Abstract

This study attempted to identify the tea stallholders’ perception towards the advisory and system of transfer of technology (ToT) often small holdings sector and impact of Tea Small Holders (TSH) socio economics factors on the advisory and ToT system of tea small holdings sector. About 600 TSHs were selected by employing proportionate randomly sampling method from six DS divisions of Matara district to collect the primary data. Primary data were collected through personal interviews with the help of structured interview schedule by visiting to the tea small holders’ fields/homes. Result of the study shows that majority of respondents indicated that tea small holdings development authority (TSHDA) is the most available source for getting information while few number of respondents indicated that TRI and the tea factories respectively, as most available source getting information. Further, majority of respondents have indicated that TSHDA is the most relevant source of getting information. Further, most believable source of getting information by the tea small holders also was TSHDA. Individual contact methods, group contact methods and mass methods are the most common extension teaching methods in the agricultural extension or ToT. Group meeting, individual visit to the tea field, field days at tea field and demonstrations are the most effective and commonly apply extension methods by the TSHDA. Majority of tea small holders preferred for the individual visit to the tea field while second rake goes to group meetings. Middle aged and more experiences tea small holders preferred to get the advice from the Tea Inspector / Extension Officer (TI/EO) of the TSHDA than others while relatively low educated tea small holders prefer to get advice from the tea Inspector / Extension Officer of the TSHDA. Further, relatively high educated and young tea small holders preferred to get the advices from the TRI and either land or mobile phone based extension than other tea small holders.

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