ASSOCIATION BETWEEN SELECTED CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FARMER AND AGRICULTURAL DIVERSIFICATION

Abstract

In relation to agricultural development, diversification is probably one of the most frequently used terms in the recent decade. Traditionally, diversification was used more in the context of a subsistence kind of farming, wherein farmers grown many crops on their field. The household level food security as also risk was an important consideration in diversification. In the recent decade, diversification is increasingly being used to describe increase in area under high value crops. Total 160 respondents were selected from sixteen villages belongs to Dhanera, Deesa, Vadgam and Lakhani talukas of Banaskantha district of Gujarat state. Independent and dependent variables were measured with the help of scales/technique/index development by previous researchers with some modification. 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 majority of the diversified farmers belonged to middle to old age group and obtained high school education with annual income up to Rs.4,00,000 and having medium to large land holding, had medium to high information seeking behavior, risk orientation and management efficiency with favorable to more favorable attitude towards agricultural diversification, had medium to high cropping intensity and used both canal and well and both tube well and canal as a sources of irrigation. Out of ten variables total six variables viz., education, Family income, size of land holding, risk orientation, Management efficiency and cropping intensity had positive and highly significant relationship with agricultural diversification. Information seeking behavior and attitude towards agricultural diversification had positive and significant relationship with agricultural diversification.