Evaluating farmer profile characteristics as determinants of public and private extension system effectiveness in oilseed farming

Abstract:

The effectiveness of agricultural extension systems remains a critical factor in enhancing farmers’ knowledge, decision-making capacity, and technology adoption, particularly in dryland regions of India. The present study investigates the extent to which selected socio-economic and communication variables predict the effectiveness of public and private extension systems among oilseed farmers in Mahabubnagar district, Telangana. A sample of 120 farmers was selected through a multistage purposive sampling procedure, and data were collected using a structured interview schedule. Multiple linear regression analysis was employed to determine the predictive strength of variables such as age, education, farming experience, landholding, annual income, extension contact, mass media utilization, trainings undergone, and cropping pattern. Results revealed that the public extension model recorded an R² of 0.57, indicating that more than half of the variation in extension effectiveness was explained by the selected predictors. Education, farming experience, landholding, extension contact, mass media utilization, annual income, and trainings undergone emerged as significant determinants. In the private extension model, the R² value of 0.53 indicated higher explanatory power, with education, farming experience, landholding, extension contact, annual income, and trainings undergone emerging as significant predictors, while age, cropping pattern, and mass media utilization were non-significant. The findings suggest that socio-economic characteristics and farmers’ access to information critically influence their interaction with extension systems. Strengthening training opportunities, enhancing extension-farmer interactions, and tailoring services to farmers’ educational and economic profiles can substantially improve extension outcomes.