FARMERS’ ATTITUDE TOWARDS INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT (IPM) PRACTICES IN VEGETABLE CULTIVATION (pp. 91-97)
ABSTRACT
Dissemination of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices among the farmers‟ especially vegetable farmers are imperative for both environment and human health. The main purpose of this study was to determine and describe farmers‟ attitude towards IPM practices in vegetable cultivation and to explore the relationship between farmers‟ attitude with their twelve selected characteristics. The study was conducted in two villages of Shombhag union under Dhamrai upazila of Dhaka district. Data were collected by using an interview schedule from the randomly selected 100 respondents during 2 May to 25 May, 2015. Pearson‟s Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient (r) was computed to explore the relationship between the selected characteristics of the farmers and their attitude towards IPM practices. The findings revealed that the highest proportion (79%) of the respondents had unfavorable attitude, while only 21 percent had favorable attitude towards IPM practices in vegetable cultivation. Among twelve selected characteristics, education, time spent in the vegetable field, organizational participation, knowledge on IPM practices in vegetable cultivation, contact with IPM club and FFS, communication media exposure and training exposure had a significant positive relationship with the attitude of the farmers towards IPM practices in vegetable cultivation. On the other hand, age had a negative but significant relationship. Farm size, land under vegetable cultivation, annual family income and annual income from vegetable cultivation had no significant relationship with the attitude of the farmers towards IPM practices in vegetable cultivation. Education, communication, motivational activities should be strengthened by the diffusion agencies to form the favourable attitude of the vegetable farmers towards IPM practices.