Assessment of Farmer’s Attitude towards Drip and Traditional Irrigation System in Junagadh District, Gujarat

Abstract

Cotton (Gossypium herbaceum) is a leading natural fiber crop that is cultivated for its soft, fluffy staple fiber. Drip irrigation is a method of irrigation wherein water is carried to the plant under low pressure, through small diameter plastic pipes and delivered at the root zone drop by drop through an emitting device. The research was conducted in Junagadh district, utilizing a multistage sampling technique. A total of 160 farmers comprising 80 drip irrigation user and 80 conventional irrigation system users were surveyed. Likert’s scale with three point scale was used to analyse attitude towards the drip and traditional irrigation system by using 10 statements for each respondents. The farmers in the research area having positive attitudes toward the drip irrigationmethods as positive trend with value 66.25% was observed among drip respondents. This positive attitude reflects the behavioural intention towards the acceptance of irrigation systems. The study also revealed that 48.75% of the non-adopter farmers had the positive attitude toward the traditional irrigation methods whereas 51.25% of them had a negative and neutral attitude.