Knowledge Index for Measuring Knowledge and Adopting Scientific Methods in Treatment of Reproductive Problems of Dairy Animals

Abstract

Reproductive problems among dairy animals are one of the major causes of loss in dairy sector. These problems can be tackled by imparting appropriate knowledge to the livestock owners. An attempt was made to measure the knowledge of livestock owners by developing a knowledge test on reproductive problems of dairy animals. The study was undertaken in Karnal district of Haryana state, India. Data were solicited from 300 livestock farmers who had at least one milch animal at the time of investigation. In addition to developing schedules for socio-economic variables, a knowledge test was also developed for measuring knowledge construct. Data were solicited on scientific treatment of affected dairy animals and 59.54% knowledge was observed on reproductive traits. Study indicates that majority of livestock farmers adopted scientific methods for treating their animals. Respondents' age, extension contact and milk production were positively and significantly correlated with knowledge. Therefore, imparting quality practical training and periodical assessment of performance of lay inseminators for improving their skills and knowledge regarding estrus detection and insemination needs to be emphasized. Extension machinery has to be an ideal bridge between research/development institutions and dairy farmers for their catalytic effect (Meena & Malik, 2009). Extensive awareness programs are needed for inculcating scientific outlook among livestock farmers on these complex problems. Easy accessibility of veterinary hospital at village level can reduce the adoption of indigenous technical knowledge in treatment of these complex problems.

Profile characteristics of youth in dairying in Telangana state, India

“…The Pharma Innovation Journal http://www.thepharmajournal.com agreement with the results of Meena (2012) [7] who reported that majority of the dairy farmers were selling milk in between 4 to 41 kg/day in Karnal district.…”

Knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) on fecal sludge resource recovery and reuse in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

“…In this article, knowledge is defined as community familiarity or understanding, acquired through experience or education by discovering, and/or learning (Meena et al 2012). Attitude is defined as individuals' thoughts and/or expressed feelings about a specific phenomenon (Almasi et al 2019).…”

“…The third analysis stage involved the determination of a knowledge index (KI) to show participants' knowledge about different FS-derived products using a 4-point Likert scale. The KI for each FS-derived product was expressed using the mathematical equation adopted from Meena et al (2012):…”

“…The second step for attitude analysis was done by developing the attitude index (AI) to ascertain respondents' overall attitude levels toward the most common six FS-derived products. The AI was determined using data collected on a 4-point Likert scale using the mathematical equation developed by Meena et al (2012) and expressed as follows:…”

“…Even though it has already been established that successful technology adoption is highly dependent on peoples' acceptance of that innovation (Davis 1985). More specifically, peoples' decision to adopt a new innovation is influenced by the degree of knowledge and positive attitudes they have about that innovation (Meena et al 2012), as well as the opportunities given to the prospective users to experiment or test it out (Rosly & Khalid 2018). The purpose of this article is to close this research gap by exploring residents' views on FS-RRR, drawing on the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) framework (Muleme et al 2017).…”