Knowledge Test for Agricultural Graduates on Natural farming

Abstract

Natural farming is a sustainable agricultural approach that primarily focuses on enhancing soil health and minimizing input costs. To gain deeper insights into this emerging practice, it was imperative to develop a knowledge test aimed at assessing the level of understanding among agricultural graduates regarding natural farming. The study was conducted in the State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) of Uttar Pradesh, and the test items were carefully crafted, keeping in mind the academic proficiency of the target respondents. An initial knowledge test comprising 48 items was developed and subjected to a relevancy assessment involving 35 experts in the fields of agronomy and extension education. Based on their evaluations, 40 items were selected for pretesting. These items were then administered to 42 agricultural graduates from locations outside the study area to avoid sampling bias. Following this, an item analysis was conducted to calculate the difficulty index, discrimination index, and point biserial correlation for each item. Items were retained for the final test if they met the following criteria: a difficulty index between 0.20 and 0.80, a discrimination index above 0.10, and a point biserial correlation significant at the 5% level. The reliability of the knowledge test was evaluated using the split-half method, yielding a reliability coefficient of 0.75, indicating satisfactory internal consistency. Based on these analyses, a total of 30 items were finalized for the natural farming knowledge test designed for agricultural graduates. This knowledge test serves as a crucial tool to identify and bridge existing knowledge gaps among agricultural graduates. It can be effectively used to inform the design of seminars, workshops, and training programs, thereby equipping future agricultural professionals with accurate and practical knowledge on natural farming.