RT Journal
T1 DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF AN ATTITUDE SCALE FOR FARMERS TOWARDS WEATHER BASED AGRO-ADVISORY SERVICES
A1 V. Jayashree
A1 M. Asokhan
A1 M. Nirmala Devi
A1 S.R. Padma
A1 M. Anjugam
A1 S. Kokilavani
JF Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences
JO JAPS
SN 1018-7081
VO 36
IS 6
YR 2026
FD 2026
DO DOI https://doi.org/10.36899/JAPS.2026.6.0144
AB <p style="text-align: justify;">Weather Based Agro-Advisory Services have been gaining momentum as a successful strategy to support agriculture in adapting to shifting climate and improving productivity, sustainability and resilience. These services combine weather forecasts with advisories based on the farm's situation in real-time, allowing farmers to make appropriate decisions for their crop planning, irrigation, pest and disease control and input use. The present study used an ex post facto research design, which evaluated the attitudes of farmers on WBAAS in Western Zone of Tamil Nadu which is very susceptible to climate variability. Based on Edwards' criteria, the attitude scale was developed and validated consisting of 26 items and administered to 300 farmers were selected in a 5-point Likert scale. The discriminating power of statements was tested by the t-value (critical ratio) method and the scale had high reliability according to the correlation coefficient (r = 0.85). The results showed that 27.00% of the farmers had a highly favourable attitude, while 59.00% had favourable attitude towards WBAAS. Farmers recognised that WBAAS could help to boost productivity and make better use of resources, as well as minimising weather-related risks. However, 14.00% of farmers had unfavourable attitudes because of issues like inaccuracies in forecasts, poor access and problems with interpretation. The results highlight the importance of improved precision, timeliness and localization of advisories and extension support and digital access. Overall, promoting awareness and capacity-building initiatives can significantly improve the adoption and effectiveness of WBAAS among farmers.</p>
K1 Adoption, attitude scale, climate change, crop productivity, farmers, weather based agro advisory services
PB Pakistan Agricultural Scientists Forum
LK https://thejaps.org.pk/AbstractView.aspx?mid=2026-JAPS-477