Training Needs Assessment of Pea Growers for Seed Production in Jalaun District, Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract

Jalaun district is a major pea growing area of Uttar Pradesh. In 2018, farmers were motivated to use pea seed production after the Government of India-sponsored Seed Hub Project at Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Jalaun was initiated. Nonetheless, the majority of farmers have been selling their produce locally in mandis and did not have any idea on the difference between general produce and seed and the technical specifications and certification involved in the production of seeds. In this respect, this research was conducted to determine the training requirements of pea farmers in Jalaun district. The data was analyzed by use of a structured interview schedule and 80 pea growers were surveyed using the structured interview schedule. The findings indicated that a huge proportion of the respondents (88.2 percent) were interested in taking training programs. The most significant need (mean score 2.45) was training on seed identification and differentiation when compared with the general produce (rouging and importance 2.43). Other important points were classes of seed (breeder, foundation, certified and truthful labeled), certification procedures of seed, distance of isolation, seed replacement rate, improved varieties, package of practices, and seed storage. These results will inform KVKs and extension agencies on how to design the training modules to be need-based and structured in a bid to strengthen the seed production capacity and increase the income of farmers by production of quality seed.