Adoption of natural farming practices and constraints among farmers under Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY)

Introduction

Agriculture is a major source of livelihood in rural India, with small and marginal farmers forming the majority of operational holdings. According to the Agriculture Census 2015-16, 68.45% of operational holdings were marginal and 17.62% were small holdings. These farmers face challenges such as rising input costs, climate variability, limited resources and uncertain farm returns. Natural Farming has emerged as a sustainable approach that promotes locally available resources, livestock-based inputs, mulching and reduced dependence on chemical inputs, thereby helping to reduce cultivation costs and improve soil health (NITI Aayog, 2020) [6] . The Government of India has promoted Natural Farming through Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) and its Natural Farming components. Under BPKP, 4.09 lakh hectares were sanctioned for Natural Farming promotion, including 99,000 hectares in Madhya Pradesh (Government of India, 2024) [1] . The National Mission on Natural Farming, approved in 2024 with an outlay of ₹2,481 crore, further emphasizes training, demonstrations and farmer capacity building (PIB, 2024) [7] . Despite these initiatives, adoption of Natural Farming remains influenced by farmers' education, landholding, income, awareness, knowledge, innovativeness and risk orientation. Farmers may also face constraints such as inadequate technical knowledge, limited availability of natural inputs, insufficient training and weak market and extension support. Therefore, the present study entitled "Socio-Economic Characteristics, Adoption of Natural Farming Practices and Constraints among Farmers under Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY)" was undertaken to assess farmers' socio-economic profile, extent of adoption and major constraints affecting Natural Farming adoption.

Materials and Methods

The study considered 15 independent variables, namely age, education, caste, family size, landholding, livestock holding, social participation, farming experience, occupation, annual family income, mass media exposure, awareness of PKVY provisions, innovativeness, risk orientation and knowledge about PKVY and Natural Farming. The adoption of Natural Farming practices was considered the dependent variable. These variables were selected to assess the socio-economic, communication and psychological factors associated with the adoption of Natural Farming practices under PKVY. Primary data were collected through a well-structured and pre-tested interview schedule developed in accordance with www.extensionjournal.com the objectives of the study. The schedule was pre-tested on a small group of respondents to ensure clarity, reliability and suitability of the questions. Data were collected through personal interviews with selected farmers after explaining the purpose of the study and establishing proper rapport. Secondary information was obtained from research papers, journals, government publications, official reports and other relevant documents related to PKVY and Natural Farming. The collected data were systematically classified, tabulated and analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, mean scale values and chi-square test. Frequency and percentage were used to describe the distribution of respondents, while mean and standard deviation were used to summarize the central tendency and variation of observations. Mean scale values were used to assess farmers' awareness, knowledge, innovativeness, risk orientation and adoption levels. The chi-square test was employed to determine the association between selected independent variables and adoption of Natural Farming practices, thereby facilitating meaningful interpretation and conclusions regarding farmers' adoption under PKVY. The collected data were systematically classified, tabulated and analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, mean scale values and chi-square test. Frequency and percentage were used to describe the distribution of respondents, while mean and standard deviation were employed to measure the central tendency and variation of the observations. Mean scale values were used to assess the level of different attributes and responses of the respondents. The chi-square test was applied to determine the significance of association between selected independent variables and the adoption of improved agricultural technologies. These statistical procedures facilitated systematic interpretation of the findings and helped in drawing meaningful conclusions regarding technology adoption among marginal farmers.

Results and Discussion

The study titled "Socio-Economic Characteristics, Adoption of Natural Farming Practices and Constraints among Farmers under Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY)" was conducted to assess the socio-economic characteristics, awareness and knowledge of PKVY and Natural Farming, extent of adoption of Natural Farming practices and constraints faced by farmers in the study area. Data were collected from 120 farmers through a structured and pretested interview schedule and analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, mean scale values and chi-square test. The study also examined the influence of socio-economic, communication and psychological characteristics on the adoption of Natural Farming practices and identified the major constraints limiting their adoption under PKVY.

