Socio-Economic Profile and Knowledge of Ginger Growers Regarding Production Technology

Abstract

The present study was conducted in the Indore district of Madhya Pradesh, India purposively selected for its growing significance in ginger cultivation under the Malwa Plateau agro-climatic zone, which offers favorable soil and climatic conditions for horticultural crops. An ex-post facto research design was employed to assess farmers’ knowledge and adoption of improved ginger production techniques. Out of the district’s ten development blocks, two—Mhow and Indore—were purposively chosen due to their maximum area under ginger cultivation. From each block, two villages were randomly selected, namely Pigdambar and Nanden from Mhow, and Asrawad Khurd and Berchha from Indore. A total of 30 ginger-growing farmers were purposively selected from each village, resulting in a final sample of 120 respondents for the study. The study revealed that most ginger growers in Indore district were middle-aged (53.33%, 36–55 years) with moderate farming experience (56.67%, 15–30 years) and had middle school (21.67%) or primary education (18.33%). Small landholders (38.33%, 2.5–5 acres) and medium-income farmers (51.67%, ₹1,00,000–₹3,00,000) predominated. Social traits such as risk orientation, cosmopoliteness, social participation, mass media exposure, and extended contact were mostly at medium levels (56–60%). Knowledge of ginger production was medium for 58.33% of farmers, with strong awareness of basic practices like variety selection (100%) and raised beds (100%), but low understanding of seed treatment (6.67%), post-harvest storage (17.5%), and grading (8.33%), indicating areas for targeted extension support.