8. SOCIO-PERSONAL PROFILE OF BUFFALO KEEPERS OF KOLE LANDS OF THRISSUR DISTRICT, KERALA

The present study was conducted among milch and meat buffalo keepers of the Thrissur kole lands, Kerala. Snow ball sampling was used to select 100 respondents, 50 each the from North and South koles. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics- frequencies and percentages. The results showed that over sixty per cent milch buffalo keepers from both koles and the meat buffalo keepers of the South kole were above 50 years of age. Half of the milch buffalo keepers of both koles were high school educated while slightly less than half of the meat buffalo keepers the South kole and fewer numbers of the North kole were observed in this category. Except for the milch buffalo keepers of the North kole, over eighty per cent of the buffalo keepers of the Thrissur kole lands had not attended trainings on animal husbandry. Over seventy per cent of the meat buffalo keepers of both koles and the milch buffalo keepers of the North kole, had land holdings of size up to 100 cents. Larger land holdings of between 100 to 300 cents were observed among just over fortyper cent of milch buffalo keepers of the South kole. Over seventy per cent of milch buffalokeepers of both koles had more than ten years of experience in this vocation. Most of the meat buffalo keepers of the North kole (45.45 per cent) were relatively new entrants to the buffalo rearing sector with between one and five years of experience.

Keywords: Buffalo, Thrissur kole, sociopersonal profile