Assessing Knowledge and Adoption of Millets Cultivation Practices in the Bundelkhand Region, India: A Study of Farmer Perspectives
Abdhesh Kumar
Department of Agricultural Extension, Banda University of Agriculture and Technology, Banda (Uttar Pradesh), India.
Pankaj Kumar Ojha *
Department of Agricultural Extension, Banda University of Agriculture and Technology, Banda (Uttar Pradesh), India.
Dheeraj Mishra
Department of Agricultural Extension, Banda University of Agriculture and Technology, Banda (Uttar Pradesh), India.
Bhanu Prakash Mishra
Department of Agricultural Extension, Banda University of Agriculture and Technology, Banda (Uttar Pradesh), India.
Abhishek Kalia
Department of Agricultural Economics, Banda University of Agriculture and Technology, Banda (Uttar Pradesh), India.
Gaurav Shukla
Department of Statistics & Computer Science, Banda University of Agriculture and Technology, Banda (Uttar Pradesh), India.
A.P. Verma
Department of Agricultural Extension, Banda University of Agriculture and Technology, Banda (Uttar Pradesh), India.
B.K. Gupta
Department of Agricultural Extension, Banda University of Agriculture and Technology, Banda (Uttar Pradesh), India.
Pragya Ojha
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Banda, Banda University of Agriculture and Technology, Banda (Uttar Pradesh), India.
Gyanendra Singh
Department of Agricultural Extension, Banda University of Agriculture and Technology, Banda (Uttar Pradesh), India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
This study investigates the knowledge and adoption levels of millet cultivation practices among farmers in the Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh, India, during the 2024-25 agricultural season. A purposive sample of 240 farmers from two blocks each in Banda and Chitrakoot districts was surveyed. Results indicate that 58.33% of respondents possessed a medium level of knowledge about millet cultivation practices, with near-universal awareness (100%) of sowing time and harvesting practices. High knowledge levels were also observed for interculturing (99.58%), seed rate (98.33%), and soil type (97.08%). Regarding adoption, 72.91% of farmers exhibited a medium level of adoption, with the highest adoption rates for sowing time (91.66%), harvesting (95%), interculturing and soil type (88.75%), and seed rate (74.16%). Despite millets' resilience and nutritional benefits, low adoption of advanced practices such as biofertilizer use and nursery management highlights the need for targeted extension interventions to enhance scientific adoption and optimize millet production in the region.
Keywords: Millets, knowledge, adoption, Bundelkhand, farmer practices