PEASANTRY MODERNIZATION IN INTEGRATED TRIBAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECT AREA OF DAHOD DISTRICT OF GUJARAT STATE
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Date
2005
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AAU, Anand
Abstract
Agriculture is a way of life, a tradition, which for centuries has shaped the thought, the outlook, the culture and economic life of the people of India. The Indian peasants in recent years have shown encouraging sign of changing from traditional to modern one, through the introduction of science and technology into the farming system. Modernization and development are the central tendencies of our times; it is nation-state that provides their driving force. Peasantry modernization is intimately related with the application of science and technology in the farming. Therefore, increase in agricultural production, economic and social benefits are directly dependent on the extent to which farmers use the improve technology. Social scientists opined that modernization of agriculture is not purely technological or economical problem. Its success is frequently dependent on an understanding of the society in which it is to take place, a knowledge of the social and cultural factors that conditioning farmers' responsiveness to technological change and the ability to obtain willing co-operation of the people involved. Social and cultural factors are characteristics of the society to which the peasant belongs and dominate human behaviour. In spite of considerable progress, the progress is not yet to the desired level of satisfaction because it differs from one region to another. There are certain regions where the progress in agriculture is more than the expectations. At the same time, there are other regions showing backwardness in agriculture. Backwardness is particularly observed in tribal areas of the country, which are a heterogeneous lot, expect in regard to their poverty and lack of material resources to work upon. Gujarat is one of the states, where tribal population constitutes 14.92 per cent of the total population in the state. Dahod is one of the tribal districts of Gujarat State, where total tribal population constitutes 70.89 per cent of the tribal population, of which 72.19 per cent tribes are agriculturist. The Integrated Tribal Development Project, Dahod has started it functioning since 1976, with the objectives to narrow the gap between the level of tribal and other areas of the state and to increase the income from agriculture and there by improve the quality of life of the tribal peasants. The peasant and tribal economy is predominantly dependent on agriculture. After independence, central and state Government through various agencies spent huge fund for uplifting their living standard and bringing them into the national main stream. Even after the lapse of nearly 55 years, the progress is not yet up to the level of satisfaction. India's real development lies in the development of peasants. The advantage of democracy must reach all sector of society. A large number of development projects are in operation but peasants of the state could not reach to the expected level of modernization. With a view to analyzing these, present study was undertaken entitled "PEASANTRY MODERNIZATION IN INTEGRATED TRIBAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECT AREA OF DAHOD DISTRICT OF GUJARAT STATE" with following specific objectives : 1. To study the selected personal, socio-economic, communication and psychological characteristics of the tribal peasants 2. To measure the knowledge and adoption of improved practices of maize cultivation and animal husbandry of the tribal peasants 3. To measure the level of overall modernization and socio-technoeconomic change of the tribal peasants 4. To find out the relationship between the selected independent variables and level of overall modernization, socio-techno-economic change and adoption of the respondents 5. To know the extent of contribution of selected independent variables on the dependent variables of the tribal peasants 6. To study the direct and indirect effect of the independent variables on the level of overall modernization of the tribal peasants 7. To study the constraints faced by the tribal peasants in adoption of improved practices of maize cultivation and animal husbandry 8. To seek suggestions of the tribal peasants about improvement of their overall modernization The present study was undertaken in Integrated Tribal Development Project area of Dahod district of Gujarat State. Out of seven talukas of Dahod district, four talukas were selected randomly. The list of villages having majority of peasants adopted maize as a major crop with animal husbandry in each selected talukas was obtained from the district Gazette. In each selected taluka, five villages were selected randomly and finally a sample of total 20 villages among the 4 randomly selected talukas was selected for the study. A list of peasants, who had adopted maize as a major crop with animal husbandry was obtained from the concerned village level worker of all 20 selected villages. From each village, 10 respondents were selected randomly. Thus, a random sample of total 200 tribal peasants was selected for the present study. In order to measure the level of overall modernization the instrument was developed for the purpose was used. To measure the knowledge level