ChileanJAR

The learning capacity of farmers, their relatives, and handworkers was measured in relation to 11 variables, under a teaching-learning process based on simple agriculture subjects. The study was done in six different localities of the Valdivia Province, X Región of Chile, with farmers of small to medium size. The variables considered were: locality, age, sex, farm size, cattle herd size, education level, exposure to technical assistance and written mass media in agriculture, membership to farmers organizations, payment for the training by the farmers, and instruction being given by a woman professional with or without the participation of a male professional; all these correlated to lerning with a ceiling effect. Also, these variables including learning with a ceiling effect, were correlated with adoption. Besides, an effort was done to detect the reasons the farmers thought caused them not to adopt the recommended technology. Results indicate that locality (isolation), number of cattle owned (a measure of economical capacity) and education level were the only variables correlated with learriing capacity; the first, reducing it; cattle size, increasing it until 35 A.U., and them reducing it; and education, increasing learning capacity. Payment for the training did not affect the learning capacity, but did influence the number of people enrolled (2.2 times in the free courses) and the number of deserters (lower in the groups that had payed). Cattle herd size was the only variable correlated with adoption, at a high level of significance. The main reasons perceived by farmers for not adopting new techologies were: shortage of capital (60%), and not participating in .the decision making process (decissions were taken by parents and emp lo yers).