Assessing entrepreneurial behavior in the dairy sector: A study in Jabalpur district

Introduction

Entrepreneurship is a key driver of economic growth and innovation, with significant implications for industries like dairy farming. In India, the world's largest milk producer, the dairy sector is vital to rural economies, contributing to livelihoods and national GDP. Modern dairy farming requires entrepreneurial traits such as information-seeking, decision-making, leadership, risk-taking, and market orientation. This study examines the entrepreneurial behavior of dairy farmers in the Jabalpur district of Madhya Pradesh, focusing on factors like innovativeness, decisionmaking, risk orientation, and cosmopoliteness. The findings aim to provide insights into their entrepreneurial practices and identify opportunities for improving economic and social outcomes.

Methodology

The research was undertaken in the Jabalpur district of Madhya Pradesh, which consists of seven administrative blocks. The Panagar block was intentionally selected as the study site due to its comparatively higher population of dairy farmers. Among the 210 villages within this block, eight were chosen based on the availability of training programs organized by the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK). A total of 120 dairy farmers constituted the sample, comprising 60 trained and 60 untrained farmers, all selected from the same villages. Data was gathered through a predesigned interview schedule developed to assess the entrepreneurial characteristics of the participants. The schedule incorporated factors such as creativity, decisionmaking capacity, risk propensity, knowledge-seeking behavior, and openness to external influences, which were used to measure entrepreneurial traits.

Results and Discussion 1) Personal, Socio-Economic, and Psychological Characteristics Age

A significant proportion of both trained (66.67%) and untrained (55.00%) dairy farmers were of medium age (36-50 years), indicating that middle-aged farmers are more actively involved in dairy farming. A smaller percentage of trained farmers (3.33%) were older than 50, compared to a higher proportion of untrained farmers (35.00%) in this age group.

Education

Among trained farmers, 58.33% had at least a high school education, while 46.67% of untrained farmers possessed middle to high school education. This suggests that trained farmers tend to have a slightly higher level of formal education compared to untrained farmers.

Occupation:

The majority of trained farmers (81.67%) were involved in both dairy farming and agriculture, compared to 61.67% of untrained farmers. This highlights that trained farmers may have a more diversified approach to livelihood, integrating agriculture alongside dairy farming.

Land Holding

The majority of trained farmers (36.67%) had small land www.extensionjournal.com holdings (1.1-2 ha), whereas the majority of untrained farmers (53.33%) also had small holdings. This indicates that land size does not significantly differentiate trained and untrained farmers, with both groups primarily holding small to medium-sized land plots.

Income from Dairy

A higher proportion of trained farmers (61.67%) earned medium income from dairy farming, compared to 55.00% of untrained farmers. This suggests that training has a positive impact on the income levels of dairy farmers.

Family Size

Both groups of farmers tended to have medium-sized families, with 63.33% of trained farmers and 63.33% of untrained farmers falling into the medium family size category (6-10 members).

Extension Participation

More than half of the trained farmers (51.67%) participated in extension activities at a medium level, while half of the untrained farmers had low participation. This reflects the higher exposure of trained farmers to agricultural extension programs and information.

Information-Seeking Behaviour

The majority of both trained (61.67%) and untrained (51.67%) farmers demonstrated medium levels of information-seeking behavior, indicating that most farmers in the study were moderately proactive in seeking information relevant to their farming practices.

2) Entrepreneurial Behaviour

Innovativeness: A majority of both trained (58.33%) and untrained (53.33%) farmers exhibited medium levels of innovativeness, showing a tendency to adopt some innovative practices but not extensively. However, a higher proportion of trained farmers (28.33%) exhibited high innovativeness compared to untrained farmers (11.67%).

Decision-Making Ability

A similar proportion of trained (56.67%) and untrained (53.33%) farmers exhibited medium decision-making ability. This suggests that decision-making skills are generally developed in both groups, though a notable portion of trained farmers (38.33%) exhibited high decisionmaking ability, compared to 31.67% of untrained farmers.

Risk Orientation: A significant proportion of trained farmers (46.67%) exhibited a high risk orientation, while a larger proportion of untrained farmers (56.67%) displayed medium risk orientation. This indicates that trained farmers may be more willing to take calculated risks, possibly due to better knowledge and skills gained through training.

Cosmopoliteness

A majority of trained farmers (63.33%) showed high cosmopoliteness, suggesting greater exposure to external influences and networks, compared to 33.33% of untrained farmers. On the other hand, 56.67% of untrained farmers exhibited medium cosmopoliteness, indicating less external engagement.

Overall Entrepreneurial Behaviour Trained Farmers

The majority of trained farmers (68.33%) exhibited medium levels of entrepreneurial behavior, while 25.00% demonstrated high levels. This indicates that training positively influences entrepreneurial tendencies, with a smaller yet significant portion of trained farmers showing strong entrepreneurial behavior.

Untrained Farmers

More than half of the untrained farmers (51.67%) displayed medium entrepreneurial behavior, while 40.00% exhibited low entrepreneurial behavior. This suggests that the lack of formal training may limit the development of entrepreneurial skills among these farmers.

Relationship between Personal, Socio-Economic, and Psychological Characteristics and Entrepreneurial Behaviour

For trained farmers, factors such as education, income from dairy, extension participation, information-seeking behavior, market orientation, livestock possession, and knowledge were all positively correlated with entrepreneurial behavior at the 0.01 level of significance. This highlights that education, extension exposure, and active informationseeking are key drivers of entrepreneurial behavior among trained dairy farmers. For untrained farmers, similar factors-education, income from dairy, land holding, extension participation, and information-seeking behavior-were positively correlated with entrepreneurial behavior. However, age and family size had a negative significant relationship with entrepreneurial behavior, suggesting that older age and larger family sizes may limit entrepreneurial engagement, possibly due to resource constraints and increased responsibilities. www.extensionjournal.com

Conclusion

The most important parameters influencing entrepreneurial behavior among dairy farmers in Jabalpur district are education, income from dairy, extension participation, and information-seeking behavior. The study found that these factors had a significant positive impact on entrepreneurial behavior, particularly for trained farmers. Education and extension participation played a crucial role in enhancing decision-making ability, innovativeness, and risk orientation. Additionally, information-seeking behavior was key in fostering a proactive approach to adopting new practices. Therefore, improving education, increasing access to extension services, and encouraging active informationseeking can significantly enhance entrepreneurial behavior, driving the growth and success of dairy farming in the region.

References

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