Knowledge Test on Photovoltaic Technologies in Agriculture and Assessment of Farmers’ Knowledge Level

Photovoltaic technologies are increasingly promoted in Indian agriculture to address rising energy demand and sustainability concerns; however, their effective utilization depends largely on farmers’ knowledge and technical competence. The present study was undertaken to develop and standardize a knowledge test on photovoltaic technologies in agriculture and to assess the knowledge levels of adopters and non-adopters. A systematic test construction procedure involving item collection, expert judgment, pre-testing, and statistical item analysis was followed. Out of 47 initial statements, 26 items satisfying the criteria of difficulty index, discrimination index, and point-biserial correlation were retained. The finalized knowledge test exhibited high reliability (Cronbach's α = 0.84) and adequate content validity. The study was conducted among 480 farmers (240 adopters and 240 non-adopters) selected from Haryana and Maharashtra. The findings revealed that adopters possessed significantly higher overall knowledge levels compared to non-adopters. While respondents demonstrated satisfactory knowledge of basic and operational aspects of photovoltaic technologies, considerable gaps were observed in advanced technical knowledge, installation optimization, subsidy provisions, net metering concepts, and maintenance practices. A majority of non-adopters were categorized under the low knowledge group, indicating limited technical exposure. The study highlights the need for structured, technology-specific training and strengthened extension interventions focusing on system management and policy awareness to enhance the sustainable adoption and techno-economic efficiency of photovoltaic technologies in agriculture.