A Study on Attitude of Dairy Farmers, towards Mobile Application (Dairy Kannada) in Karnataka, India
G. N. Pavithra
Department of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Extension Education, Veterinary College, Hebbal, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
V. Jagadeeswary
Department of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Extension Education, Veterinary College, Hebbal, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
L. Manjunath
Department of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Extension Education, Veterinary College, Hebbal, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
S. Naveenkumar
Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding, Veterinary College, Hassan, Karnataka, India.
Prakash Kumar Rathod
Directorate of Extension, Bidar, India.
N. Sai Anjana *
Department of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Extension Education, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Dairy Kannada is a mobile application developed to provide dairy-related information to farmers in Karnataka in a form intended to suit users’ capabilities. This study assessed the socio-personal, economic and psychological profile of dairy farmers who had downloaded and were using the application and examined their attitude towards mobile-app use. Thirty dairy farmers were selected from each of the Bengaluru, Mysuru, Belagavi and Kalburgi divisions, giving a total of 120 respondents. Data were collected using a pre-tested structured interview schedule. Attitude and innovative proneness were assessed by scoring responses to specified statements. The results showed that 48.33% of respondents were middle-aged, 91.66% were literate, 67.50% lived in nuclear families, and 46.67% belonged to the small-farmer landholding category. Medium levels predominated for extension contact, extension participation, mass-media exposure, material possession and innovative proneness. With regard to attitude towards mobile apps, 95 of 120 respondents (79.17%) had a favourable attitude, 15 (12.50%) had a most favourable attitude, and 10 (8.33%) had a least favourable attitude. The findings provide a descriptive account of the characteristics and attitudes of existing Dairy Kannada users and indicate the relevance of mobile applications as a source of dairy-related information within the study setting.
Keywords: Dairy Kannada, dairy farmers, mobile application, attitude, information and communication technology, extension contact, innovative proneness, information dissemination, mass-media exposure