A STUDY ON THE CONSEQUENCES OF ADOPTION OF WATERSHED MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY BY BENEFICIARY FARMERS IN WATERSHED AREA OF KHEDA DISTRICT OF GUJARAT STATE
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Date
2000
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AAU, Anand
Abstract
Agriculture is the backbone of Indian economy, as 46 per cent of total agricultural production of the country comes from rainfed farming, which is 70 per cent ( 105 million hectares ) of its total 142 million hectares of arable land. Considering the importance of rainfed farming in Indian economy, for the development of rainfed area. Government of India launched National Watershed Development Project for Rainfed Areas • ( NWDPRA ) in July 1986 during seventh plan period, to increase and stabilize the agricultural production and narrowing down regional socio-economic imbalance in rainfed areas through development of natural resource base, diversify the rainfed farming system, tapping the local resource potential to attain higher productivity and services for improving standard of living of rural poor. Gujarat is predominantly the state for dryland agriculture, 77 per cent of its total cultivable area is rainfed. Evenafter, harnessing all the irrigation potential, about 55 per cent area would be remain under rainfed farming. Realising the problems and potential of rainfed farming as well as to overcome arid and semi arid situation in the state. National Watershed Development Project for Rainfed Area ( NWDPRA ) was introduced in the state in 1986-87. At present the new verson of NWDPRA of eighth plan is in operation in 19 districts covering 168 micro watersheds in the state. A considerable time has been elapsed after implementation of NWDPRA in the state therefore, it is quite essential to know the consequent effects of this programme on socio-techno-economic development/changes in beneficiary farmers of watershed area. Keeping this in view, the present study was undertaken entitled "A STUDY ON THE CONSEQUENCES OF ADOPTION OF WATERSHED MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY BY BENEFICIARY FARMERS IN WATERSHED AREA OF KHEDA DISTRICT OF GUJARAT STATE ", with following specific objectives : 1 To study some of the socio-personal, agro-economic, psychological and communication characteristics of the beneficiary farmers. 2 To study the extent of adoption of watershed management technology by the beneficiary farmers. 3 To study the techno-economic consequences occurred as a result of adoption of watershed management technology. 4 To find out the association between selected independent variables of the beneficiary farmers and their extent of adoption of watershed management technology. 5 To find out the association between selected independent variables of the beneficiary farmers and their techno-economic consequences occurred as a result of adoption of watershed management technology To predict the extent of contribution of independent variables on dependent variables i.e. extent of adoption of watershed management technology and techno-economic consequences. To analyse the constraints faced by the beneficiary farmers in adoption of watershed management technology and to seek their suggestions to overcome these constraints. In order to achieve above objectives, Kapadwanj and Balashinor watershed areas of Kheda district were purposively selected. All the 10 villages falling under selected sample watersheds were included in the study. A sample of 217 beneficiary farmers ( 66 farmers fi-om 4 villages of Kapadwanj and 151 farmers fi"om 6 villages of Balashinor watersheds) were selected by proportionate random sampling technique. The information pertaining to the study was collected through structured schedule by personal interview during January to February 2000. To measure the attitude of beneficiary farmers towards watershed development programme and their extent of adoption of watershed technology, attitude scale and adoption index were developed. Before and after approach was followed to assess the techno-economic consequences. For this purpose the data for agriculture year 1992-93 were collected from the same respondents. The other independent variables were measured by using suitable scales and procedures adopted by various researchers. The collected data were then transferred to master table, and classified, tabulated and analysed in order to make the findings meaningful. For analysis of the data, the statistical techniques such as percentage, arithmetic mean and standard deviation, co-efficient of correlation, stepwise multiple regression analysis and path coefficient analysis were used. MAJOR FINDINGS The important findings of the study are as under : 1 Majority (64.52 per cent ) of the beneficiary farmers belonged to middle age grouped and were having primary to secondary level education ( 74.19 per cent) and majority ( 76.04 per cent) of them had membership in one organisation. 2 Little more than half ( 50.70 per cent ) of the beneficiary farmers had farming and animal husbandry occupation as a source of income for mainstay of life and nearly half ( 48.39 per cent ) of the beneficiary farmers possessed small size of land holding and majority ( 57.60 per cent) of them possessed small herd size. 3 Majority ( 57.60 per cent ) and ( 70.05 per cent ) of the beneficiary farmers had 26 to 50 per cent irrigation potentiality and medium ( 106 to 150 per cent ) cropping intensity respectively and more than half ( 55.30 per cent ) of the beneficiary farmers were having medium income group. 4 Majority ( 59.91, 69.12 and 71.43 per cent ) of the beneficiary farmers had medium level of economic motivation, risk bearing capacity and scientific orientation respectively. Whereas, majority ( 84.34 per cent ) of the beneficiary farmers had moderately,to highly favourable attitude towards watershed development programme and nearly three fifth (58.53 per cent ) of the beneficiary farmers had medium level of knowledge about watershed management technology. 5 Majority ( 59.45 per cent ) of the beneficiary farmers had utilised various information sources at medium level, whereas, more than half ( 53.00 per cent) of the beneficiary farmers had medium level of participation in various extension activities. 6 Majority ( 66.82 per cent ) of the beneficiary farmers had medium level of adoption of watershed management technology and most of them adopted no cost and low cost watershed management technologies such as use of short duration varieties of crops, inter culturing, weed management through hand weeding timely sowing, summer ploughing and inter cropping. Some of them had also adopted high cost technologies i.e. use of chemical fertilizers and use of pesticide for control of pests. 