Vol. 12, Issue 4 (2023)

Author(s):
Dipak Nath, Lalhmingsanga, L Devarishi Sharma, CG Sawant, Amarjeet Kumar, Rahul Sadhukhan and Ph Ranjit Sharma

Abstract:
The study was conducted in Aizawl West, Aizawl East and Champhai districts of Mizoram state with 110 randomly selected women members of Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKs) of Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojana (PMVDY). The study found that majority of the respondents (69.09%) received farm information regularly from friends followed by 60.00 percent from panchayat member/pradhan as a localite source of information. It was also observed that not a single respondent received any farm information from family members; whereas 12.73 percent of the respondents never received any farm information from village leaders as a localite source of information. The study also revealed that 72.73 percent of the respondents received farm information regularly from NGO/ SHG leader followed by 47.27 percent from social worker as a cosmopolite source of information. It is interesting that 79.09 percent of the respondents often received farm information from kisan mela; whereas 22.73 percent of respondents never received any farm information from bank. Under mass media as information source, 50.91 percent of the respondents received farm information from television followed by 35.45 percent from newspaper and 70.00 percent never received any farm information from radio. Majority of the respondents (57.27%) participated independently in washing clothes followed by 53.64 percent in maintenance of house; whereas 68.18 percent of the respondents participated jointly in care of children/ elderly person. The study also reveals that 35.45 percent of the respondents involved independently in feeding animals and 59.09 percent participated jointly in caring of animal; whereas 32.73 percent of the respondents had not participated participation in milking of animal followed 28.18 percent in cleaning animal shed. Majority of the respondents (82.73%) independently participated in processing food followed by preservation of fruit/ vegetable (80.00%) and 80.91 percent of respondents had not participated in tailoring. There is some evidence that despite the contribution made by rural women in food security they are not being well served by the existing extension system in developing countries. They are in urgent need of understanding and acquiring new knowledge and skills on cultivation of different crops, so that they could contribute more effectively to the production process.