A STUDY ON ADOPTION OF CRITICAL INTERVENTIONS OF MAJOR CROPS BY THE FARMERS IN DRYLAND FARMING IN PRAKASAM DISTRICT OF ANDHRA PRADESH
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Date
2022-12-22
Authors
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Publisher
Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, Guntur
Abstract
Dryland farming in India has been in practice since time immemorial.
The farming operations in the dryland depend on the rainfall and the farmers
invariably need to adopt interventions that would save the water and mitigate
the stress. Crop wise critical interventions have been developed by the
researchers in order to mitigate drought and to increase yield of dryland crops.
Large-scale adoption of these critical interventions by the dryland farmers
would help in minimizing the crop losses and maximizing the returns.
Keeping in the view of growing significance of dryland farming and also
need for adoption of critical interventions in dryland farming, the present study
entitled “A Study on Adoption of Critical Interventions of Major Crops by the
Farmers in Dryland Farming in Prakasam District of Andhra Pradesh” was
undertaken. The study was framed in such a manner to analyze the profile of
farmers with level of knowledge, extent of adoption and to find out the relationship
between selected independent variables and dependent variable.
Ex post facto research design was followed for conducting the study.
Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh was selected purposively as it has highest
area of dryland in coastal region of Andhra Pradesh and there is a scope for
increasing the area, production, productivity of dryland cotton and redgram in
the state through effective critical intervention strategies. Among 56 mandals
in Prakasam district, four (4) mandals viz., Giddalur, Racherla, Bestavaripeta
and Markapur were chosen purposively for the present study based on the
highest area under dryland cultivation. List of all villages of each selected
mandal was obtained. Out of these, two villages from each selected mandal viz.,
Sanjeevarayunipeta and Kommunuru from Giddalur mandal, Annampalli and
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Racherla from Racherla mandal, Konapalli and Singarapalli from Bestavaripeta
mandal and two villages from Markapaur namely Darimadugu and Bodapadu
were selected by following simple random sampling procedure, thus making a
total of 8 villages. From each of the selected villages, fifteen farmers were
selected by following simple random sampling procedure, thus making a total
of 120 farmers. Redgram and cotton crops were selected purposively for the
study as these were the major crops grown under rainfed conditions in the
district.
The results of the study revealed that majority of the dryland farmers
were old aged, illiterate, small to medium farmers, medium to high level of
experience in dryland farming, attained low to medium level of yields in
redgram and medium to low level of yields in cotton, medium to high annual
income, medium to low extension contact, medium to high mass media
exposure, medium to low information seeking behaviour, medium to high
social participation, medium to high credit orientation, medium to low risk
preference, poor to fair irrigation status, medium to low economic orientation,
medium to low decision making ability and poor to fair cropping pattern.
Majority of the dryland farmers had medium to high level of knowledge
and extent of adoption on critical interventions in redgram and cotton.
The independent variables education, land holding, yield, annual income,
extension contact, mass media exposure, information seeking behaviour, social
participation, credit orientation, risk preference, economic orientation, decision
making ability, irrigation status and cropping pattern were found positive and
significant with level of knowledge on critical interventions in redgram. Age and
experience in dryland farming were found negative and significant with level of
knowledge on critical interventions in redgram. All the selected 16 independent
variables put together, explained about 85.20 per cent variation in the level of
knowledge of dryland farmers on critical interventions in redgram.
The independent variables education, land holding, yield, annual
income, extension contact, mass media exposure, information seeking
behaviour, social participation, credit orientation, risk preference, irrigation
status, economic orientation, decision making ability and cropping pattern were
found positive and significant with level of knowledge on critical interventions
in cotton. Age and experience in dryland farming were found negative and
significant with level of knowledge on critical interventions in cotton. All the
selected 16 independent variables put together, explained about 76.80 per cent
variation in the level of knowledge on critical interventions in cotton by the
dryland farmers.
The independent variables education, land holding, yield, annual income,
extension contact, mass media exposure, information seeking behaviour, social
participation, credit orientation, risk preference, irrigation status, economic
orientation, decision making ability and cropping pattern were significant with the
extent of adoption of critical interventions in redgram. Age and experience in
dryland farming were found negative and significant with the extent of adoption
of critical interventions in redgram. All the selected 16 independent variables put
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together, explained about 74.70 per cent variation in the extent of adoption of
critical interventions in redgram by the dryland farmers.
The independent variables education, land holding, yield, annual income,
extension contact, mass media exposure, information seeking behaviour, social
participation, credit orientation, risk preference, irrigation status, economic
orientation, decision making ability and cropping pattern were found positive and
significant relationship with the extent of adoption of critical interventions in
cotton. Variables like age and experience in dryland farming were found negative
and non significant relationship with the extent of adoption of critical interventions
in cotton. All the selected 16 independent variables put together, explained about
72.80 per cent variation in the extent of adoption of critical interventions in cotton
by the dryland farmers.
Regarding technical constraints expressed by the dryland farmers
insufficient availability of water was the major constraint expressed by dryland
farmers followed by non-availability of quality seed in time, inadequate
knowledge on drought mitigation measures, lack of knowledge on water
conservation techniques, non-availability of seed treatment chemicals in small
quantities, inadequate knowledge about foliar application of nutrients, nonavailability
of improved machinery due to high cost, inadequate knowledge on
amount of seed required, inadequate knowledge on intercrops to be grown and lack
of timely weather-based information. The constraints of dryland farmers with
regard to socio personal aspects in the rank order were more interested to follow
conventional practices, illiteracy of the farmer, inability to accept new practices,
inability to take risk, small size of the farm, lack of support from the villagers,
increasing labour scarcity. The constraints of dryland farmers with regard to
financial aspects based on total score and rank order of their importance were high
cost of inputs, delay in sanction of the loans due to stringent procedures followed
by financial institutions, high rate of interest charged by private money lenders,
inadequate support from financial institutes, flaws in crop insurance schemes, lack
of savings, poor economic status of the farmer.
The major suggestions as perceived by the dryland farmers in rank order
are conducting training programmes on in-situ moisture conservation and drought
mitigating technologies followed by subsidies on micro irrigation systems for field
crops, timely supply of quality seeds and inputs through Raithu Bharosa Kendras,
assistance from the government at the time of drought, providing irrigation
facilities by completing Veligonda irrigation project as early as possible,
developing suitable drought resistant varieties and encouraging multiplication of
these varieties through seed village concept, assistance from financial institutes
with low interest rates.
A suitable strategy has been developed keeping in view of the results
obtained in the study and discussions held with the stakeholders of the study.
Description
A STUDY ON ADOPTION OF CRITICAL
INTERVENTIONS OF MAJOR CROPS BY
THE FARMERS IN DRYLAND FARMING IN
PRAKASAM DISTRICT OF ANDHRA
PRADESH