regarding improved practices of maize cultivation, the test was developed by the investigator. The other dependent and independent variables were measured by using suitable scales and procedures adopted by other investigation. An interview schedule was developed in accordance with the objectives of the study and it was pretested and translated into Gujarati language. The data of this study were collected through personal interview. The statistical measures such as percentage, mean, standard deviation, coefficient of correlation, stepwise multiple regression, standard partial regression coefficient and path analysis were used. MAJOR FINDINGS The important findings of the study are as under : 1. Majority (63.50 per cent) of the respondents belonged to middle age group (i.e. 31 to 50 years) and were having primary to secondary level education (50.00 per cent). 2. Most (85.50 per cent) of the respondents were dependent on farming and animal husbandry and more than half (52.00 per cent) of the respondents were possessed small size of land holding ((i.e. 1.0 to 2.0 hectares land). 3. Nearly two third (65.50 per cent) of the respondents had medium farm power with them. 4. About 53.00 per cent migration was observed in sample tribal peasants. The average migrating persons per household was 1.77 and the average period of migration per household was 2.54 months. 5. Majority (63.50 per cent) of the respondents had high level of organizational participation and most of them (89.50 per cent) were interested to go to the city for a job. 6. More than half (53.00 per cent) of the respondents had low level of achievement and nearly two-third (64.00 per cent) of the respondents were having medium level of mass media exposure. 7. Majority (63.50 per cent) of the respondents had low level of change agency contact. 8. Majority (54.00 per cent and 62.50 per cent) of the respondents had low level of aspiration and role taking empathy, respectively and more than half (51.50 per cent) of the respondents were found fatalistic. 9. Majority (66.00, 60.50, 52.50 and 51.00 per cent) of the respondents had medium level of economic motivation, cosmopoliteness, risk orientation and scientific orientation, respectively. 10. Nearly two-third (65.50 per cent) of the respondents had medium level of knowledge regarding improved practices of maize cultivation, whereas nearly three-fifth (58.50 per cent) of the tribal farmers had medium level of knowledge regarding improved animal husbandry practices. 11. More than two-third (67.50 per cent) of the respondents had medium level of overall modernization whereas more than threefifth (61.50 per cent) of the respondents had medium level of sociotechno- economic change. 12. Majority (65.50 per cent and 68.00 per cent) of the respondents had medium level of adoption of improved practices of maize cultivation and animal husbandry, respectively. 13. All the independent variables selected for the study were significantly related with level of overall modernization. Among them education, occupation, size of land holding, farm power, organizational participation, level of achievement, socio-technoeconomic change, mass media exposure, change agency contact level of aspiration, role taking empathy, non-fatalism, economic motivation, cosmopoliteness, risk orientation, scientific orientation, knowledge regarding improved practices of maize cultivation, knowledge regarding improved animal husbandry practices, adoption of improved practices of maize cultivation, adoption of improved animal husbandry practices of the peasants had positive and significant relationship with level of overall modernization. Whereas age, urban pull arid migration habit had negative but significant relationship with it. 14. All the independent variables except level of aspiration w^ere significantly related with the socio-techno-economic change of the peasants. Among them the variables namely education, occupation, size of land holding, farm power, organizational participation, level of achievement, mass media exposure, change agency contact, role taking empathy, non-fatalism, economic motivation, cosmopoliteness, risk orientation, scientific orientation, knowledge regarding improved practices of maize cultivation, knowledge regarding improved animal husbandry practices, adoption of improved practices of maize cultivation, adoption of improved animal husbandry practices and level of overall modernization were found to be positively and significantly related with the socio-techno-economic change of the peasants. Whereas age, urban pull and migration habit were significantly but negatively correlated with it. 15. All the independent variables selected for the study were significantly related with adoption of improved practice of maize cultivation. Among them education, occupation, size of land holding, farm power, organizational participation, level of achievement, socio-techno-economic change, mass media exposure, change agency contact, level of aspiration, role taking empathy, non-fatalism, economic motivation, cosmopoliteness, risk orientation, scientific orientation, knowledge regarding improved practices of maize cultivation and level of overall modernization of the peasants had positive and significant relationship with adoption of improved practices of maize cultivation. Whereas age, urban pull and migration habit had negative but significant relationship with it. 16. Seventeen independent variables namely, education, occupation, size of land holding, organizational participation, level of achievement, socio-techno-economic change, mass media exposure, change agency contact, level of aspiration, role taking empathy, non-fatalism, economic motivation, cosmopoliteness, risk orientation, scientific orientation, knowledge regarding improved animal husbandry practices and level of overall modernization were found significantly and positively related with the adoption of improved animal husbandry practices. Whereas age, urban pull and migration habit were found significantly but negatively correlated with it. While farm power was found non-significant with adoption of improved animal husbandry practices. 