Exploratory Analysis on the Management of Agricultural Knowledge and Information by Smallholder Farmers in Kandy and Kurunegala Districts in Sri Lanka

The extent of farmer knowledge and availability of precise information in farming are considered as key driving forces in agriculture development that transform the livelihoods of farmers into one with increased household income stability and food security. However farmers who do not have free/subsidized and open/fair access to the vital agricultural information would, therefore, face severe difficulties in their attempt to achieve the goals of farming. The purpose of the study was to investigate the factors that trigger or hinder farmer access to agricultural knowledge and information. The smallholder export agricultural crop producers in Kandy & Kurunegala districts in Sri Lanka were used as the case. A series of pre-tested structured questionnaire-based face-to-face interviews were carried out with a cross-section of farmers to gather data and both descriptive and quantitative techniques, including Factor and Logistics Regression analysis, were employed to analyze the data. The results show that the level of acquisition of agricultural knowledge by farmers has a positive and negative relationship with the level of education and age of farmer, respectively. Amongst other factors, the farmers, in general, requested badly the valid and reliable agricultural information on a regular basis with regard to the market prices of inputs and outputs, credits/subsidies/loans etc. The inadequacy in information services and agricultural officers, limited infrastructure and insufficient funds/resources hinder farmer access to agricultural knowledge and information. The outcome of the analysis, overall, implies that the importance of developing appropriate packages to facilitate information sharing and knowledge mobilization to specific farming communities is in need with the right mix of market-based and regulatory incentives.