7 Majority ( 7 i.43 per cent) of the beneficiary farmers in watershed area were found to have medium level of techno economic consequences. The programme had contributed for a significant changes in cropping intensity, increase in the use of farm inputs such as improved seeds, chemical fertilizers and plant protection chemical etc. possession and use of farm machinery/farm equipment and house hold possession had also been increased. The saving and investment capacity and standard of living of majority of the beneficiary farmers in watershed area was increased. 8 All the independent variables selected for the study were significantly associated with extent of adoption of watershed management technology. Amongs them education, social participation, land holding, herd size, irrigation potentiality. cropping intensity, annual income, economic motivation, risk preferences, scientific orientation, attitude towards watershed development programme, knowledge about watershed management technology, utilisation of information sources and extension participation of the beneficiary farmers had positive and significant association with extent of adoption of watershed management technology. Whereas, age and occupation had negatively significant association with it. 9 All the independent variables except age were significantly associated with technoeconomic consequences on adoption of watershed management by the beneficiary farmers. Among them the variables namely education, social participation, land holding, herd size, irrigation potentiality, cropping intensity, annual income, economic motivation, risk preferences scientific orientation, attitude towards watershed development programme, knowledge about watershed management technology, utilisation of information sources and extension participation of beneficiary farmers had positive and significant association with techno-economic consequences, whereas, occupation was negatively correlated with it. 10 Extent of adoption of watershed management technology was found to be predicted by four independent variable namely, knowledge of watershed management technology, land holding, source of information and attitude towards watershed development programme, according to their order of contribution. All these variable had jointly contributed 50.03 per cent of total extent of variation. Knowledge alone contributed significantly to 35.68 per cent of total extent of variation on adoption of watershed management technology. 11 Techno-economic consequences of adoption of watershed management technology was found to be predicted by five independent variables namely annual income, cropping intensity, land holding, irrigation potentiality and attitude towards watershed management technology according to their order of contribution. All these five variables jointly contributed 72.30 per cent of total extent of variation. Annual income of beneficiary farmers alone had contributed 51.33 per cent of total extent of variation in bringing techno-economic changes. 12 Knowledge about watershed management technology exerted maximum positive direct effect on adoption of watershed management technology. Whereas, annual income exerted maximum positive total indirect effect on adoption of watershed management technology So far as substantial indirect effect is concerned, most of the variables exerted positive effect on adoption of watershed management technology mainly through knowledge about watershed management technology and sources of information followed by land holding, extension participation and education respectively. Extension participation exerted highest positive first and second order substantial indirect effect through knowledge and sources of information. The whole discussion indicated that knowledge was the most important factor, affecting directly and positively the adoption of watershed management technology. It had also provided a way for other variables viz., sources of information, land holding, extension participation and education in exerting their, positive substantial indirect effect on adoption of watershed management technology. 13 Annual income exerted maximum positive direct effect on techno-economic consequences. Whereas, extension participation exerted maximum positive total indirect effect on techno-economic consequences. So far as substantial indirect effect is concerned techno-economic consequences was exerted mainly through annual income, land holding and cropping intensity respectively. Most of the independent variables exerted positive first order substantial effect through annual income. Land holding and herd size both had exerted maximum positive first order substantial effect on techno-economic consequences through annual income via land holding and irrigation potentiality exerted it through cropping intensity. At the same time most of the independent variables exerted positive second order substantial indirect effect on techno-economic consequences through land holding. Herd size and extension participation both had exerted maximum positive second order substantial effect on techno-economic consequence through land holding. While land holding and annual income exerted it through cropping intensity. In this way independent variables, namely annual income, land holding and cropping intensity were important factors for exerting substantial effect on techno-economic changes in selected watershed area. This naturally indicates that land holding and cropping intensity directly influence on increase of annual income and the increase in annual income would bring the substantial changes in techno-economic consequences in beneficiary farmers of watershed area. 14 Some of the important constraints faced by the beneficiary farmers in relation to soil and water conservation technology were high cost involved in construction of field bunds, farm pond and levelling of land, lack of finance, lack of technical guidance, land wasted in bund and channels. Whereas, important constraints associated with crop production technology, were lack of technical guidance, lack of finance to purchase farm inputs, high cost of farm inputs, lack of knowledge about recommended technology and low market prices of agricultural products were the major constraints for the beneficiary farmers in the way of adoption of watershed management technology. 15 The important suggestion offered by the beneficiary farmers to overcome the constraints associated with adoption of watershed management technology were : 1 Farmers should be protected under crop insurance in case of failure of season. 2 Proper technical guidance should be provided to the farmers according to their needs. 3 More training programme should be organised on watershed management. 4 More subsidy should be granted for soil and water conservation works. 5 Extension system should be streamlined to disseminate the recommendations of watershed management technology. 6 Organisation of need base filed demonstrations. 7 Remunerative market prices of agricultural products should be provided to the farmers. 8 Financial limit should be increased for soil and water conservation works.
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Extension Education, Agriculture, A Study