Relationship Between Socio-economic Attributes and Livelihood Security of Integrated Farming System farmers under the Farmer FIRST Programme in Morena District, Madhya Pradesh, India

Abstract

The study was conducted in Morena district of Madhya Pradesh to examine the relationship between socio-economic and psychological attributes of Integrated Farming System (IFS) farmers with their livelihood security under the Farmer FIRST Programme (FFP). A sample of 60 farmers was selected using census sampling. An ex post facto research design was used in study. Pearson’s correlation analysis was employed to explore the relationship between sixteen independent variables and the Livelihood Security Index (LSI). Results revealed that education (r = 0.450**), IFS experience (r = 0.441**), enterprise combination (r = 0.436**), knowledge of IFS practices (r = 0.423**), and adoption of IFS practices (r = 0.452**) showed strong positive and significant correlation with livelihood security at the 1% level. Annual income (r = 0.342*), mass media exposure (r = 0.352**), extension contact (r = 0.274*), cropping pattern (r = 0.271*), and scientific orientation (r = 0.312*) were also positively correlated at the 5% level. However, age, family size, and landholding size showed no significant relationship. The findings suggest that educational, economic, psychological, and informational attributes significantly contribute to strengthening livelihood security among IFS farmers.