TITLE:
The Levels of Knowledge and Adoption of Cultural Practices of the Domestic Floriculture Growers in the Central Province of Sri Lanka: An Evaluation
AUTHORS:
Parana Widanaralalage Lal Jayaratna, Wanigasundera Appuhamilage Don Padmasiri Wanigasundera, Chelliah Sivayoganathan
KEYWORDS:
Floriculture Industry, Technology, Knowledge, Adoption, Central Province, Sri Lanka
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Industrial and Business Management,
Vol.13 No.6,
June
30,
2023
ABSTRACT: Floriculture industry has become a high-income
generating agribusiness today in Sri Lanka. It also brings a considerable
amount of foreign exchange to the country annually, which is an important factor
for the country’s economy. The objectives of the research were to identify the
growers’ personal characteristics, and their effect on their levels of
knowledge and adoption on cultural practices. Required primary data were
collected through personal interviews from a questionnaire. Data were analyzed
using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The respondents’ mean
overall technical knowledge was 1.8 (out of 3), and mean overall adoption was
2.0 (out of 3) and adoption levels were 2.1,
1.8, and 1.9 respectively. Out of eight cultural practices, harvesting
technology and post-harvesting technology had the lowest mean levels of
knowledge (1.45 and 1.3 respectively) and adoption (1.4 and 1.3 respectively).
It is recommended to motivate the growers to develop their levels of knowledge
and adoption on cultural practices, produce quality products, and expand the
business; also, to expose the business to the foreign market
through the floriculture associations, the Department of National Botanic Gardens
(DNBG), and the Export Development Board (EDB) of Sri Lanka.