Constraints in Knowledge and Information Flow amongst Farm Women

In India farm women serve as the main work force involved in agricultural activities. Hence, it is more necessary to make women farmer able to constantly build and improve their knowledge, gain access to new information and knowledge and make use of these. Therefore, increasing access to relevant knowledge base from multiple sources and its use for socio-economic progress is needed in the context of market oriented agricultural development. Considering the importance of linkage to knowledge, this study was conducted to identify sources of knowledge, constraints and opportunities for creating effective linkage and information flows amongst farm women. A sample of 500 farm women was selected through stratified random sampling technique. Selected respondents were interviewed personally through pre-tested structured interview schedule. Results revealed that majority of the respondents indicated high to very high level of need for agricultural information on improved agricultural technologies. It was also observed that majority of farm women have access to informal source of information including family member and fellow women. Further, the results revealed that predominant responsibility of women for household tasks, lack of formal education, security concerns and freedom of movement and lack of infrastructure were seen as major serious constraint to access to knowledge and information by the respondents. The results of the study will provide direction which may be of significant for extension agencies, to design appropriate strategies and to back up future planning and enhance the pace of adoption of farm technologies.