FACTORS INFLUENCING SMALL FARMERS’ PARTICIPATION IN THE EXTENSION OF TEA FARMING: A CASE OF ILAM, NEPAL

Abstract

Tea is one of Ilam’s most significant sources of foreign exchange as well as a source of employment and income for the farmers. The quality of Ilam tea is actually among the best in the world but the quantity is still a challenge. In order to increase the quantity of the orthodox tea, farmers are encouraged to extend tea farms. The extension of land under tea cultivation in previous years, Importance of being a member of a cooperative, the source of credit, off-farm employment, the harvest quantity influenced extension positively to farmers while education level, the main occupation did not influence the participation of the farmers in the extension of tea farming. Based on the results the study recommends increasing the farmer’s awareness to join the cooperative. It is suggested that the tea factory and infrastructures should be made easily available to minimize costs and increase benefits. The factors influencing small farmers' participation within the extension of tea farming were studied using both primary and secondary source of data through interviews with 196 tea farmers in Jitpur and Mangalbare areas of Ilam district as a case study. The participants were involved in tea cultivation at least for the last five years. In this study, a detailed analysis of the factors have been carried out. KEYWORDS- cooperative, extension, factors, orthodox tea, small farmers