Economic Viability and Determinants of Ginger Natural Farming in the North Eastern Hill Region of India: A Comparative Study

Abstract

The study evaluates the economic viability and influencing factors behind the adoption of natural and conventional ginger farming systems in the Northeastern Hill Region (NEHR) of India. Data from 140 farmers (80 farmers practicing natural farming, 60 farmers practicing conventional farming) in Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya during 2023–24, were collected through structured interviews using snowball sampling method. The analytical methods included cost–return analysis, benefit–cost ratios, relative economic efficiency estimation, unpaired t-tests, and logit regression to compare profitability and to identify adoption determinants. Findings indicated that conventional farming achieved better economic results, with higher yields (8,935 kg/ha vs. 7,260 kg/ha), gross income (₹1,99,350/ha vs. ₹1,66,845/ha), and net returns (₹1,08,763/ha vs. ₹83,969/ha). Although natural farming reduced cultivation costs by 8.51 percent (₹82,876/ha vs. ₹90,587/ha), it showed a negative relative economic efficiency (-22.80%) and a lower benefit–cost ratio (2.01 vs. 2.20). Increased labour requirements (34.31% higher) and greater disease vulnerability outweighed the savings from avoiding fertilizers and pesticides. Logit regression suggested that age, gender, family labour availability, and cultivation costs positively influenced natural farming adoption, while larger farm size hindered it. While natural farming supports environmental sustainability and reduces input costs, its lower profitability due to yield gaps and lack of price incentives highlights the need for supportive policies and market development to enable a sustainable agricultural transition in NEHR.