Impact of Extension Services Provided by ATMA (Agricultural Technology Management Agency) on Small and Marginal Farmers in Rural Assam

Abstract

Agricultural Extension Services aim at dissemina ng new knowledge and skill to farmers to aid them in adop ng new agricultural technologies and use their resources efficiently. Agricultural knowledge improves their skill and decision-making and enhances more efficient u liza on of agricultural technologies. With a sample of 160 famers collected from Golaghat district of Assam by using mul -staged random sampling method, this study a empts to understand the impact of extension services provided by ATMA (Agricultural Technology Management Agency) in rural Assam. The Propensity Score Matching (PSM) technique is employed to control for poten al sample selec on biases. The analysis and findings reveal that the extension services provided by ATMA in the study area posi vely impacts on the income and paddy produc on of the small and marginal farmers. Timely dissemina on of extension services which meet the actual needs of the farmers can impact the farmers income and output produc on to larger extent.