Extent of adoption of newly released groundnut varieties in Saurashtra region of Gujarat

Introduction

Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.), a vital legume crop, serves as a significant source of protein, oil and income for millions of farmers and their families, particularly in regions such as Saurashtra region of Gujarat, India. The agricultural landscape in Saurashtra has been characterized by a dependence on traditional crop varieties, which often exhibit limitations in yield, resilience to climate variability, and pest resistance. In response to these challenges, agricultural research institutions have developed and released new groundnut varieties engineered for enhanced productivity, disease resistance, and adaptation to local climatic conditions. Despite the potential benefits of these newly released groundnut varieties, there exists a knowledge gap regarding their socioeconomic impact on local farmers within Saurashtra. Many smallholder farmers, who constitute a substantial portion of the farming community in this region, are often hesitant to adopt new agricultural technologies due to factors including lack of awareness, financial constraints, risk aversion and insufficient access to resources and support. This raises critical questions about whether the introduction of these varieties leads to tangible improvements in the livelihoods of farmers and whether they contribute positively to the broader socioeconomic structure of the Saurashtra region. The significance of this study is emphasized by the pressing challenges faced by the agricultural sector in Saurashtra, including water scarcity, soil degradation and fluctuating market demands. As agriculture is a major economic driver in this region, understanding the impact of innovations such as new groundnut varieties is essential for informing policymakers, extension services, and agricultural development programs. Insights from this study could pave the way for strategies that enhance the adoption of beneficial agricultural technologies, thereby improving productivity and sustainability in the region. Keeping in view the above-mentioned facts, it was thought worthwhile to carry out an investigation entitled, "Extent of Adoption of Newly Released Groundnut Varieties in Saurashtra Region of Gujarat."

Materials and Methods

In the present investigation, an Ex-post facto research design www.extensionjournal.com and a multistage sampling technique was used. Out of the 11 districts in the Saurashtra region in Gujarat, three districts viz. Junagadh, Rajkot and Jamnagar were randomly selected for the study. From each district, two talukas were randomly selected. From each taluka, two villages were randomly selected, and from each village, 15 farmers were randomly contacted. Thus, constituting a total of 6 talukas, 12 villages and 180 respondents. The data was collected in the year 2024-25, using a well-structured interview schedule. Mean, frequency, percentage and correlation coefficient were used to measure the extent of adoption of newly released groundnut varieties.

Results and Discussion

The results of the present study from Table 1 reveal the socio-economic profile and psychological characteristics of the respondents. They were analyzed and the findings are presented under various heads.

Age

The results revealed that an equal proportion of farmers (43.33%) belonged to the young age group (<35 years) and the middle age group (35-50 years), while only 13.34 percent were in the old age group (>50 years). This indicates that the majority of groundnut farmers are in their active and productive age, which is favorable for the adoption of modern agricultural practices and innovations. The discussion is in with Srivani et al. (2022) [13] .

Education

Educational status showed a relatively higher literacy rate among respondents, with 37.22 percent having completed college/post-graduation and 25.56 percent educated up to high school/diploma level. A smaller proportion had studied only up to primary school (24.44%) and middle school (10.00%). Only 2.22 percent were functionally literate and 0.56 percent were illiterate. These results suggest that a majority of groundnut farmers are well educated, which contributes positively to their decision-making ability, adoption of improved practices, and participation in extension activities. The findings align with earlier research of Datta et al. (2020) [3] and Vinod (2021) [15] .

Occupation

Farming was the primary occupation, with 27.78 percent solely engaged in agriculture. An equal proportion (27.78%) combined farming with animal husbandry, reflecting the integrated farming systems prevalent in the region. About 17.78 percent combined farming with business, while 13.33 percent practiced farming alongside animal husbandry and service. Smaller proportions were engaged in farming + service (4.44%) and farming + others (8.89%). The diversity of occupational engagement suggests risk minimization strategies and the importance of supplementary income sources to stabilize livelihoods. The discussion is in line with the study of Maheriya (2013) [9] and Mubushar et al. (2019) [10] .

Income

The income distribution shows that the majority (70.00%) fell under the medium income group (₹1,53,202.8-₹14,35,658.4), while 18.33 percent belonged to the high-income category and 11.67 percent to the low-income category. This indicates a relatively stable economic background of the respondents, which might support investments in improved agricultural technologies. The findings are consistent with previous research by Gorfad (2012) [7] and Bhavani et al. (2023) [1] .

Size of Landholding

Most farmers had medium-sized landholdings (41.11%) and small-sized holdings (38.89%), while 11.67 percent had large holdings and only 8.33 percent were marginal farmers. This shows that the farming community is dominated by small and medium farmers, consistent with the national agricultural scenario. This finding aligns with Datta et al. (2020) [3] and Vinod (2021) [15] .

Experience in Groundnut Cultivation

Experience analysis revealed that 71.67 percent had medium experience (3-23 years), followed by 20.55 percent with high experience (>23 years) and only 7.78 percent with low experience (<3 years). This suggests that most respondents possess substantial knowledge and skills in groundnut farming, which can facilitate better adoption of improved practices and reduce production risks. The findings were in line with Bhavani et al. (2023) [1] .

