Tribal Farmers Research Articles

Preferences on Indigenous and High Yielding Varieties of Rice (Oryza sativa L.) by Tribal and Non-Tribal farmers of Assam

Assam occupies a special place in the rice production and a home to many indigenous varieties of rice. The production and productivity of the Indigenous varieties are much less than the HYVs but some farmers still prefer growing indigenous rice along with HYVs. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to study the distribution pattern of Indigenous and High Yielding varieties of rice and to enumerate the farmer’s preferences to Indigenous and High Yielding varieties of rice in Baksa district of Assam. A total of 160 numbers of both Tribal and Non-tribal farmers were selected for the study. The data were collected by means of personal interview schedule. Statistical tools employed to analyze the data included frequency, percentage, Mean and Standard Deviation. To know the distribution pattern of both Indigenous and High Yielding varieties of rice, two major areas viz. Area distribution and Varietal distribution were identifi ed. The fi ndings revealed that non-tribal farmers cultivated HYVs in 68.13 per cent area and tribal farmers cultivated in 31.87 per cent area. But in case of Indigenous varieties non-tribal farmers cultivated in 44.93 per cent and tribal farmers cultivated in 55.07 per cent area. The major HYV varieties grown by the non-tribal farmers were Masuri, Ranjit, Moniram and varieties grown by tribal are Ranjit, Bahadur and Masuri. The indigenous varieties grown by the non-tribal farmers mostly Nolbonni, Ballam Joha, Moinagiri and varieties grown by tribal are Phulpakhri, Tanagaguri, Parochokua bonni. Further, A comparative assessment of the preferences of both Indigenous and High yielding variety rice growers was performed and it was observed that tribal farmers preferred indigenous rice varieties because of their taste, cooking quality etc, and preferred HYVs because of yield, market demand etc. But nontribal farmers preferred indigenous varieties because of their traditional delicacies, taste etc, and showed preference to HYVs because of cooking quality, market demand etc.

Extent of Adoption of Improved Production Technology of Ajwain by Tribal and Non-Tribal Farmers of Rajasthan

The present study was conducted to fi nd out the diff erence in extent of adoption of improved production technology of Ajwain between the tribal and non-tribal farmers of Rajasthan. Pratapgarh and Chittorgarh districts of Rajasthan were selected among tribal and non-tribal districts of Rajasthan, respectively as they have the highest area and production of Ajwain. One tehsil from each of the selected districts were selected purposively due to highest area and production of Ajwain. From each of the selected tehsils 5 villages were selected randomly. 13 farmers were selected from each selected villages in this way a sample of 130 respondents (65 tribal and 65 no tribal farmers) was selected randomly. Data was collected using interview schedules in year 2022. From the study it was concluded that majority 51 (78.46 %) of tribal framers were in medium adoption category followed by low 10 (15.38%) and 04 (6.16%) high extent of adoption categories. Further, majority 52 (80.00%) of non-tribal farmers were having medium extent of adoption followed by 08 (12.31 %) farmers having high and 05 (07.69 %) farmers having low extent of adoption. It was found that the tribal farmers had maximum adoption of “Harvesting” (76.92 MPS) and least adoption of “Fertilizer application” (51.23 MPS). While, in case of non-tribal farmers “Time of sowing” (87.69 MPS) was maximum adopted and “Plant protection measures” (59.23 MPS) was least adopted.

LEVEL OF ADOPTION OF THE TRIBAL FARMERS ABOUT IMPROVED BANANA PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY

The study reports measure of adoption about improved banana cultivation practices and it was conducted in Narmada district of the year 2021-2022 with 120 tribal farmers were measure of adoption about improved banana production technology. Majority of the respondents (35.00 per cent) had medium level of adoption about improved banana production technology, While 57.50 and 07.50 per cent of them had highly and lower level of adoption respectively. Majority of the tribal farmers reported that improved variety of plants (Grande Naine) (100.00 per cent) was as higher adoption by banana tribal farmers highest rank and second rank Plant protection-IPDM (99.16percent),Use of drip irrigation(86.67percent) Time of planting (83.33 per cent)harvesting (75.00 per cent),intercropping (72.50 per cent) and spacing (65.00 per cent),respectively.

