Knowledge Level of Farmers and Constraints Faced in Adoption of Crop Rotation System

Abstract

Crop rotation is one of the major agricultural practices in sustainable farming. A proper crop rotation can increase nutrient uptake and improve soil health along with the decrease in pest and weed infection. In Punjab, usually wheat rice cropping system is followed by the farmers. The present study was conducted in five selected villages of Mohali district (Punjab). A sample of 40 farmers was randomly selected from each selected village on the basis of probability proportional to number of farmers in each land holding category. In this way, total 200 hundred farmers were selected for the present study. From this study it was found that 71.50 per cent of the farmers were belonged to middle age group and an equal percentage (i.e. 43.50%) of the farmers had matric level and higher secondary & above education. From total 44.50 per cent of the farmers had more than 5 acres of land holding whereas 37.50 per cent had 2.6 to 5 acres. Study also revealed that 46 per cent of the farmers had low knowledge level about crop rotation whereas 15.50 per cent and 38.50 per cent had moderate and high knowledge level. From different ten aspects, maximum farmers had good knowledge about the effect of crop rotation on annual income and fertilizer input while they had lowest knowledge about recommended crops for crop rotation. Lack of remunerative MSP policy & proper marketing system for alternative crops and high labour cost was the major constraints reported by the farmers.