Abstract:
Cattle farming plays a vital socio-economic role in the livelihood of livestock
farmers in Batticaloa district, Sri Lanka. The current study examines the
determinants of improved technology adoption among cattle farmers in the
Batticaloa district. The primary data for the study were obtained randomly
selected 120 cattle farmers in two Veterinary ranges (Kaluwanchikudy and
Chenkalady) by using structured questionnaires. The two Veterinary ranges were
selected based on a large number of cattle farmers. Descriptive statistics, chisquare, and regression analysis were employed to analyze the data. The results
revealed that more than half of the farmers had herd sizes ranging from 6 – 20 cattle.
The majority of the farmers rear local breeds for dual purposes and practicing extensive
rearing systems. The study further revealed that the use of individual
communication sources significantly influences (X
2 = 58.58, p<0.05) the adoption
of improved technologies. Meantime, there was no significant association
observed between the use of group communication sources and adoption of
improved technologies (X
2 = 2.02, p>0.05). Regression analysis indicated that
the educational level of cattle farmers (p<0.01), use of individual communication
sources (p<0.01), and cattle farming knowledge of farmers (p<0.05) significantly
affect the adoption of cattle improved technologies. The findings imply that to
enhance the adoption, efforts should be made to increase the knowledge level of
cattle farmers through proper farmer education. Further, cattle farmers need to be
encouraged to utilize individual communication to source cattle farming-related
information.