Knowledge of Tribal Farmers about VDVK Activities in Andhra Pradesh

Van Dhan Vikas Kendra’s (VDVK) were formed as a part of Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Vikas Yojana (PMVDVY) scheme, which constitutes of around 300 members in each VDVK. In VDVK activities like value addition to various forest products, trainings etc., were done in order to provide employment opportunities, avoid exploitation by the middlemen and to improve the livelihood of the tribals. The objectives of the current study were 1. To study the profile characteristics of the tribal farmers. 2. To assess the knowledge of tribal farmers about VDVK activities. 3. To find out the relationship between profile characteristics and knowledge of tribal farmers. The present study i.e., Knowledge of tribal farmers about VDVK activities in Andhra Pradesh was conducted under ITDA-Rampachodavaram which was situated in Andhra Pradesh in the year 2021-2022. Out of the seven tribal mandals, only two mandals i.e., Rampachodavaram, Maredumilli mandals were selected randomly and from each mandal four villages were selected by simple random sampling method. By using proportionate sampling method, a sample size of 105 was taken. Through the findings, it was revealed that majority of the beneficiaries were young age group and belonged to female gender. Most of the beneficiaries were illiterates, having low annual income and small land holdings. Majority of the beneficiaries had moderate level of utilisation of source of information, with medium extension contact and having medium awareness regarding PMVDVY. While knowledge about VDVK activities, majority of the beneficiaries comes under medium category. Thus, the present study helps in finding the lacunae in the implementation of PMVDVY scheme and running VDVK’s smoothly, effectively and efficiently.

Agroforestry systems and their impact on livelihood improvement of tribal farmers in a tropical moist deciduous forest in Bangladesh

This study investigates the composition of and preferences by farmers related to trees and crops planted in agroforestry systems, and their role on the livelihood of tribal farmers in a tropical moist deciduous forest in Tangail, Bangladesh. Data was collected from 150 tribal farmers practicing different types of agroforestry systems in Madhupur Sal forest, using a mixed-method strategy that included a survey, focus group discussion, key informant interviews, and direct observation. According to the results, tribal farmers used a total of 22 trees and 33 crop species in their existing agroforestry systems, indicating a rich composition and high diversity. Acacia auriculiformis was the most common tree species (with 82% of farmers possessing this species), followed by Mangifera indica (75%), Acacia sp. (73%), and Gmelina arborea (54%). Interviews revealed that agroforestry systems have provided numerous benefits and greatly enhanced farmers’ livelihoods through better access to food, timber, fodder, and fuelwood and greater access to livelihood capitals (except social capital). Though agroforestry practices increase species diversity, provide economic returns, and help farmers maintain their livelihoods, tribal farmers face several constraints including bureaucracy and a lack of alternative market facilities. Our study can be of interest for future policy interventions focusing on sustainable reforestation practices, how to solve the problems faced by the farmers, and livelihood improvement in Bangladesh.

Access and Repayment of Institutional Agricultural Credit by Farmers in Tribal Areas of Odisha: Trends, Determinants and Policy Measures

Agricultural credit is the most significant factor in the Indian agricultural sector. The paper discusses the access of institutional credit to agriculture, and helps understand the challenges faced by the tribal farmers to obtain agricultural credit, and the determinants of institutional agricultural credit at households’ (HHs) level in the backward region of Odi:sha. The study used primary data collected from 475 farm tribal HHs of Kalahandi, Bolangiri and Koraput (KBK) districts in Odisha. The study found that increasing agricultural credit is greater in indirect finance than direct finance; in the same manner, a greater amount of credit is disbursed for the short term than the long term. Collateral issues, less awareness due to less education among farmers, low density of financial institutions in village areas, lack of finance as per demand, diversifying the loans from productive purpose to consumption purpose, and non-repayment of loan due to crop loss are different constraints faced by the farmers in Odisha.