Possession of Assets

Asset ownership, an indicator of economic stability, showed that 65.56 percent belonged to the low asset possession group, while 23.33 percent had medium asset levels and only 11.11 percent were in the high category. This indicates that despite moderate incomes, most farmers have limited asset accumulation, possibly due to high agricultural expenditure, debts, or lack of diversification into durable assets. The findings were in line with the study of Gopi et al. (2017) [6] .

Social Participation

Social participation was found to be medium in 76.67 percent of respondents, while 13.33 percent had high participation and 10.00 percent had low. This highlights that a majority are moderately active in local organizations and community groups, which play a crucial role in disseminating agricultural innovations and collective decision-making. These results are in line with the findings of Hagos (2017) [8] and Vinod (2021) [15] .

Mass Media Exposure

A large proportion of farmers (79.45%) had medium mass media exposure, while 13.33 percent had low exposure and 7.22 percent had high exposure. This indicates that most farmers are moderately connected with information channels such as television, radio, newspapers, and mobilebased applications. However, the lower percentage of high exposure suggests a need for enhancing information dissemination through ICT tools and mass media campaigns. The data is in line with the findings of Christian and Chauhan (2019) [2] and Samant and Sawant (2019) [11] .

Extension Contact

Extension contact was found to be moderate for 78.33 percent of farmers, while 11.11 percent had high contact and www.extensionjournal.com 10.56 percent had low contact. The moderate level suggests that farmers interact occasionally with extension personnel, but continuous and intensive extension support is lacking.

The result is in line with the findings of Bhavani et al. (2023) [1] .

Risk Orientation

The findings show that a vast majority (84.44%) had medium risk orientation, while only 7.78 percent each had high and low risk orientation. This indicates that farmers are moderately willing to take risks in adopting new technologies but prefer a cautious approach. High risk www.extensionjournal.com orientation is generally associated with entrepreneurial attitudes, whereas medium levels suggest balanced decisionmaking. These findings align with the results of Bhavani et al. (2023) [1] .

Economic Motivation

Most respondents (77.22%) showed medium economic motivation, followed by 12.22 percent with low and 10.56 percent with high motivation. This reflects a moderate drive among farmers to improve productivity and income through farming. The findings align with the research of Dhodia et al. (2017) and Dnyaneshwar (2018) [5] .

The overall profile of the groundnut farmers analysis indicates that groundnut farmers in the study area are predominantly young to middle-aged, moderately educated, and engaged in diversified occupations with a medium level of income and landholdings. The dominance of medium adoption could be attributed to several socio-economic factors such as medium landholdings, income, and asset possession, as well as moderate levels of education, farming experience, extension contact, and mass media exposure observed in the study area. These characteristics suggest that farmers possess the necessary knowledge and resources to adopt innovations partially but often remain cautious about fully embracing them due to concerns about risk, cost, and long-term performance. The discussion is in line with Swati et al.

(2022) [14] and Shanmuka et al. (2024) [12] . The relational analysis in Table 3 between the characteristics of respondents and their extent of adoption of newly released groundnut varieties revealed both positive and negative associations. Age (-0.185*) and experience in groundnut cultivation (-0.153*) were found to be negatively and significantly correlated with adoption, indicating that younger and relatively less experienced farmers were more receptive to new varieties, while older and experienced farmers preferred traditional practices. Education, occupation, and possession of assets showed no significant relationship, suggesting that formal education or asset ownership alone does not directly influence adoption behavior. In contrast, variables such as total income (0.197**), size of landholding (0.167*), social participation (0.172*), mass media exposure (0.253**), extension contact (0.178*), risk orientation (0.439**), and economic motivation (0.325**) were positively and significantly associated with adoption. These findings suggest that farmers with greater resources, stronger social linkages, and www.extensionjournal.com better access to information are more likely to adopt improved varieties. The strong positive correlations of risk orientation and economic motivation emphasize that farmers who are more willing to take risks and driven by economic gains are significantly more inclined toward adoption. Similarly, higher mass media exposure and frequent extension contact enhance awareness and confidence in new technologies, thereby facilitating adoption. The role of income, landholding, and social participation further highlights the importance of economic strength and community involvement in shaping adoption behavior. Overall, the findings suggest that improving extension services, enhancing access to timely information, and creating enabling environments for risk-taking can accelerate the adoption of newly released groundnut varieties. At the same time, strategies targeting older and experienced farmers with tailored demonstrations and assurance mechanisms may help overcome their reluctance to embrace innovations. This finding was in accordance with the study of Swati et al. (2022) [14] .

Conclusion

The study clearly demonstrates that groundnut farmers in the Saurashtra region exhibit a predominantly medium level of adoption of newly released groundnut varieties, influenced by their socio-economic and psychological characteristics. Younger farmers, higher income levels, larger landholdings, greater social participation, stronger extension contact, and higher risk orientation significantly enhanced adoption, while older and more experienced farmers tended to remain conservative with traditional practices. The dominance of medium adoption reflects both receptivity and cautiousness, highlighting the need for stronger extension efforts, ICT-based dissemination, and farmer-to-farmer learning platforms to build confidence in new varieties. Strengthening institutional support through timely availability of quality seeds, credit facilities, and training programs would further encourage adoption. Overall, the findings suggest that accelerating the adoption of improved groundnut varieties in Saurashtra requires a balanced approach that combines economic incentives, capacity building, and effective information delivery systems to enhance productivity, income, and sustainability in the region.

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