Premlata SinghRAKESH KUMAR K2017-04-192017-04-192014http://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/handle/1/5810009789T-9108nullFor long it had been assumed that ‘Research produces information, Extension passes it on and farmers use it’. But this assumption has been proved to be a false one. Generation of knowledge is not only the domain of researchers but also farmers. Research scholars over a period of time have proved that farmers especially the resource poor farmers continually experiment, adapt and innovate With this brief background the current study was taken up to document such cases of best practices followed by farmers in the state of Karnataka. These farmers with their own capabilities or by training and hard work have made substantial achievements. These farmers have succeeded in farming where as others have lagged behind. Case study methodology was followed to document the efforts of these farmers and a total of thirty five cases have been documented and analyzed. All the cases were selected purposively based on the recommendation of experts which involve the program co-coordinators and subject matter specialists of Krishi Vigyan Kendra based on the data collected these cases were found to fall in six different categories of best practices. i.e. Cases from farm mechanization, Livestock rearing, bio-manure Production, Organic Farming, Improved Crop Production Techniques and Cases from Horticulture. After documenting these cases it was further analysed in four different perspectives of farming by breaking up these categories. The four different perspectives are, Cases where completely new innovation has been done, Integrated farming System, Cases where new technology has been adopted and Cases where post production operation has been given due importance. Over all a total of 13 out of 35 cases analyzed where found to have come up with entirely a new set of innovations. Ten such cases of medium to large farmers who have adopted six or more enterprises and three such small farmers were found to have integrated more than six enterprises and upto a maximum of ten enterprises on the farm but IFS has been a common feature among all the cases except for the fact there is variation in the number of enterprises adopted. There were eight such cases where in farmers have adopted existing technology and have been successful in their venture and 14 such cases farmers who have ensured successful post production operation or marketing of their produce. The financial viability and sustainability of these farms were also analysed which indicated in all the cases, the B:C ratio was found to be higher than 1.5. In majority of the cases, it was more than 2, indicating that returns were sufficiently higher in comparison with costs incurred on the farm. Highest B:C ratios were obtained from livestock enterprises of sheep and emu rearing. The farmers also expressed that practices such as organic cultivation of crops using locally prepared biomanures and vermicompost led to conserving of natural resources, leading to ecological, economic and social and cultural sustainability. The study also made an attempt to identify the factors influencing the success or progressiveness of the farmer. A median analysis was undertaken to understand the relative importance of identified forty variables in influencing farmers’ progressiveness. Seventeen relatively important variables were subjected to principal component analysis with varimax rotation for extracting the underlying dimensions of these variables. Six different factors governing progressiveness of farmers could finally be extracted. These were- scientific temperament, perseverance and hard work, cosmopoliteness, achievement motivation, entrepreneurial aptitude and work satisfaction. Further, as part of the last objective of the study it reflect upon each case by drawing different lessons learnt from each case and generalization have been drawn from each category of the Best Practice.enThesis