Experimental Study of Extension Impact on Farmers’ KAP towards Sri Lankan Cassava Mosaic Disease Prevention in Cambodia

<p>The Sri Lankan Cassava Mosaic Disease (SLCMD) poses a major threat to the cassava industry in Cambodia, as it can decrease cassava yield by up to 80 percent. As SLCMD has no clear prescription, and currently, the only remedy is pulling out and incinerating the infected stems. The government of Cambodia, through the General Directorate of Agriculture (GDA), has moved swiftly to sensitize farmers on the causes, effects, and prevention measures of SLCMD. The GDA has used various media and methods to disseminate knowledge on SLCMD. However, effective information dissemination methods for changing farmers’ behaviors in terms of the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) still remain to be identified. In this study, we investigate the effectiveness of two knowledge dissemination methods, i.e., "single intervention"-distribution of printed educational materials (PEMs) and "multifaceted intervention"-distribution of PEMs combined with workshop training. The study was conducted in Battambang, north-west Cambodia over two periods, from June to October 2019, and from November 2019 to February 2020. In the first period of investigation, 468 farmers were randomly selected to participate in the study. We formulate the contents of the poster and workshop based on the "initial" KAP results where farmers had lower KAP. Then, all 468 farmers were divided randomly into three groups, namely "Control," "Treatment1," and "Treatment2." farmers in "Treatment1" were subjected to "single intervention" and those in "Treatment2" were subjected to "multifaceted intervention," while those in "Control" were subjected to no intervention. In the second period of investigation, the "second" KAP was analyzed to estimate the effectiveness of interventions applied in the first period. The results show that "multifaceted intervention" is the effective method to improve the KAP of farmers in Cambodia. Our experience of running such farmers’ workshops and the materials we developed could be useful to governments, non-governmental organizations, and commercial associations that are keen to mitigate the effects of SLCMD through appropriate interventions.</p>