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Karnataka J. Agric. Sci.,20(4): (873-875) 2007
Factors Affecting Participation in Agriclinic and Agribusiness Centers Programme in South India
Agriculture is a way of life and a tradition, which for
many centuries has shaped thoughts, outlook, culture and the
economic life of Indians. Public research and extension activities
during the green revolution period played a pivotal role in
transforming agriculture from subsistence farming. In the post-
green revolution era, however public extension finds itself
unable to meet changing demands of farming community, tapped
as it is in outdated, centralized institutional arrangements and
constrained in terms of financial and human resources, lacking
in skill and capacities. The draft policy frame works for
Agricultural Extension (2001) envisages a multi agency,
pluralistic extension system for the future. In view of this, the
then finance minister Government of India on February 28, 2001
announced a scheme for agriclinic and agribusiness centres.
Then NABARD has formulated a model scheme for financing
agriclinics and agribusiness centres in consultation with
Ministry of Agriculture and selected banks. While National
Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE)
identified 66 training institutes throughout the country for
imparting training to agri-graduates. The scheme is being
implemented with the help of SFAC. The scheme was later
approved by the parliamentary consultative committee of
Ministry of Agriculture on August 22, 2001. Fourteen institutes
have been identified as agriclinic training centers in south India
but some are imparting training continuously from 2002 and few
are discontinued due to lack of trainee’s strengths and other
problems. These institutes have imparted training to more than
2132 participants by December 2005 and South India registered
706 success stories among which Karnataka contributes 431
success stories which is second largest state to report success
stories in the country next to Maharashtra (543). About 32 per
cent of trained agriculture graduates are reported to be successful
in setting their agriclinics and agribusiness centers whereas
remaining 68 per cent were failed to start business despite having
training and such a huge failure rate demands an urgent need to
identify the stumbling blocks and suggest corrective measures
to make AC and ABCs a great success. Further, available literature
showed that no such systematic and comprehensive study had
been made so far which would cover entire gamut of technical,
economical, social and operational aspects of AC and ABCs in
South India, in order to serve as a guiding lantern for others.
Hence an attempt is being made to study the sources of
information about the AC and ABCs scheme, factors responsible
joining the training programme and seriousness of trainees about
the training programme.
The study pertains to South India in general and the
states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu in
particular. Out of 14 training centres in south India (Chandra
Shekhara 2003), 9 training centres were selected randomly by
following proportionate sampling procedure. Hence, three
centres from Andhra Pradesh, two centres from Karnataka, one
center from Kerala and three centres from Tamil Nadu were
selected. Fifteen trained agripreneurs were selected from each
training institute to collect the data on the sources of
information, seriousness about the training programme and
factors responsible for joining the training programme with the
help of pre-tested mailed questionnaires. Totally 180
questionnaires were mailed to get the required sample size of
135. This is to ensure atleast 80 per cent of response from the
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II Proof
respondents. Percentages, scores and weighted averages (Goyal
et al., 2004) were worked out. To analyse the seriousness of
trainees about the AC and ABCs training programme, weighted
averages were worked out for selected factors with the help of
following formula;
W1X1 ± W2X2 ± W3X3 ± W4X4
Total seriousness = ————————————————
X1 ± X2 ± X3 ± X4
Where,
W1 = Weight of the first factor (Attendance)
W2 = Weight of the second factor (misbehaviour with faculty)
W3 = Weight of the third factor (drinking of alcohol)
W4 = Weight of the fourth factor (damages made to the property
of the institution)
X1, X2, X3 and X4 are respective percentages.
Details of sources of information about the training
programme are provided in Table 1. It could be observed from
the table that friends were the major source of information
(74.81%) followed by others, electronic media and newspapers.
It is surprising to note that in the present era of information
technology; very less number of sample agripreneurs obtained
the information from electronic media, newspapers and other
sources like university notice board etc. The reasons for this
may be the non-availability and lack of experience of agri-
graduates in IT based services like internet, and less publicity
in mass media. More convenient and clarification about the
training programme from friends who undergone training was
found to be the main source of information due to the availability
of the mobile phone numbers and their intimate relationships.
These results are in conformity with the results obtained by
Rao and Rupkumar (2005). They found that 63 per cent of the
information about AC and ABC training programme was
disseminated through friends and newspapers. Factors
motivating respondents to take up training under the AC and
ABC scheme as presented in Table 2 revealed that self motivation
for own business was the main factor in all the selected states
except in Kerala and in South India as a whole. This was mainly
due to the interest of the graduates to take up own business.
The second important factor in most of the selected states and
in South India as a whole was found to be the efficient utilization
of resources. This might be due to the technical knowledge of
agripreneurs and their interest in efficient utilization of
Table 1. Sources of information about AC and ABC training
programme (N=135)
Sl. No. Information sources No. of respondents Percentage
1. Newspaper 21 15.56
2. Friends 101 74.81
3. Electronic media 27 20.00
4. Others (University Notice Board, 61 45.19
etc.)
Karnataka Journal of Agricultural Sciences :20(4), 2007

