Attitude of farmers towards drip irrigation: a study in Kumaon hills of Uttarakhand
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Date
2019-07
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G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar - 263145 (Uttarakhand)
Abstract
Water is most important natural resource to sustain agriculture, while in hills water is scarce. In present situation, high-tech modern intensive agriculture and growing human population are causing fast depletion of water resources. This is a challenging situation and there is a need to conserve water and ensure its efficient use. In the phase of changing agriculture scenario across the world and a shift towards precision farming, drip irrigation appears to be most appropriate technology, which is capable for providing more efficient utilization of water. Uttarakhand is one of the states in India where 55 per cent cultivable land is rainfed and only 45 per cent of cultivated land is irrigated. In hilly areas, water availability for agriculture is limited because of factors like uneven land holding, slope terraces, long distance between water resources and also rainfall is concentrated only in four months of the year. Thus, the need was felt to study attitude of farmers towards drip irrigation in kumaon hills of uttarakhand. The present study was conducted in Ramgrah block of Nainital district. Four villages from Ramghar block were selected purposively. Analytical research design was used for the present study. A sample of total 120 respondents was selected through PPS method. Pre-tested interview schedule used for data collection. Statistical techniques such as frequency, percentage, arithmetic mean, standard deviation, coefficient of correlation and t-test were used to analyze the data for meaning interpretation. The finding of the present study revealed that majority of respondents (55%) belonged to middle age group, were males (80%), had small family size (90.83%), had joint family (56.67%), belonged to the general caste (73.33 %), had studied upto high school education (35.83%), were involved in agriculture (100%), had low annual income (74.17%), were small farmers (98.34%), had mixed farming (100%), were cultivated pea, potatoes, capsicum, tomato and chilli cropping pattern (90.83%), had medium cropping intensity (85%) and were using tank for the irrigation (50%). Majority of the respondents had medium mass media exposure (57.50%), medium economic motivation (74.16%) and medium risk orientation (64.17%). Majority of the respondents (67.50%) had neutral attitude towards drip irrigation. Variables like caste, size of land holding, total family income, mass media exposure and risk orientation were found to have positive and significant relationship with attitude towards drip irrigation. Age, education, family size and economic motivation of the respondents had non-significant positive relationship with their attitude towards drip irrigation. Cropping intensity of the respondents had significant negative relationship with their attitude towards drip irrigation. The major constraints faced by the respondents in adopting drip irrigation were difficulties in maintenance, lack of technological knowledge about drip irrigation or training in respect use of drip irrigation, frost sensitive pipe of drip irrigation and cracks to pipeline and micro tube. The findings of the study will be useful to extension workers, research workers and administrators as it will provide them the sufficient knowledge about the existing adoption gap of drip irrigation technology used by the farmers and will enable them to improve their approach of working with the farmers.
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