Profile of the Respondents

The data presented in Table 1 reveal that the majority of farmers were middle-aged (55.83%), followed by old (24.17%) and young (20.00%) farmers. Regarding education, the largest proportion had high-school education (31.67%), followed by middle education (24.17%) and graduate/postgraduate education (22.50%). More than half of the respondents belonged to the OBC category (55.83%), while 60.00 per cent lived in nuclear families. In terms of landholding, 31.67 per cent were marginal farmers, followed by small farmers (30.00%) and semi-medium farmers (23.33%). With respect to farm and socio-economic characteristics, 43.33 per cent of farmers had medium livestock holdings, while 48.33 per cent had medium farming experience. Agriculture was the main occupation of 43.33 per cent of respondents, followed by mixed occupation (21.67%). Half of the respondents (50.83%) belonged to the medium annual family-income category. Social participation was mainly limited to membership in one organization (35.00%), indicating moderate involvement in social and institutional activities. Regarding communication and programme-related characteristics, internet/mobile platforms were the major source of mass media exposure (50.00%). Awareness of PKVY provisions was predominantly medium (52.50%), indicating that a considerable proportion of farmers had moderate awareness of the scheme. Similarly, innovativeness (55.83%) and risk orientation (54.17%) were mainly at the medium level. These findings suggest that farmers possessed a moderate orientation towards new agricultural technologies and were reasonably exposed to information related to PKVY and sustainable farming. The data further indicate that 56.67 per cent of farmers had a medium level of knowledge regarding PKVY and Natural Farming, followed by 25.83 per cent with high knowledge and 17.50 per cent with low knowledge. The adoption of Natural Farming practices was also predominantly medium (57.50%), while 23.33 per cent had high and 19.17 per cent had low adoption. These findings are supported by Sharma et al. (2016) [8] , who reported medium levels of knowledge and adoption of organic farming practices and significant roles of education, extension participation and scientific orientation. Kumar et al. (2023) [2] identified knowledge, input availability, labour and institutional factors as important determinants and constraints of natural farming adoption. Kumar et al. (2026) [3] found that landholding, social participation, risk orientation and economic motivation significantly influenced farmers' attitudes towards natural farming. Similarly, Kumbhare and Khonde (2022) [4] reported that medium adoption was predominant and that education, landholding, social participation and socio-economic characteristics influenced adoption behaviour. Thus, the present findings indicate that strengthening farmers' knowledge, training, extension contact and institutional support can further improve the adoption of Natural Farming practices under PKVY.

Adoption level of Natural Farming practices

The findings revealed that 57.50% of farmers had medium adoption of Natural Farming practices under PKVY, followed by 23.33% with high and 19.17% with low adoption, indicating that 80.83% had medium to high adoption. This suggests considerable acceptance of Natural Farming, while further improvement can be achieved through regular training, demonstrations, extension guidance and timely availability of natural farming inputs. The finding is supported by Mishra, who reported predominant medium adoption and emphasized the importance of training, extension contact and technical guidance in enhancing adoption. www.extensionjournal.com

Conclusion

The study concluded that the majority of farmers under PKVY possessed medium levels of awareness, knowledge, innovativeness, risk orientation and adoption of Natural Farming practices. Overall, 57.50 per cent of farmers had a medium level of adoption, while 23.33 per cent had high adoption, indicating considerable acceptance of Natural Farming. However, adoption was constrained mainly by lack of market support, non-availability of bio-inputs, financial constraints, inadequate training and uncertainty of yield during the initial adoption period. Therefore, strengthening farmer training, demonstrations, extension services, timely availability of natural inputs, financial assistance and assured market linkages is essential for promoting wider and sustainable adoption of Natural Farming practices under PKVY.

Acknowledgment

The author expresses profound gratitude to the Chairman, Department of Technology Transfer, Mahatma Gandhi Chitrakoot Gramodaya Vishwavidyalaya, Chitrakoot, Satna (M.P.), India, for his invaluable academic guidance, constructive suggestions, constant encouragement and unwavering support throughout the course of the research work. The author also extends sincere appreciation to all colleagues, field assistants and labourers for their dedicated cooperation, valuable assistance and indispensable contributions, which greatly facilitated the successful completion of this research study.

References

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3. Kumar Y, Meena NR, Doharey RK, Kumar P, Singh R, Sonu K. Understanding farmers' attitudes towards natural farming adoption in Tarai Zone of Uttar Pradesh. Indian Journal of Extension Education. 2026;62(3):318322. doi:10.48165/IJEE.2026.623RN05.
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6. NITI Aayog. Natural farming: NITI Aayog-Government of India. National Institution for Transforming India; 2020.
7. Press Information Bureau. Cabinet approves National Mission on Natural Farming. Government of India; 2024.
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