Crisis management practices followed by the nursery owners

Introduction

Agriculture remains the backbone of India's economy, engaging about 42 per cent of the population and contributing approximately 18.2 per cent to GDP, with an average growth of around 4.18 per cent over the past five years, despite a slowdown to 1.4 per cent in FY 2023-24. The horticulture sector, accounting for about 33 per cent of agricultural GVA, has driven diversification, nutritional security, and rural incomes. As of mid-2025, India has over 28,113 plant nurseries, predominantly small-scale and owner-operated, with Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal hosting the largest concentrations Pune district, a major horticultural hub in Maharashtra, features a diverse nursery landscape, ranging from small family-run operations to larger commercial centers. These nurseries supply planting material, landscaping services, and technical guidance, often catering to local and institutional clients. In the context of rising climate variability, pest outbreaks, market volatility, and resource constraints, effective crisis management has become essential for sustaining nurseries and rural livelihoods. This study focuses on crisis management practices followed by the nursery owners in the tehsils of Daund, Haveli, and Maval, exploring their socio-economic profiles, existing management practices, and strategies for resilience. It offers policy-relevant insights into enhancing nursery-sector stability through institutional support, capacity building, and proactive planning. When a crisis hits, organizations that are wellprepared with a clearly defined crisis management team and pre-established response protocols can act swiftly to contain damage and communicate transparently with stakeholders, thereby preventing misinformation and loss of trust. Recovery begins once the immediate threat is addressed, focusing on resuming normal operations, repairing damage, and rebuilding stakeholder confidence. Post-crisis reviews help identify lessons learned and refine the crisis plan for future resilience. For nursery owners, key crisis scenarios include climate variability (e.g. extreme heat or cold, pest and disease proliferation, soil degradation), supply chain disruptions, and economic downturns that reduce demand or revenue. Effective crisis management empowers nurseries to maintain operations, protect financial stability and reputation, uphold environmental compliance, and emerge stronger and more community-aligned.

Methodology

There are 2599 nurseries in Maharashtra, out of this 2599 nurseries, Pune district hosts 225 nurseries, which is 8.66 per cent of all plant nurseries in Maharashtra, making it the district with the highest nursery count in the state. Therefore, the present study focuses on Pune district. Located in western Maharashtra, Pune spans ≈ 15,642 km² (about 5.10 per cent of the state's area), lying between 17°54′-18°32′ N and 73°19′-75°10′ E, and bordered by the districts of Ahmednagar, Solapur, Satara, Raigad, and Thane. Geographically it extends from the Sahyadri foothills into the Deccan Plateau, divided into three zones-Ghatmatha (west hills), Maval (central plateau), and Desh (eastern plains)-resulting in climatic variation, with cooler elevated west and hotter, drier east under the tropical www.extensionjournal.com monsoon climate. Three tehsils-Daund, Haveli, and Maval-were selected for the study, with villages chosen through random sampling. There are total 150 respondents were randomly selected. Personal interview conducted to collect the data and analysed using statistical tools such as percentage, frequency, tertiary categorization method.

Results and Discussion

The crisis management practices followed by the nursery owners is measured in 4 different components. They are environmental, production, marketing and economic crisis. The results of the management practices followed by the nursery owners were mentioned in table 1.

A. Environmental Crisis Management Practices

Nurseries in Pune adopt various adaptive measures to tackle environmental challenges. During extreme heat, 100 per cent use manual water spraying, 89.33 per cent deploy shade nets or polyhouses, and 61.33 per cent use misting or fogging systems. In winter, 60 per cent use artificial lighting and 42.67 per cent apply mulching. Pollution control is addressed through soil testing and sustainable practices (62.67 per cent) and water filtration/sedimentation systems (38.67 per cent). Throughout extended rainy seasons, 100 per cent employ raised beds or polythene coverings, 72.67 per cent improve drainage, and 45.33 per cent implement rainwater harvesting/storage. Additionally, 78.67 per cent moved to digital marketing during COVID-19, though only 34.67 per cent collaborated with local support organizations, and to manage animal attacks and accidents, 93.33 per cent used fencing/traps and 52 per cent maintained emergency safety protocols.

B. Production Crisis Management Practices

Nurseries address production disruptions through supplier diversification (70 per cent) and using propagation techniques like cuttings and grafting (73.33 per cent). About 41.33 per cent practice input storage and preservation. Pest and disease outbreaks are handled via strict sanitation (93.33 per cent), proper plant spacing (75.33 per cent), and Integrated Pest and Disease Management (IPDM) methods (69.33 per cent). Irrigation failures are countered by manual watering (100 per cent), regular system maintenance (82 per cent), and backup diesel/petrol sprayers (48 per cent). Electricity failures are less well managed: only 32 per cent use backup generators, and 10.67 per cent subscribe to rental emergency power. Labor shortages are managed by temporary hiring replacements and focusing on critical work (100 per cent).

C. Marketing Crisis Management Practices

To adapt to consumer and competitive shifts, 84.67 per cent monitor market trends, and 60 per cent diversify their product offerings. Transportation issues are managed through local partnerships (31.33 per cent), self-owned or leased vehicles (16.67 per cent), GPS/route optimization (44.67 per cent), and flexible scheduling (40 per cent). Demand fluctuations are addressed using trend forecasting and seasonal analysis (64 per cent), while 52.67 per cent diversify into high-turnover items like cut flowers to avoid unsold stock losses. Online fraud is mitigated by secure payment systems (78.67 per cent) and vigilance for suspicious activity (57.33 per cent). Competitive pricing pressure is met by prioritizing customer satisfaction (88.67 per cent), offering value-added services (28.67 per cent), and creating engaging in-store promotions or themed events (18 per cent).

D. Economic Crisis Management Practices

Nurseries face economic disruptions with strategies including strict quality control (74 per cent) and cultivation of seasonal varieties to align supply and demand (62.67 per cent). Credit access is improved through digital platforms (41.33 per cent), maintaining a good CIBIL score (36 per cent), and building direct bank relationships (16 per cent). During downturns, 90.67 per cent focus on customer loyalty, and 68.66 per cent emphasize cost efficiency. To counter reputational threats, 90 per cent work on transparency and customer relations, 78.67 per cent promote positive reviews, and 56 per cent maintain strong online presence (e.g., via WhatsApp bots). Over-expansion risks are managed with expert consultation (53.33 per cent), internal review of growth strategies (34 per cent), and operation consolidation (25.33 per cent). These summaries reflect how nursery owners tackle environmental, production, marketing, and economic crises through targeted, proactive strategies to ensure resilience and sustainability.

Conclusion

The study shows that most nursery owners in Maharashtra are majority display medium to high overall crisis preparedness, indicating effective uptake of crisis management practices. To overcome these, nursery owners advocate for subsidies, access to skilled labor, and lower input costs, along with easier credit access, Majority of the nursery owners are facing major challenges such as climate change, heavy rainfall, and pest and disease outbreaks. Therefore, it is recommended that SAUs, KVK, IMD and State Agricultural department should provide Agro Advisory services through social media platforms and regular training-highlighting that financial support and capacity building are key to enhancing resilience and longterm sustainability in the sector. suggesting that many have adopted effective risk mitigation measures.

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