DETERMINANTS OF ADOPTION IN REGARD TO RECOMMENDED CULTIVATION PRACTICES OF RICE (Oryza sativa) and MAIZE (Zea mays) IN THE STATE OF NAGALAND
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Date
2021
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Abstract
Agriculture is considered as the backbone of Nagaland‟s economy where
the majority of the population depends on agriculture. Major variants of cereals
produced in Nagaland are rice, maize and millet. The two methods of cultivation among
the Naga tribes are jhum and terrace cultivation which makes about 86 per cent of the
total cultivable area in Nagaland. Emphasis on improving the production and
productivity of agriculture is crucial to bridge the gap between the demand and supply
of food grains. The present study on Determinants of adoption in regard to
recommended cultivation practices of rice (Oryza sativa) and maize (Zea mays) in
Nagaland was carried out in the state of Nagaland. The objectives of the study were
measure the extent of adoption in regard to recommended cultivation practices of rice
and maize in Nagaland, find out determinants of adoption of rice & maize production
technology, identify the constraints faced by the farmers while adopting recommended
cultivation practices, solicit suggestions from the research scientists, development
workers and policy makers on measures for enhancing the production and productivity
of rice and maize in Nagaland and develop a strategy to increase the rate of adoption of
recommended rice and maize production technology. Thestudywastakenupinsixdistricts
of Nagalandwithasamplesizeof 300farmers.Eighteenindependentvariables viz., age,
gender, education, family type, family size, occupation, operational land holding, annual
income, farming experience, social participation, information sources utilization,
extension contact, cosmopoliteness, innovativeness, economic motivation, scientific
orientation, achievement motivation and attitude towards shifting
cultivationwithextentof
adoptionasdependentvariableswerestudied.Therespondentswereinterviewedpersonally
with the help of structuredinterviewschedule.Thedatacollectedwerecoded, tabulated and
analyzed usingfrequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, co-efficient of variance,
Karl Pearson‟s co-efficient of correlation and multiple linear regression analysis.
The profile ofthefarmersrevealed that more than half(59.7%)of the
respondentswere medium aged and were males (65.7%), less than one-third of them
were illiterates (31.7%), majority belonged to nuclear family type (86%) and more than
half (51.7%) of them hadfamily size of 3-5 members. A little more than two-third
(67.7%) of the farmers did cultivation as occupation, majority (46%) had marginal
operational land holding, 80.67 per cent had medium (<Rs. 12009->Rs. 80905) income
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level, more than half (57.7%) of them had 13-32 years of farming experience, less than
half (49.3%) of the farmers had no membership in any organization, 47.67 per cent of
them had medium level of information sources utilization and 51.67 per cent had
medium level of extension contact. Majority (23.66%) of them had contact with ATMA
officials, 67 per cent of them visited town for agriculture purpose. More than half
(69.67%) of the respondents had medium level ofinnovativeness, 45.67 per cent had
medium level of economic motivation, 62 per centhaving medium level of scientific
orientation, 56.67 per centhaving medium level of achievement motivation while 63.7
per cent of them had moderate level of attitude towards shifting cultivation. Majority
(60.67%) of the farmershadmediumlevelofadoptionof recommended cultivation
practices of irrigated rice, 60 per cent had mediumlevelofadoptionof recommended
cultivation practices ofupland riceand 69 per cent had medium level of adoption of
recommended cultivation practices of maize.
The computed correlation coefficient value of family size (r=0.946*)
showed a positive significant relationship with extent of adoption of recommended
cultivation practicesof irrigated rice, while sixteen independent variables with the extent
of adoption of recommended practices of irrigated rice taken on multiple linear
regression analysis gave the co-efficient of multiple determination (R2) value of 0.913.
The variables namely family size (b=2.209*), social participation (b=0.377*) and
economic motivation (b=1.121*) were found to be positively significant and can be
termed as good predictors of extent of adoption of recommended cultivation practices of
irrigated rice. The computed correlation coefficient values of family size (r=0.944*) and
annual income (r=0.160*) were positively and significantly correlated with the extent of
adoption of recommended cultivation practices of upland rice, while sixteen
independent variables with the extent of adoption of recommended practices of upland
rice by the farmers taken on multiple linear regression analysis gave the co-efficient of
multiple determination (R2) value of 0.905. The variables namely age (b=0.103*),
family size (b=3.449*) and scientific orientation (b=0.121*) were found to be positively
significant and can be termed as good predictors of extent of adoption of recommended
cultivation practices of upland rice. The computed correlation coefficient values of
operational land holding (r=0.197*), information sources utilization (r=0.931*),
extension contact (=0.905*), innovativeness (r=0.958*), economic motivation
(r=0.941*) and achievement motivation (r=0.945*) were positively and significantly
correlated with the extent of adoption of recommended cultivation practices of maize
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and annual income (r=-0.263*) was found to be negatively significant. Sixteen
independent variables with the extent of adoption of recommended practices of maize
by the farmers taken on multiple linear regression analysis gave the co-efficient of
multiple determination (R2) value of 0.954. Variables namely family size (b=0.097*),
information sources utilization (b=2.050*) and innovativeness (b=1.067*) were found to
be positively significant and can be termed as good predictors of extent of adoption of
recommended cultivation practices of maize. Whereas annual income (b=-4.685*) and
extension contact (b=-0.452*) were found to be negatively significant with extent of
adoption of recommended cultivation practices of maize.
Non-availability of quality seeds, lack of proper financial assistance and
subsidies, non-availability of timely farm inputs and machineries, pest and disease
incidence, lack of storage facilities and processing units, low market value for crops,
lack of marketing facilities and channels, lack of proper interactions between farmers
and extension service providers, lack of result-oriented trainings and demonstrations,
weather uncertainty, high cost of fertilizers and lack of knowledge of government
schemes and incentives and proper irrigation and drainage facilities were some of the
major constraints highlighted by the farmers while adopting recommended cultivation
practices of rice and maize. Some of the strategy proposed to increase the production of
rice and maize in Nagaland were timely supply and use of high yielding varieties and
hybrid seeds, System of Rice Intensification, Crop Diversification in maize crop,
Integrated Nutrient Management (INM), Integrated Pest & Disease Management
(IP&DM), Water Resource Management, Improved farm mechanization, Integrated
Farming System (IFS) Approach and Participatory Research and Development.