AGRICULTURAL DIVERSIFICATION AMONG THE FARMERS

Abstract

Agricultural diversification is slowly picking up momentum in favor of high value food commodities primarily to enhancement of income rather than the traditional concept of risk management. The nature of diversification differs across regions due to existence of wide heterogeneity in agro-climatic and socio-economic environments. It was considered interesting to delineate the key regions and sub-sectors of agriculture where diversification was catching up fast. Crops, livestock, horticulture and forestry constitute the core sectors of agriculture. Total 160 respondents were selected from sixteen villages belongs to Dhanera, Deesa, Vadgam and Lakhani talukas of Banaskantha district of Gujarat state. The data were collected by personal contact method with help of structured interview schedule and data were coded, classified, tabulated and analyzed in the light of objectives. The appropriate statistical methods were used for analysis of data. The result found that Vast majority of the respondents had medium to low level of crop diversification, had medium level of enterprise diversification and nearly three fourth of the respondents had medium to high level of agricultural diversification. Whereas, in case of nature of diversification two fifth of the respondents had diversified their agriculture by Shift from one crop to another crop from less remunerative crops to more remunerative crops both and majority of the respondents had diversified addition of new enterprises to exiting profile.