Barriers Perceived by the Farmers in Adoption of Organic Farming

Abstract

The present study analyzed the constraints being faced by farmers in adoption of organic farming. The present investigation was carried out in agro-climatic zones Ic and IVb of Rajasthan. From the selected agro-climatic zones, the study was carried out in two districts namely Bikaner and Dungarpur which was selected purposely on the basis of maximum organic certified group. From the selected districts, five organic certified groups were selected from each district using simple random sampling. From each selected group, 20 organic farmers and 20 inorganic farmers from the same area were chosen using simple random sampling. Thus, a total of 400 respondents i.e., comprising 200 organic farmers and 200 inorganic farmers were selected from selected districts for the present investigation. Constraints were studied under various components viz. general, economic, input, labour & machinery, technical know-how, marketing and psychological constraints. Garrett’s ranking technique was used to analyze the constraints faced by respondents. The findings showed that most serious constraints hindering farmers adoption of organic farming include “low production during conversion period” in general constraints, under economic constraints “low profit at the initial stage of organic farming” was a key issue, in terms of input constraints “lack of quality seed, pest & disease resistant varieties for cultivation” was major constraint, under labour & machinery constraints “wages and labour costs are high” was most severe constraint, “limited guidance on the preparation of organic inputs” in technical know-how constraints, in marketing constraints “marketing of produce is challenging due to the absence of specialized agencies” was found as most severe constraint  and under psychological constraints “limited understanding and inadequate techniques” was found as most rigorous constraints identified by majority of respondents. Based on the findings, it is recommended that comprehensive support systems be developed to address the key constraints in organic farming adoption. Efforts should focus on providing training and extension services to improve farmers’ technical know-how, particularly in preparing organic inputs. Establishing specialized marketing agencies or cooperatives can help streamline the sale of organic produce.