Impact of village adoption programme on farmers’ knowledge and adoption of recommended production technologies

This study evaluated the impact of a three-year village adoption programme (VAP) implemented by Regional Agricultural Research Station, Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University, Lam, in Venigandla village, Andhra Pradesh, on farmers’ knowledge and adoption of crop production technologies. Employing an ex-post facto research design with a pre-post data collection method from 90 randomly selected beneficiary farmers, the study assessed changes in knowledge across integrated nutrient management (INM) and pest management in cotton and chilli and high-yielding varieties and pest management in black gram. The VAP, which involved constraint identification, participatory planning, training, demonstrations and input provision, resulted in a substantial increase in farmers’ knowledge level across all assessed technologies post-intervention. Similarly, a significant upward trend was observed in the adoption rates of recommended practices for cotton, black gram and chilli. Furthermore, the majority of farmers expressed a positive perception of the services provided under the VAP. The findings highlight the effectiveness of the village adoption model in enhancing farmers’ knowledge and promoting the adoption of improved agricultural practices, ultimately contributing to improved productivity and livelihoods in the adopted village.