A Study on Farmers' Knowledge of Organic Farming Practices in Jhansi District of Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract

Context: Organic farming is an ancient practice that is gaining popularity since the recent trend for achieving agricultural sustainability. Bundelkhand region which is characterized by its extreme weather and erratic rainfall is showing a rapid rise in organic cultivation in the last two decades.  Organic farming not just benefits the environment but also decreases the cost of cultivation for the farmers. Objectives: The Study was undertaken in Jhansi district of Uttar Pradesh to assess the knowledge level of farmers towards organic farming practices and to identify the relationship between socio-economic profile of respondents and their knowledge level. Methods: The data was collected through a well-structured interview schedule from 100 respondents selected randomly from 10 villages of Gursarai Block in Jhansi District. Pearson Correlation was used to understand the relationship between independent and dependent variables. Results and Discussion: The study found that most of the farmers had medium knowledge about organic farming practices followed by high and low knowledge, respectively. The findings also revealed that independent variables such as scientific orientation, Attitude towards improved technology, Exposure to demonstration, Extension participation and information seeking behaviour were all significantly correlated with knowledge level of the respondents. Significance: The study advocates the need for specialized training programmes to increase the knowledge level of farmers along with development of a well-organized supply chain for organic products to make it more attractive for farmers.