Information needs perception of farm women in Chittagong district.

Abstract

Bangladesh is an agro based developing country and women play a very important role in it. Majority of farm women are involved in backyard farming .Besides household they are interested in livestock rearing whatever it may as a family livestock or economic farm. This study on information need perception of farm women was carried out to reveal the reality on the profile of farm women involved in livestock rearing. This study highlights on information need, seeking and sharing behaviour as well as constraints faced by them and remedies to overcome these. The study was carried out in Anowara and Potia upazila of Chittagong district. with sample size of 24. Data were collected by using pre-tested interview schedule and the salient findings are –Majority of farm women were illiterate and have nuclear family. Most of them are either landless or marginal land holding. Most of them are the main earning member of the family. They get their credit from private sources or by themselves. Most of the farm women had very poor amount annual income, low no of was found to medium to high level. Majority of farm women get information from institutional sources i.e. from livestock possession, get very few mass media exposure .The information seeking behavior of the farm women vet surgeon and para vet. They get very few information from NGOs but the frequency is very poor.Majority of farm women share their information with family members, neighbours, relatives regarding feeding, deworming, vaccination, reproduction related problem as well as treatment .The information need perception was found on disease control, breeding, feeding, farm credit, marketing and management practices. Main constraint were lack of vet aid, high cost of animal, feed, medicine and vaccine, non availability of farm credit, lack of transport facilities, lack of training facilities and technical support and illiteracy. Very low no get training on livestock rearing and most of them rear livestock on traditional method based on their own knowledge. Their level of social participation was of medium nature with medium level of extensions agency contact. All respondent think that proper training and information and technology can help them to overcome those constraints.