Technology need of women and transfer of technology through Krishi Vigyan Kendra: A study from Assam

Training programmes are effective approach for technology transfer and the present study analyses the participation of women in different training programmes conducted by Krishi Vigyan Kendras under different agriculture and allied areas. Data from seventeen KVKs, functioning under Assam Agricultural University, were collected using a questionnaire. The findings revealed that during 2012–2017 the selected seventeen KVKs conducted 5,152 numbers of training programmes where number of participant was 1,38,809. In trainings under ‘Home science’ and ‘Agricultural extension’ discipline, percentage of women participant was found to be highest with 93.99 and 54.52 respectively. However, in subjects like Horticulture, Fisheries science, Soil science, Plant protection and Agronomy, women participation was less than 20.00 per cent. The study concluded that, realizing the ‘feminization of agriculture’ it is utmost necessary to include more number of women participants in such training programmes. It needs policy level intervention to raise the number of women trainees in different subjects such as Horticulture, Soil science, Plant protection, Fishery, Animal husbandry etc. in order to sustain and increase production and productivity.