Perceived Training Needs of Women Rural Agricultural Extension Officers: A Study on Capacity Building in Agricultural Extension Services in Chhattisgarh Plains

Abstract

The role of Women Rural Agricultural Extension Officers (RAEOs) in enhancing agricultural productivity and ensuring inclusive rural development is critical, particularly in Chhattisgarh, India. This study assessed the perceived training needs of women RAEOs in the Chhattisgarh Plains Zone using a descriptive research design. A purposive sample of 165 respondents was drawn from a population of 330 women RAEOs across ten purposively selected districts comprising thirty-six blocks. Data were collected using a pre-tested structured interview schedule and analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean score, and rank order with SPSS software. Results revealed that a large majority (76.97%) of women RAEOs had high training needs, 21.82% had medium needs, and only 1.21% reported low needs. The highest priority training areas included Information Communication Technology (ICT) (50.91%), cooperative marketing (49.70%), integrated pest management (47.27%), disease identification and integrated crop disease management (45.45%), and organic/natural farming technologies (43.03%). Other significant needs included weed management (41.82%) and post-harvest technologies for fruits (40.00%) and vegetables (38.79%). The findings highlight an urgent requirement for structured, demand-driven, and gender-responsive capacity-building programs focusing on ICT, market-oriented extension, and sustainable agricultural practices to enhance the professional competence of women RAEOs.