Construction of a Scale Towards E-Crop Booking Services of Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBKs)

Abstract

In this modern era, farmers encounter difficulties in receiving timely advices and services from extension agents. Due to technological advancements in the recent past quality of services, speed in deliverables and precision actions are possible by creating proper interface between farmers, scientists, extension officers, service providers and by bringing innovation/sustainable interventions in agriculture and allied sectors. With this context as a new extension reform, state government of Andhra Pradesh, India has launched Rythu Bharosa Kendras for bringing the extension system nearer to the farming community and more transparency to ensure quality of services. Hence, this study represents the construction of a perception scale to understand the perception of farmers towards Rythu Bharosa Kendras. Keeping this in view, an attempt has been made to develop a scale for measuring the perception of farmers towards e-crop booking services of Rythu Bharosa Kendras. Likert’s method of summated rating technique was adopted to construct the scale. Based on the available literature and expert’s opinion, 50 statements were developed. After editing as per informal criteria, 40 statements were subjected to item analysis among the farmers of non-sample area. Out of which, 32 statements were retained in the developed perception scale based on the highest ‘t’ value. The ‘r’ (correlation coefficient) value was found to be 0.852 which represents significant at 1 per cent level and the reliability and validity of the constructed scale were found appropriate to measure the perception of farmers towards e-crop booking services of Rythu Bharosa Kendras.