IMPACT OF FRONT LINE DEMONSTRATION (FLD) IN ADOPTION OF WHEAT PRODUCTION PRACTICES IN SITAPUR DISTRICT OF UTTAR PRADESH

Frontline demonstration (FLD) was started in wheat to generate production data and feedback information to various development agencies, which are engaged in dissemination of technological advances through researchers to the farmer's fields. Agricultural development means increasing the productivity and improving the economic condition of the farmers. This, to a certain extent, depends upon the level of knowledge and skills of the farmers. Frontline demonstration is one of the important activity of the KVK's and it is organized every year for testing and verifying the latest agricultural technologies in the farmer's condition and identifying the production constraints. The study was conducted purposively is selected Gondlamau block of Sitapur district, Uttar Pradesh. The objective of the study was to assess the impact of frontline demonstrations on wheat farmers in terms of knowledge gained and level of yield in relation to the improved practices of wheat cultivation. Three villages where FLDs conducted by Sitapur KVK as treated villages and three villages where no such demonstrations conducted by Sitapur KVK as control villages were selected from purposively selected Gondlamau block of Sitapur district for the purpose of this study. Two types of respondents were selected from these villages: (i) Beneficiaries FLD farmers and (ii) non- beneficiaries FLD farmers. The FLD farmers were those on whose field FLDs on wheat was conducted and non-FLD farmers were those on whose field FLDs on wheat was not conducted. From each group, 60 farmers were randomly selected. The total sample, therefore, consisted 120 respondents' farmers in both the group for collection of data. The data were collected with the help of structured schedule by personally interviewing the respondents. The collected data were statistically analysed by using appropriate statistical tools like percentage, mean, standard deviation. The results of the study are expected to be useful to the extension personnel and the administrators to know the impact of front line demonstration adoption level of wheat growers and also the results could.