Constraints to the Adoption of Climate-Resilient Technologies among NICRA Beneficiary and Non-beneficiary Farmers in Jhunjhunu District, Rajasthan, India

Abstract

Agriculture provides livelihood support to nearly 58 per cent of India's population; however, the sector remains highly vulnerable to climate variability, which adversely affects crop productivity, soil health, and water availability. The present study was conducted in Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan, with Mandawa tehsil purposively selected due to its highest concentration of farmers registered under the National Innovations on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) project. Three NICRA-covered villages—Bharoo, Chakwas, and Madansar—were selected for the investigation. A proportionate random sampling technique was employed to select 60 NICRA beneficiary farmers, while 60 non-beneficiary farmers were randomly selected from the same villages for comparative analysis. Thus, the overall sample size of the study comprised 120 respondents. The findings revealed that socio-personal constraints were perceived as the most severe by both beneficiaries (66.39 MPS) and non-beneficiaries (74.36 MPS). Financial constraints ranked second, with 53.33 MPS among beneficiaries and 68.33 MPS among non-beneficiaries. Technological constraints were ranked third by both groups, recording 52.71 MPS for beneficiaries and 66.00 MPS for non-beneficiaries. Overall, non-beneficiaries experienced a higher level of constraints across all aspects than beneficiaries, indicating that participation in the programme may have helped reduce the severity of socio-personal, financial, and technological constraints.