Exploring the before and after effect of socio-economic factors on the knowledge and adoption of entrepreneurial behavior of dairy farmers in Gaya district of Bihar

Introduction

India ranks first in milk production, accounting for 18.5% of world production, achieving an annual output of 146.3 million tonnes during 2018-17 as compared to 137.69 million tonnes during 2020-21 recording a growth of 6.26%. Whereas, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has reported a 3.1% increase in world milk production from 765 million tonnes in 2013 to 789 million tonnes in 2014 (Economic Survey, 2015). Consequently, per capita per day availability of milk in India has increased from 120 grams (g) in 1960 to 307 g in 2019-20, meeting the minimum nutritional requirement of 250 g as recommended by the Indian Council of Medical Research. At present India contributes 18.5 percent of the total global milk production. Out of this, 55 percent is contributed by buffalo milk (Economic survey, 2019). As per the estimates of Integrated Sample Survey (ISS) of major livestock products, the production of milk in Jammu and Kashmir state for the year 2012 was estimated at 16114.57 thousand metric tonnes. Presently the per capita availability of milk is about 302 grams per day. For raising the living standard of the vast majority of the backward regions, planning and implementation of entrepreneurial programmes are essential because of their over dependence of on agriculture for employment. Thus, entrepreneurship development in rural industries appears to be best possible alternatives to find employment avenues for the rural population. Dairy farming in J & K is practice with one or two indigenous buffaloes or cow milk has now emerged as the second largest agricultural commodity and that is why dairy as a business is becoming more and more popular among entrepreneurs and also among the educated unemployment people. The behaviour of individual as entrepreneur can be highlighted as a major contributing factor for entrepreneurship development.

The entrepreneurial behavior of dairy farmers in Gaya district of Bihar reflects a blend of traditional practices and emerging innovative approaches to dairy farming. These farmers demonstrate entrepreneurial traits such as risktaking, proactive decision-making, and adaptability, which are crucial for the sustainability of their ventures. Despite facing challenges like limited access to advanced technologies, inadequate financial resources, and fluctuating market conditions, many dairy farmers in Gaya have shown resilience by adopting improved breeding techniques, better livestock management practices, and exploring new www.extensionjournal.com marketing channels. Their entrepreneurial spirit is further fuelled by the increasing demand for dairy products, which motivates them to enhance productivity and efficiency. Community support, government schemes, and cooperative societies also play a vital role in encouraging entrepreneurial activities among these farmers. By leveraging local resources and knowledge, dairy farmers in Gaya are gradually transforming their small-scale operations into more profitable and sustainable businesses. This shift not only improves their economic status but also contributes to the overall development of the dairy sector in Bihar, making it an integral part of the region's rural economy. Continued focus on training, education, and access to resources will be key to further nurturing the entrepreneurial potential of dairy farmers in this district (Kulkarni, N. P. and Jahagirdar, K. A. 2019) [4] .

Research Methodology

The methodology used to select the district, the blocks, the villages and the respondents was purposively cum random sampling. The Gaya district of Bihar was selected in order to avoid the inconvenience and time constraints on the investigator. All the blocks falling within the district of Gaya were selected, and the block of Gaya Sadar was selected based on the majority of respondents involved in cattle farming. A separate list of villages was prepared for the selected block, and five percent of the villages from the selected block with a high number of respondents cattle farming were randomly selected. From the villages, a list of all cattle farmers was prepared. From a list of 120 cattle farmers were randomly selected using proportionate random sampling. Before & after was followed for the present study. Primary data was collected through suitable designed schedule.