Ethnoveterinary practices amongst tribal pig farmers in Karbi Anglong district of Assam, India

Folk traditional knowledge and practices are very rich and popular among the tribal farmers in different agricultural practices. The community based cross-sectional study was carried out to know about pig farming pattern, ethnoveterinary knowledge and practices among various tribal pig farmers in Karbi Anglong district of Assam, India. Various field data pertaining to pig management were collected through personnel interview, pre-tested semi-structured questionnaires and field visits. This study attempted to evaluate the potential use of medicinal plant and its by-products as feed ingredients and traditional folk medicine. A total of 40 species of ethnoveterinary medicinal plants were recorded which are principally used to cure various major and minor ailments like fracture, parasitic infestation, maggoted wound, diarrhoea, fever etc. Use of locally available feed ingredients will help in exploration of forest resources, minimize production cost. The present study recorded a total of 21 wild plant species which are used for feeding pigs with most frequently used species belonging to Broussonetia papyrifera, Colocasia esculenta, Alternanthera sessilis etc. The study will help the farmers, environmentalist, researcher and other stakeholder to identify, document, familiarize and better understanding of the distribution of rich medicinal plant in the hill region.

Traditional knowledge adopted by the tribal farmers of the Nilgiris district, Tamil Nadu in animal husbandry

The study assessed the awareness and adoption behavior of the tribal respondents belonging to the Kotagiri and Udhagamandalam blocks of the Nilgiris district, Tamil Nadu with respect to indigenous practices in animal husbandry and assessed the rationality of the Indigenous Technical Knowledge (ITK). Three tribal communities viz. Todas, Kotas and Irulas were selected for the study thus comprising 180 as sample of the study. A multistage random sampling method was adopted for the study. The results revealed that the majority of the ITKs had rationality mean scores above 2.5, revealing their wider usage and application in the field of animal husbandry. Turmeric was used to cure ‘bumblefoot’ in chickens, followed by cinnamon which is widely used as a form of oral medicine with feed to poultry. The tribals cured FMD of animals by giving them spider eggs and the ragi flour viz. The rotten horn was cut away with a backstaw leaving a 4cm stub. Traditional knowledge is built on everyday observation and transmitted from the older generation to the young generation through word of mouth. Although, this is more effective in their habitat, it is believed to be totally unscientific and unreliable because it is not recorded. This is recorded only in the minds of the people. The main novelty of this research work is to document and validate the indigenous practices of the tribal communities which are compatible with their traditions and culture. Thus such documented and meaningfully validated indigenous technologies could be promoted among other tribes and farmers of other localities.

The Monetary Value of Corporate Social Responsibility: The Impact of Tea Trees Growing Project between Corporates and Taiwan’s Aboriginal Farmers on Consumers

The first hypothesis of this study is to dissect the factors that impact consumers’ preference toward a specific corporate social responsibility (CSR) project via the framework of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). The second hypothesis is to evaluate a monetary value for CSR among consumers through their WTP. The willingness to pay (WTP) in relation to those influential factors is used to represent the monetary value of CSR for the tea tree growing project implemented by corporates among indigenous tribal farmers in Taiwan. The components of CSR covered in this study are product safety, economic security for contractual farmers, the protection of the environment, and the conservation of ecology. Such efforts encompass the economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic responsibilities of CSR. The corresponding highest and lowest monetary values of CSR per hectare of tea trees are USD 92,232 and USD 141,762, respectively. The overall average monetary value of CSR per hectare is USD 118,035. These values represent the specific amounts that a corporation can potentially contribute to society when it contracts tea production to aboriginal farmers.

An economic analysis on cost and returns of paddy in Jawadhu hills of Tamil Nadu

Rice is one of the three most important and staple food crops in the world. Rice belongs to the genus Oryza and family Gramineae. It is one of the few crop species endowed with richest genetic diversity. India is the second largest rice growing country after China. Tamil Nadu is the second largest producer of Paddy and the state is historically known for its agriculture since ancient times. The major food crop like Paddy is grown in large extent and rice is the staple food of the state. Because of the familiarity, the paddy crop has been cultivated in the hilly areas and it replaced traditional millet crops over the years. At this juncture, the study on economic analysis on production of paddy in Jawadhu hills of Tamil Nadu was carried out with the following specific objectives of: (i) to estimate costs and returns of paddy cultivation in the study area, (ii) to identify the constraints in production of paddy cultivation and offer policy suggestion based on the results of the study. A multi-stage stratified random sampling procedure was adopted for the study. Due to the profitability (net return in Rs.16, 726.00 per acre) of the crop, the tribal farmers in the study area increasing their area of cultivation of paddy over the years. But due to inadequacy of labour lack of availability of good quality seed and irrigation facility their portability minimized. The department of Agriculture and the Government has to take necessary steps to solve their constraints in paddy cultivation for the prosperity of the tribal farmers in the study area.

