The project

Brief objective and justification: Objective of the study is to examine self-efficacy of agricultural farmers or farmers engaged in agricultural activities. Findings will help to develop new knowledge about psychological counselling to agricultural farmers in distress with interface of agriculture. Currently, Indian farmers expressed low self-efficacy and are deprived of psychological counselling system due to lack of systematic knowledge in this area.

Introduction
Self-efficacy refers to the confidence in one’s ability to behave in such a way as to produce a desirable outcome (Bandura, 1977). Farmer’s judgements of his capabilities to organize and execute courses of action required to attain designated types of agricultural performance is called farmer self efficacy. Low self-efficacy is positively related to anxiety and depression. Sometimes, it leads to committing suicide. Currently, many farmers are committing suicide (Gyanmudra, 2007) suggesting development of low self-efficacy within them. High self-efficacy allows one to deal better with uncertainty, distress and conflict and to set more challenging task objectives. In distress, those with high self-efficacy recover more quickly and maintain commitment to their goals (Schwarzer, 1992). It is assumed that farmers with high self-efficacy will improvise or innovate or adopt new technology in farming. Recent study has noted that farmers with high self-efficacy motivate towards cultivation of multiple crops (Dutta Roy, 2008). Self-efficacy is developed through cognitive and social learning processes (Bandura, 1986, 1993). Social learning is a higher form of learning occurring in a social context for the purpose of personal and social adaptation (Goldstein, 1984). In agriculture field, social learning is facilitated through social persuasion by training, enactive mastery experience and vicarious experience. High self-efficacious farmers often use the above process in different ways. The exact pattern of self-efficacy and the social learning process of agriculture farmers in the current changing scenario is not known due to lack of any systematic study in this area. Proposed project will reveal new knowledge about pattern of self-efficacy and its social learning process. This can be used for training, psychological counselling and guidance to farmers with agriculture interface.

Methodology:
Multi stage stratified random sampling will be followed in sample selection. Data will be collected from 960 farmers (20 farmers X 6 districts X 2 blocks (high and low producing), X 2 crops (paddy and non-paddy) X 2 adoption group (more amount of high yielding and less amount of high yielding technology).

Measures :
(a) Farmers self-efficacy questionnaire : A questionnaire will be developed to assess 5 dimensions of self-efficacy – farming self-efficacy, farming self-concept, self-regulation, value of farming, mastering task goal.
(b) Social learning questionnaire : Questionnaire will be developed to study (a) enactive mastery experience (setting task goals, the criteria for evaluation, task difficulty, (b) vicarious experience (social modelling), and (c) social persuasion.
(c) Interview schedule : One interview schedule will be developed to assess (a) socio-economic status, (b) land conditions (land holding, land utilization, irrigated, land salinity, fertility), (c) adoption of technology (amount of high yielding technology adoption), (d) specific difficulties in technology adoption and (e) availability of physical and social infrastructure support system during crisis.
(d) GHQ: Goldberg’s General health questionnaire will be administered to the farmers to assess their mental health and to validate farmer’s self-efficacy questionnaire.

Statistical Analysis : Relevant multivariate statistics will be used to (a) determine main and interaction effect of districts, blocks, technology adoption, crop pattern on self-efficacy pattern of farmers and mental health ; and (b) to explore correlates of farmers self-efficacy.

Research plan
2009-10 : Initially, for development of self efficacy questionnaire, data will be collected from 300 farmers (150 HY adopters and 150 HY non-adopters) using 4 questionnaires. Item analysis, reliability and validity of the instruments will be determined.

2010-2011: In this session, district and block wise sampling will be made. And respective local investigators will be selected. Data will be collected from 480 farmers (20 farmers X 3 districts X 2 blocks (high and low producing), X 2 crops (paddy and non-paddy) X 2 adoption groups (more amount of high yielding and less amount of high yielding technology).

2011-2012 : Final set of data collection will be completed following above sampling procedure and report will be submitted.



Project Beneficiaries :
· Department of Agriculture, Govt. of West Bengal;
· Researchers concerned with psychology in Agriculture;
References:
a) Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behaviour change. Psychol. Rev., 84, 191-215.
b) Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundation of thought and action: A Social cognitive theory, Englewood cliffs, N.J. : Prentice Hall.
c) Bandura, A. (1993). Perceived self-efficacy in cognitive development and functioning. Educational Psycvhologist, 28, 117-148.
d) Dutta Roy,D. (2008). Self-efficacy of agricultural farmers; Proceedings of the 12th International and 43rd National conference of Indian Academy of Applied Psychology (IAAP), p.
e) Goldstein, H. (1922). Social learning and change. NY: Tavistock Publications.
f) Gyanmudra, (2007). Farmers suicide in India. New Delhi: Deep & Deep publications Pvt. Ltd.
g) Schwarzer, R. (2001). Social-cognitive factors in changing Health-related behaviours. Current directions in Psychological Science. 10,2, 47-51.