IMPACT OF SOIL HEALTH CARDS ON RICE CULTIVATION IN ANDHRA PRADESH
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Date
2022-09-07
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
guntur
Abstract
ABSTRACT
The present study entitled ‘Impact of Soil Health Cards on rice cultivation in
Andhra Pradesh’ had been initiated focusing on attitude of farmers towards Soil
Health Card and Impact of Soil Health Card on farmers with the following
objectives; the profile of Soil Health Card farmers, develop attitude scale and
measure the attitude of the farmers towards Soil Health Cards, the impact of Soil
Health Card on farmers, the relationship between the attitude, impact and profile of
the farmers and the problems faced by the farmers in the adoption of
recommendations of Soil Health Cards and elicit suggestions to overcome them.
Ex post facto research design was used for conducting the study. Andhra
Pradesh state was selected purposively for the study as the researcher hails from the
same state and is familiar with local language and culture. Three districts of Andhra
Pradesh namely East Godavari, West Godavari and Krishna were selected
purposively based on the highest area under rice cultivation. Two mandals from
each of the selected districts were selected purposively based on the highest area
under rice cultivation, for present study. Two villages were selected from each of the
6 mandals by following simple random sampling thus making a total of 12 villages.
From each village, 20 farmers possessing Soil Health Cards were selected by
following simple random sampling procedure, thus making a total of 240
respondents for the study. Thirteen independent variables and two dependent
variables viz., attitude of the farmers towards Soil Health Card and impact of Soil
Health Card on farmers were selected for the study. A pre tested interview schedule
with measurement devices of all the variables was used for the collection of raw
data. The data were collected by personal interview method through a structured
interview schedule and analyzed by employing suitable statistical methods.
The analysis of profile characteristics of the farmers indicated that majority
of the respondents belonged to middle age, middle school education, semi medium
land holding with medium farming experience, extension contact, mass media
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exposure, social participation, achievement motivation, scientific orientation,
management orientation, innovativeness, economic orientation and differed
gratification.
The detailed analysis of the dependent variables indicated that majority
(74.58%) of SHC rice farmers had medium favourable attitude followed by high
(15.84%) and less (9.58%) favourable attitude.
The Soil Health Card has shown 24.50 per cent of impact on the rice farmers.
The study also revealed that different indicators of dependent variable i.e., change in
dosage of fertilizers, micro nutrients, manures and soil amendments, change in
sources of fertilizers, change in time of application, change in problematic soil
management, change in pest and disease management, change in cost of inputs,
change in yield level, change in income has shown significant change.
SHC had shown medium (53.33%) level of impact followed by low (30.42%)
and high (16.25%) levels of impact on the farmers.
The computed correlation coefficient (r) values of education, farm size,
extension contact, mass media exposure, social participation, achievement
motivation, scientific orientation, innovativeness, economic orientation and differed
gratification were positively significant at 0.01per cent level of probability and
management orientation was also positively significant at 0.05 per cent level of
probability in their relationship with attitude of the farmers. However, age and
farming experience exhibited negative and non-significant relationship with attitude
of the farmers.
The computed correlation coefficient (r) values of education, farm size,
extension contact, mass media exposure, social participation, achievement
motivation, scientific orientation, management orientation, innovativeness,
economic orientation, and differed gratification were positively significant at
0.01per cent level of probability. However, farming experience exhibited negative
and significant relationship and finally age exhibited negative and non-significant
relationship with impact of SHC on farmers.
The major problems perceived by the farmers about SHC were; calculation
of fertilizer doses was difficult on the basis of nutrient status of the soil, difficult to
understand SHC information without expert, the quantity of FYM recommended as
per SHC was not available for farming and lack of trust on SHC information with
regards to reliability and validity.
The major suggestions elicited by farmers to surmount problems regarding
Soil Health Card were: Calculation of fertilizer dose of application through SHC
should be made easy, availability of micronutrient status of soil in SHC should be
displayed, subsidies for fertilizers should be given as per soil heath card and
innovative farmers should follow the SHC recommendation which should make
other farmers to follow SHC.
Description
IMPACT OF SOIL HEALTH CARDS
ON RICE CULTIVATION IN
ANDHRA PRADESH