Secondary data was collected from books/journal/report/records of district/blocks headquarters. Data from respondents were collected through survey methods via direct personal interview. Statistical tools were used to analyse the data and present the result. Data pertained to the agricultural year of 2022-2024. Table 3: During the study it has been observed under respondents according to their adoption of entrepreneurial dairy farming practices that under breeding category it has been observed that under Keeping watch on estrous cycle and heat symptoms of cow/buffalo has received majority responds under full adoption that is 76.67 percent followed by Practicing pregnancy diagnosis under full adoption category that is 70.84 percent and lastly Practicing A.I. at proper time of heat response were observed in full adoption category that is 14.16 percent. Under feeding category it has been observed that majority of response were under full adoption in Feeding colostrums to newly born calf within half an hour of birth and Feeding conc. mixture on the basis of milk production and Feeding colostrums to newly born calves up to 5 days of its birth and Growing green fodder. Under Healthcare category it has been observed that in Practicing vaccination timely and regularly against the contagious diseases like HS, BQ & FMD majority of response were recorded that respondents have no adoption, followed by Segregating the diseased animals suffering from contagious diseases have full adoption followed by Practicing deworming in calves for the prevention of parasitic diseases Having partial adoption and Treatment of umbilical cord to new born calf have maximum response www.extensionjournal.com recorded in partial adoption. Under Miscellaneous management it has been recorded that majority of respondents were adopted fully the Providing clean and fresh drinking water to the animals, Maintaining the cleanliness of animal shed, Practicing dehorning in calves respectively. Risk orientation 0.015312976 12. Economic motivation -0.04015849 *: Significant at 1 percent level, NS: Not significant Table 5: Reveals that Annual income, Family type, Source of information, Risk orientation and Economic motivation were not significant with adoption of dairy management practices while age, education, occupation, land holding, Family size, mass media exposure and scientific orientation were significant at 1 percent level with adoption of dairy management practices.

Analytical

Results and Discussion

Conclusion

It has been observed that agriculture in the region is not a traditional activity but rather contains the basic characteristics of business. Farmers share common characteristics such as risk taking, innovation and efficiency in seizing business opportunities. Secondly, this study highlights the important role of social economy in shaping the entrepreneurial behavior of farmers. Factors such as education status, access to credit facilities, size of land holdings and business connections have a significant impact on business performance. Furthermore, the findings highlight the importance of government policies and incentives to promote business in the dairy industry. Measures such as strengthening of cows, training in modern farming techniques and improved methods of milk collection and processing play an important role in increasing the energy of milk production for the farmer business ecosystem. In addition, this study also identified the challenges and constraints faced by dairy farmers in Gaya district, including access to technical services, low animal numbers, fluctuating milk prices and inadequate supply. Addressing these issues through intervention plans and policy measures is important to create an enabling environment for business growth in the dairy industry. Overall, the entrepreneurial behavior of dairy farmers in the Gaya region demonstrates the interplay between personal motivation, social economy and support at home. By understanding these changes, policy makers, agricultural extension organizations and other stakeholders can develop effective strategies to promote economic growth and development of the dairy industry in Bihar.

References

1. Gunaseelan M, Ponniah T, Peru M, Pandian AS. Knowledge level of scientific dairy farming practices among peri-urban dairy farmers in Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu. Indian Vet J. 2018;95(2):14-18.
2. Gurjar RS, Gour CL, Dwivedi D, Badodiya SK. Entrepreneurial behavior of potato growers and constraints faced by farmers in production and marketing of potato and their suggestions. Plant Arch. 2017;17(1):427-432.
3. Kotha V, Srinivasa MD, Dhumantarao TR, Amaravadhi SR. Socio-economic characteristics of livestock farmer producer groups (women self-help groups) and implications for policymakers. J Pharm Innov. 2022;11(1):149-152.
4. Kulkarni NP, Jahagirdar KA. Entrepreneurial behavior and constraints faced by the rose growers. Asian J Agric Extens Econ Soc. 2019;32:1-8.
5. Kumar A, Poonam. Entrepreneurial attributes of vegetable growers: A study in Baloda district of Chhattisgarh. Int J Chem Stud. 2019;6:22-25.
6. Lu WC, Chen WH. Female entrepreneurs' behavior in micro-enterprises. J Glob Bus Manag. 2013;9(1):205219.
7. Maheshwari KD, Patil SL. A comparative study on extent of adoption of improved dairy management practices by trained and untrained dairy farm women members of self-help groups. Karnataka J Agric Sci. 2015;28(4):558-562.
8. Mali KN, Belli RB, Guledagudda SS. A study on knowledge and adoption of dairy farmers about improved dairy management practices. Agric Update. 2014;9(3):391-395.
9. Mane DU, Dhumal MV, Siddiqui MF, Kochewad SA, Meena LR, Kumar S. Knowledge of dairy farmers about improved animal management practices. Agro Economist -Int J. 2016;3(2):87-90.
10. Cheruku S, Mukesh KM. An economic analysis of production of paddy (Oryza sativa) in Madhububnagar district of Telangana. J Pharm Innov. 2021;10(11):393396.
11. Tewari H, Kumar S, Rath R, Tyagi K. Existing housing and breeding management practices adopted by dairy farmers in Tarai region of Uttarakhand, India. Indian J Anim Res. 2018;52(3):449-453.