Knowledge of organic farming standard practices by paddy farmers

Introduction

The Pune district had 14 Tehsils, out of which 2 tehsils namely Maval and Ambegaon were selected purposively because the majority of farmers practicing organic paddy farming in these tehsils. The selection of organic farmers of the selected two tehsils taken randomly. From each selected tehsil, 60 farmers are selected who are practicing organic rice. In this way a total of 120 respondents were considered for the present study.

Results and Discussion

It is observed from table 1 that about more than two-fifth (46.67 per cent) of the respondent are belong to medium knowledge about organic paddy cultivation, followed by high 28.33 per cent and about one-fourth (25.00 per cent) low level of knowledge respectively. These findings strongly supported by Patel et al. (2017) [3] and Chetan (2019) [4] . Most (64.17 per cent) organic paddy growers are familiar with organic farming methods, including deep summer ploughing during the fallow season. To boost the yield of their organic crops, they utilize farmyard manure (FYM) and compost. Approximately 61.67 per cent of these farmers have a good understanding of how to apply these organic fertilizers, which plays a crucial role in preserving soil health and promoting soil microbial activity. Around 55.00 per cent of respondents possess knowledge about various biological inputs, including bio-herbicides (such as Bipolaris, Dipel and Collego), bio-insecticides (like NSKE and raw garlic extract) and bio-fertilizers (like Trichograma, Rhizobium, Azotobacter, Azospirillum, and blue-green algae). About three-fifth (60.00 per cent) farmers understand the practice of using a 25 per cent brine solution to treat seeds, which aids in removing damaged seeds and boosts germination rates. Additionally, 73.33 per cent are aware of natural farming preparations like NSKE extract, Dashparni, Jivamrut, and Bijamrut, based on their level of knowledge. Furthermore, 67.50 per cent know about the practice of applying rice straw ash or Bhatura-1 at the nursery stage to enhance silicon levels in seedlings, helping them resist rice stem borer attacks. A significant number of farmers 65.00 per cent are aware of the transplanting technique, which involves planting 25 seedlings per square meter-a method that reduces the overall cost of transplanting. Regarding Integrated Pest Management (IPM), around 65.00 per cent of farmers know about strategies such as light traps, pheromone traps, removing insect eggs and pupae, and adopting cultural, mechanical, and biological methods. Close to three-fourths 77.50 per cent are familiar with storage techniques like using dried leaves from the Bael tree and raw garlic extract. Additionally, most farmers 65.83 per cent understand that biological inputs are more affordable than chemical fertilizers and have a longer period of effectiveness, which is beneficial for the next crop. Approximately 66.60 per cent of organic paddy growers are informed about this fact. Moreover, 70.00 per cent of those surveyed recognize that organic farming practices can lead to increased employment rates within their community. Close to 80.00 per cent of the farmers have knowledge of various government schemes aimed at supporting organic farming, like PM PRANAM and Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana. However, about 65.83 per cent of the respondents are aware of the role of organic certification agencies, including India Market, the Participatory Guarantee Scheme (PGS), and APEDA under the NPOP project, in marketing organic products. Positive and highly significant correlations with both knowledge and adoption are seen for education and social participation, likely due to better access to information and peer support. Positively and significant correlations with knowledge and adoption with occupation, experience in organic farming, Annual income, Market orientation and Risk orientation and market orientation as these traits encourage farmers to adopt new practices. Age, family size and land holding show non-significant correlations, indicating these factors do not have strong influences on knowledge or adoption of organic farming.

References

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