Development and validation of extension strategies for effective management of reproductive problems of dairy animals

Reproductive problems in dairy animals emerged as prime concern for farmers due to their significant effect on the profitability and sustainability of dairy ventures in India. The present study was undertaken to assess the major reproductive problems of dairy animals as well as to develop and validate the extension strategies for managing reproductive problems. A total of 60 respondents from three villages viz Dilawara, Chundipur and Dhakwada of Karnal district were selected through simple random sampling. Data were gathered through structured interview schedule from dairy farmers who had at least one milch animal. Study revealed that repeat breeding, anestrous, retention of fetal membrane and prolapse were the major reproductive problems of dairy animals as perceived by 46.67, 36.67, 28.33 and 26.67 per cent of respondents respectively. Among 14 selected extension strategies, development and demonstration of video on specific reproductive issues with Rank Based Quotient (RBQ) value of 81.19 and preparation of extension literature with RBQ value of 72.38 were found to be the two best strategies for faster dissemination of information on management of reproductive problems. The mean knowledge gain was found to be 10.75 per cent, 13.28 per cent and 15.23 per cent after exposure to different treatments i.e. booklet, video and both (video+booklet) respectively in the study villages. This explains the effectiveness of extension strategies and warrants the extension personnel to contextualise and deploy appropriate combinations of different extension strategies in order to improve the information delivery system.