Table 2. Factors responsible for joining the training programme under the scheme of AC and ABCs
Sl. Factors Andhra Pradesh Karnataka Keral Tamil Nadu South India
No. Score Rank Score Rank Score Rank Score Rank Score Rank

1. Unemployment problem in government & 111 IV 67 IV 39 IV 116 II 333 IV

private sector

2. Non-remunerative yields from present farming 79 IX 47 X 21 XI 86 VII 234 X

3. Self motivation for own business 126 I 82 I 41 III 129 I 378 I

4. Free specialized training 78 X 59 VII 27 VIII 100 VI 264 VIII

5. Better institutional linkage (training, credit and 112 III 76 III 45 I 111 IV 344 III
marketing

6. Access to credit facility 92 VII 59 VII 34 VII 100 VI 285 VII

7. Improved market outlets 95 V 64 V 42 II 105 V 306 V

8. Better price expectations from the activity undertaken 92 VII 61 VI 36 V 100 VI 289 VI

9. Increasing cost requirements 89 VIII 53 VIII 34 VII 79 VIII 255 IX

10. Efficient utilization of resource base

(education, financial, knowledge, contacts, land etc.) 120 II 78 II 35 VI 114 III 347 II

11. Joining the training programme to get free food

and accommodation in the city for searching the jobs 66 XI 39 XI 25 IX 68 X 198 XII

Others (If any) 66 XI 50 IX 22 X 71 IX 209 XI

Maximum scores : AP = 135, Karnataka = 90, Kerala = 45, TN = 135, South India = 405.

Table 3. Seriousness of trainees about the AC and ABCs training increasing cost requirements and non-remunerative yields were
programme (N = 135) some other factors which motivated them to join the training
Sl. Particulars No. of Percentage programme as these things were found to be the expectations of
No. respondents trainees from the training programme. Whereas, the factor of
1. Attendance joining the training programme to get free food and
(persons attended >40 days) 95 70.37 accommodation in the city to search for jobs was found to be a
2. Mis-behaviour with faculty least important factor as it shows their seriousness of the training
(Sometimes there will be a clash in the programme and zeal to start their own business. The analysis of
discussions by misunderstandings seriousness of trainees about the training programme under the
between faculty and trainees scheme of AC and ABCs presented in Table 3 revealed that
which leads to misbehaviour) 5 3.70 70.37 per cent of trainees have attended more than 40 days
3. Drinking of alcohol etc. training and the total seriousness of the trainees about the
(other than parties and other occasions) 3 2.23 training programme was 66.67 per cent. This may be because of
4. Damages made to the property of their interest and need of the training in undertaking the projects.
the institution 0 0.00 The misbehavior with faculty was found to be the least (3.70%)
5. Total seriousness about the training as it was due to their dissatisfaction of lectures during the training
programme (%) - 66.67 hours. Similarly, drinking alcohol and damages made to the
property of the institution was 2.23 per cent and nil respectively,
government benefits by undertaking AC and ABCs. Better due to the responsibility and matured mind of trainees. Although
institutional linkage was third most important factor as this many formal sources of information are available, friends were
training programme gives the linkage of financial institutions, the major sources of information so awareness about AC and ABCs
agriculture department, NABARD, MANAGE, agricultural should be strengthened by giving more and more advertisements
universities, successful agripreneurs, corporate companies and about the usefulness of AC and ABCs training through formal
other institutions. It is interesting to note that though the problem sources of information like TV, Radio and other mass media. Self
of unemployment is equally important, it was in fourth rank in motivation and efficient utilization of the resources were the major
most of the selected states and also in South India as a whole. factors responsible for joining the training programme which
The other factors such as improved market access, better price indicates their interest in taking up this training programme and
expectation, access to credit facility, free specialized training, most of them are serious about the training programme.
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Factors Affecting Participation..........

Department of Agriculture Marketing, Co-operation RAJASHEKHAR KARJAGI

and Agribusiness Management H. S. S. KHAN
University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad - 580 005, India. H. S. VIJAYKUMAR

(Received: December, 2006)

References

ANONYMOUS, 2005, Concurrent evaluation of agriclinics and
agribusiness centers scheme (AAG) in Maharashtra. A Report
Submitted to National Institute of Agricultural Extension
Management, Maharashtra, pp. 57-124.
CHANDRA SHEKHARA, P., 2003, Third wave in Indian agriculture:
Introduction to agriclinics and agribusiness centers scheme.
Extension Research Review, MANAGE, J a n u a r y - J u n e ,
2003, pp. 10-20.
GOYAL, M.C., NARINDER, PAUL AND DANGI, K.L., 2004, A
scale to measure attitude of trainees towards agriclinics and
agribusiness centers. Indian Journal of Extension Education,
40: 128-129.

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