17. Level of overall modernization was found to be predicted by eight independent variables namely, adoption of improved practices of maize cultivation, age, education, occupation, farm power, cosmopoliteness, economic motivation and knowledge regarding improved animal husbandry practices having with the combine effect of 77.33 per cent of the total variation. Cosmopoliteness alone contributed significantly to 62.88 per cent of total variation in the level of overall modernization. 18. Socio-techno-economic change was found to be predicted by nine independent variables namely, adoption of improved animal husbandry practices, age, education, occupation, farm power, urban pull, mass media exposure, non-fatalism and knowledge regarding improved practices of maize cultivation had together contributed to 75.20 per cent of total variation. Mass media exposure alone accounted significantly for 59.75 per cent of variation in the socio-techno-economic change. 19. Adoption of improved practices of maize cultivation was found to be predicted by five independent variables namely, migration habit, risk orientation, organizational participation, non-fatalism and knowledge regarding improved practices of maize cultivation together contributed to 80.11 per cent of total variation. Knowledge regarding improved practices of maize cultivation alone contributed significantly to the tune of 73.44 per cent change in dependent variable i.e. extent of adoption of improved practices of maize cultivation. 20. Adoption of improved animal husbandry practices was found to be predicted by nine independent variables namely, socio-technoeconomic change, size of land holding, economic motivation, organizational participation, level of aspiration, mass media exposure, role taking empathy, non-fatalism and knowledge regarding improved animal husbandry practices were accounting influence on the adoption of improved animal husbandry practices together contributed to 71.57 per cent of total variation. Knowledge regarding improved animal husbandry practices alone accounted significantly for 59.60 per cent of variation in extent of adoption of improved animal husbandry practices. 21. The variable urban pull had exerted maximum positive direct effect on level of overall modernization. Whereas cosmopoliteness exhibited the highest positive total indirect effect on level of overall modernization. So far as substantial indirect effect is concerned most of the variables exerted first order positive effect on level of overall modernization through role taking empathy followed by through change agency contact and organizational participation, whereas in case of second order substantial indirect effect, most of the variables exerted their positive effect through change agency contact followed by mass media exposure and organizational participation, respectively. Variable non-fatalism had exerted highest positive first and second order indirect effect on level of overall modernization through role taking empathy and change agency contact, respectively. 22. Some of the important constraints faced by the tribal peasants in relation to agriculture were high cost of farm inputs like seed, fertilizers, plant protection chemicals and implements, lack of irrigation facility, poor soil condition, inadequate credit facility, lack of information about new agricultural technology, lack of technical guidance, low market price of agricultural products, unavailability of inputs like seed, fertilizers and equipments at cheaper rate. Whereas important constraints related to animal husbandry were fodder was not sufficient for the animals, lack of grazing land, lack of veterinary hospital in villages, high cost of feeds and fodder, rate per litre of milk was not remunerative, nonavailability of land for fodder cultivation, lack of credit for purchasing dairy animals, lack of training of dairy management. 23. More subsidy should be given on inputs, provision of lift irrigation and wells on individual and community basis, fodder should be made available timely for livestock at cheaper rate, improvement and development of graze land, veterinary services made available at village level, community television sets, radio sets and newspaper should be made available in villages, adequate teachers should be appointed in school, availability of health centres in villages with medicines and good health services, availability of loan at low rate of interest, adequate electricity in all villages and sincere and devoted extension worker for technical guidance were the major suggestions offered by the peasants for the improvement of their overall modernization.
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