Performance of promising pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp] genotypes at different rates of fertilization in tarai region of Uttarakhand
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Date
2019-06
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G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar - 263145 (Uttarakhand)
Abstract
India ranks second in vegetable production in the world, with production of 175 million tonnes over an area of 10.03 million hectares. Though, Uttarakhand has varied agro-climatic conditions suitable for cultivation of high-value, off-season and exotic vegetables along with seasonal vegetables in hills, majority of the farmers fall under medium to low socio- economic status because of various constraints prevailing in the hills. The constraints faced by the hill farmers compel them to practice subsistence farming. Vegetable production as an enterprise is recognized as the most remunerative way of promoting socio-economic development of rural people by generating employment at farm level. Vegetable cultivation is capital intensive and risk taking activity. Therefore, vegetable growers need to possess certain qualities like risk taking ability, innovativeness and initiative taking to marshal resources. There stands a dire need to equip the vegetable growers with necessary knowledge and skills in farming and agri-business so that they can manage their resources and derive possible economic benefits from their enterprise. Entrepreneurial intention is a necessary pre-condition for forecasting individual entrepreneurial conduct and activities. Therefore, study entitled “Entrepreneurial Intention of Vegetable Growers: A Study in Kumaon Hills of Uttarakhand” was taken up to measure entrepreneurial intention of the vegetable growers and also identify the key constraints which hamper vegetable growers from starting an entrepreneurial venture. The study was conducted in Dhari block of Nainital district of Uttarakhand. Two villages of Dhari block were selected purposively after consultation with the Block Development Officer and Agricultural Development Officer. Twenty per cent of the vegetable growers were selected from each village using simple random sampling. A sample of 120 respondents was selected and pretested interview schedule was used for data collection. Descriptive research design was used to meet the objectives of the study. The findings of the study revealed that maximum number of the vegetable growers were educated upto high school (35.00%) and belonged to middle age group (42.50 %). Half or slightly more than half of the respondents had medium level of farming experience (50.00%), medium level of innovativeness (51.67%), medium risk taking ability (55.83%) and also had small area under vegetable cultivation (57.50%). The main crops grown by majority of vegetable growers in kharif season were cabbage, tomato, and beans. Pea and potato were the main crops grown in rabi season. Majority of the respondents were men (70.00%), belonged to small sized family (70.83%) and APL category (93.33%), followed by 95.00 per cent of respondents who had marginal land holding, low extension contact (98.3%) and low social participation (100.00%). Further, 96.67 per cent of respondents owned mobile phones, had low mass media exposure (81.67 %) and high economic motivation (83.33 %). It was also found that half of the vegetable growers showed a desire to start own agri-business venture in the near future. Roughly half of the respondents (52.50%) had medium level of entrepreneurial intention. Findings also revealed that education, total land holding, risk taking ability and innovativeness were positive and significantly related to entrepreneurial intention of vegetable growers. Lack of start-up capital, non availability of storage facility, non availability of government subsidy, lack of technical knowledge, lack of value addition techniques and skills were the major constraints faced by the vegetable growers in starting an entrepreneurial venture.
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