Knowledge level of cluster bean growers about irrigation management practices in zone ic of Rajasthan

The scarcity of water for irrigation is a major challenging problem for the farmers of thar desert in Rajasthan. Therefore, the present study was conducted to study the knowledge level of the cluster bean growers about irrigation management in two clusters namely- Phoolasar and Kheruwala from Bikaner and Jaisalmer districts, respectively. For comparison between beneficiary and non-beneficiary farmers, a total of 320 respondents were drawn (160 beneficiary and 160 non-beneficiary). For measuring the knowledge level of the cluster bean growers about irrigation management, a knowledge test was prepared by consulting various experts and through research reviews. Thus, this test included seven major aspects with 40 knowledge-based questions and sub questions. The investigation revealed that majority (63.75%) of beneficiary cluster bean growers had a medium level of knowledge about irrigation management practices followed by 18.75 and 17.50 percent of respondents with high and low level of knowledge, respectively. The beneficiary respondents had maximum knowledge on the aspect of “General information about water storage system”, while they had least knowledge about the “Irrigation Interval”. The non-beneficiary respondents had highest knowledge regarding “General crop practices” and least knowledge about the “Method of Irrigation”. A significant difference was found in the knowledge level of beneficiary and non-beneficiary respondents about irrigation management practices.