Relationship of adoption gap in recommended pigeon pea practices with socio-economic characteristics of tribal farmers in Narmada district

The agricultural technology is generally not adopted by the farmers completely in all respects as such. There always appears a gap between the technology recommended by the scientists and its use at farmer’s level. The study was conducted in Narmada districts of South Gujarat. The primary data was collected from 100 respondents by following personal interview method and using structured interview schedule. This study was objective to ascertain the relationship between selected characteristics pigeon pea growers and their overall adoption gap in recommended pigeon pea practices. In order to realize the objective of the study, 100 farmers were selected from adoptive villages higher areas of pigeon pea growers purposively and random sampling technique pigeon pea had medium adoption gap 68.89 per cent about recommended pigeon pea practices Majority of pigeon pea growers had land holding (0.169),annual income (0.052), risk preference (0.066), scientific orientation (0.301) were negative and significant association with their adoption gap of recommended pigeon pea production technologies, While, education, (0.162),knowledge (0.228) were significantly correlated at 5% level of significance.

KNOWLEDGE OF TRIBAL FARMERS TOWARDS ORGANIC FARMING PRACTICES

The present study was conducted in Dangs district of South Gujarat during the year 2020. All of the 3 talukas of the Dangs district were covered under the study. Twelve villages were selected through proportionate random sampling. From each village ten tribal farmers were selected through simple random sampling. Hence, the total respondents were 120. The result was found that tribal farmers had a majority of respondents had medium level of the knowledge of organic farming and extension contact, scientific orientation and mass media exposure were found positively and highly significantly associated at 1 per cent level of probability whereas, education, farm experience, annual income, social participation, economic motivation, risk orientation, management orientation and occupation are positively and significantly associated at 5 per cent level of probability with their knowledge regarding organic farming.

Assessing the knowledge level of ethno veterinary practices in sheep and goat among tribals of Kalrayan hills

Ethno knowledge inherited from progenitors through their traditional culture, belief and rituals in the tribal community were the key factors in shaping the range of ethno-veterinary practices. However, “local treatment” has induced the systematic procedure were responding to healing the minor diseases in domestic animals. The tribal community orient with animal production with unique ethno knowledge approaches were used to diagnose and treat various sheep and goat diseases. The traditional followers of the tribal community practiced the healing treatment rather complex with ethno veterinary practices are viable to treat the sick animals. The present study was conducted to assess the knowledge level of ethno veterinary practices of prevalent sheep and goat farming systems in the Kalrayan Hills of Tamil Nadu, India. Three hundred tribal farmers in Villupram district were selected by proportionate random sampling method and the data were collected through an interview schedule and analyzed with appropriate statistical tools for pertaining the result. The study was conducted to survey the ethno-veterinary practices which were frequently used in managing their sheep and goat around the tribal track of Kalrayan hills. The tribal community is known for its long history of traditional sheep and goat keeping. Countrified livestock production is the predominant alternative livelihood empowerment in for tribal, where-in disease was prioritized as the major constraints. The study resulted that the knowledge of ethno veterinary practices are efficient in curing the animal health care towards the benefit of socio economical development in the tribal community of kalrayan hills in Villupuram district.

