Assessing farmers’ knowledge of good agricultural practices in vegetable farming: A study in northern Bangladesh
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26832/24566632.2025.100403Keywords:
Bangladesh, Farmers, Knowledge of GAP, Vegetable farmingAbstract
Producing vegetables safely, sustainably, and of high quality requires good agricultural practices (GAP). This study thoroughly examined vegetable farmers’ knowledge of GAP, identified the factors influencing their level of knowledge, and explored the problems they encounter in applying GAP in vegetable production in the Rangpur district of northern Bangladesh. Data were collected using a pre-tested questionnaire from 240 randomly selected vegetable farmers in the Kursha Union of Taraganj sub-district in Rangpur district. Farmers’ knowledge was evaluated using six levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy, while multiple and stepwise regression analyses identified key influencing factors and their impact. In addition, the Problem Facing Index (PFI) was applied to rank the problems faced by them in implementing GAP. The results indicated that only 3.3% of participants had good knowledge, whereas 46.7% had moderate knowledge, and 50% had poor knowledge. Among the ten examined socio-economic and personal factors of the farmers, educational level, agricultural training experience, and contact with extension media significantly affected farmers’ GAP knowledge. Contact with extension media was the strongest predictor, accounting for 66.7% of the variance in knowledge levels. Regarding implementation issues, 53.3% of respondents reported high problems, followed by 40% experiencing medium problems. The top three problems included a lack of GAP training, a limited understanding of GAP standards, and inadequate knowledge of integrated pest and disease management. The study highlights the need for strengthening extension services and providing targeted training programs to improve farmers’ knowledge and promote effective adoption of GAP in sustainable vegetable farming.
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