Attitudes of Agricultural Graduates towards Natural Farming in Uttar Pradesh: A Descriptive Study
Mani Prakash Shukla
Department of Extension Education, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi-221005, India.
Bhanu P. Mishra *
Department of Agricultural Extension, Banda University of Agriculture and Technology, Banda-210001, India.
Dheeraj Mishra
Department of Agricultural Extension, Banda University of Agriculture and Technology, Banda-210001, India.
Shivendra Mishra
Dairy Extension Division, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal-132001, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Natural farming is an emerging farming system across India due to its valuable characteristics, such as sustainability, restoration of soil health, reduction in the cost of production, and non-chemical health benefits. The present study was conducted to assess the attitudes of agricultural graduates towards natural farming in Uttar Pradesh. A descriptive research design was adopted for the study. Four State Agricultural Universities were purposively selected, and a total of 140 agricultural graduates were randomly chosen for the investigation. Data were collected from 30 graduates from each university using a structured interview schedule.
The findings revealed that nearly two-thirds of the respondents (65 per cent) exhibited a favourable attitude towards natural farming. The relationship between the attitude levels of respondents and their profile characteristics was measured with the help of the chi-square test, and the result indicated that the number of training programmes attended was highly significantly associated with their attitude towards natural farming, with a p-value of 0.001. In addition, variables such as age, sources of information, library exposure, and achievement motivation showed significant associations with the level of attitude towards natural farming.
The Garrett ranking method was employed to rank the constraints faced in the adoption of natural farming. The major constraint identified was the difficulty in maintaining fields under natural farming in irrigated areas due to chemical seepage from neighbouring farm fields. Based on the findings, the study recommends organising training programmes on natural farming for agricultural graduates. Enhancing the knowledge of graduates is expected to strengthen their positive attitude towards the natural farming economy.
Keywords: Natural farming, sustainability, positive attitude, agricultural graduates, non- chemical health benefit, training