Adapting of information on rubber farming by rubber smallholders: a case study in Moneragala district

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the utilization of information on rubber farming by Rubber Smallholders (RSs) and the sample was 389 RSs using stratified random sampling technique. The level of Utilization of Information on Rubber Farming (UIRF) was measured by developed score. The Logistic regression of analysis was employed in understanding the relationship between UIRF scores and socioeconomic variables of RSs by the STATA version 19. The most prominent sources of information on rubber farming were rubber smallholders (71%), rubber extension officials (11%), social media (5%) and extension programmes (4%), while radio (0.5%) and television (0.5%) were the lowest used sources. Most of the RSs had a low utilization category (54%), while 13 % had a high utilization category. The mean UIRF score was 38 % (ranged from 05 % to 71%). The most preferred information sources by RSs were extension programmes (90%), RSs (85%), rubber traders (85%) and social media (70%). The most needed information by RSs is on rubber market prices (100%), followed by fertilizer application (92%), tapping (90 %), management of Tapping Panel Dryness (90%), disease management (85%) and sheet rubber making (80%). The perceived issues of accessing information by RSs highlighted that inadequate extension personnel (92 %), gets unreliable information (79 %), poor mechanism of distribution of Rubber Puwath (79 %) and lack of social media interventions (88%). RSs’ age, level of education, rubber land extent, membership of the Thurusaviya rubber society and full-time farmer were significantly and positively correlated to UIRF. Both approaches of ICT based cyber extension and establishing para extension service are proposed strategies to improving the information accessibility of smallholder rubber sector.