by KVK-ATMA convergence mode during the period of year 2018 to 2022 in Harda district of Madhya Pradesh. It was found that the mean average knowledge gain of the farmer field school attending farmers, mean value (53.45) which was 50.48 per cent more than the non attending farmers as mean value (35.72). The significant difference (t = 9.354) in calculated overall knowledge level of the farmer field school attending farmers and non-attending farmers was observed which means the improvement in farmer’s knowledge level and skills regarding Soybean production technology through farmers field school extension approach including to training and filed days activities. The collective efforts of KVK-ATMA convergence were found very effective and impacted on Soybean growing farmers to get higher yield and income form same piece of land in Harda district of MP.