Extension Interventions for Enlightening Tribal Farmers for Enhancing Cotton Production in Nalgonda District, Telangana

Cluster Frontline Demonstrations using IPM technologies were conducted on farmer fields’ during two consecutive years of both kharif (June-November 2017 and 2018) by Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Kampasagar, Telangana State, India. The results revealed that, 16.9% increased cotton yield was observed in demonstration plot (2234.0 kg ha-1) against farmers practice (1910.5 kg ha-1). The average gross returns, net returns, and benefit-cost ratios were higher in the demonstration plot as compared to the farmers’ practice. The average cost reduction was (Rs. 41402.0 ha-1) in the demonstration plot when compared to farmers’ practice (Rs. 46190.0 ha-1). Incidence of sucking pests and pink bollworm was low in demonstrations plots and adoption of IPM practices i.e. stem application in cotton at 30 and 45 days after sowing with Monocrotophos and water (1:4) ratio and 60 days after sowing with Imidacloprid and water (1:20) ratio minimize the sucking pests. Further erection of pheromone traps @ 10 ha-1 at 45 DAS to monitor pink bollworm population and spraying of need-based plant protection chemicals i.e. Azadirachtin 0.15% EC @ 2.5 l ha-1 and Thiodicarb 75% WP @ 1.5 g l-1 at early stages and Emamectin benzoate 5% SG @ 0.5 g l-1 at later stages effectively controlled pink bollworm. The average extension gap, technology gap, and technology index were 323.25 kg ha-1, 266.25 kg ha-1 and 10.65%, respectively. Hence, adoption of IPM technologies play a major role for controlling the pest complex and need arises to adopt and popularize this technology in the cotton farming to mitigate the wider extension gap between improved and farmers’ practices.

Impact of Farmer Producer Groups (FPGs) on Upliftment of Tribal Farmers in Andhra Pradesh

India is a country with a greater number of small and marginal farmers who do not have the volume to benefi t from the economies of scales. Farmer Producer Groups (FPGs) are a possible solution to many of the issues confronting Indian agriculture. The present study in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh was focused on examining the perceived impact of FPGs in multifaceted dimensions for better understanding of changes among the members of tribal FPGs. The study included 145 members selected through multi-stage proportionate random sampling method. Data collection was done through personal interview method with the help of well-structured interview schedule. The fi ndings of the study concluded that the formation of FPGs had a direct impact as increase in income of ₹14924.14 on an average and indirect impact as achievement of psychological, sociological, economic and political empowerment of the tribal farmers. Among the aspects of empowerment under consideration, psychological dimension received the highest mean score of 2.64, while political dimension had the lowest mean score of 2.06. FPGs in addition to pooling inputs of tribal farmers through collective approach, is also performing diversifi ed actions aimed at boosting their income and standard of living

Dual-Purpose Sorghum: A Targeted Sustainable Crop-Livestock Intervention for the Smallholder Subsistence Farming Communities of Adilabad, India

Sorghum plays an important role in the mixed crop–livestock system of tribal farming communities in Adilabad District, a high climate risk-prone region in India. Currently, the local seed system is limited to landraces and hybrids that are primarily used for domestic grain and fodder purposes. This study aimed to understand the farmers' needs and context, and use this knowledge to deliver relevant, adoptable climate-smart sorghum crop technologies through farmer-participatory approaches (FPAs). We conducted an ex-ante survey with 103 farmer households to understand their preferences and constraints concerning sorghum, their staple food-crop. Farmers expressed taste as the most important characteristic, followed by stover yield, grain yield, drought adaptation, and pest resistance. They identified fodder deficit, loss of seed purity in landraces, and lack of diverse sorghum seed options as critical constraints. Therefore, we chose dual-purpose, open-pollinated sorghum varieties suitable for postrainy/rabi cultivation as the study site's entry point. Accordingly, sixteen popular rabi sorghum varieties were tested at ICRISAT station (2017–18 and 2018–19) for agronomic performance in field conditions under a range of treatments (irrigation and fertilization). The standing crop was also scored by farmer representatives. Additionally, the detailed lysifield study elucidated the plant functions underlying the crop agronomic performance under water stress (plant water use and stay-green score) and an important trait of farmer's interest (relation between stay-green score and in-vitro stover digestibility and relation between grain fat and protein content) The selected varieties– Phule Chitra, CSV22, M35-1 and preferred landrace (Sevata jonna)–were further tested with 21 farmers at Adilabad (2018–20). Participating farmers from both the trials and focus group discussions voiced their preference and willingness to adopt Phule Chitra and CSV22. This article summarizes how system-relevant crop options were selected for subsistence farmers of Adilabad and deployed using participatory approaches. While varieties are developed for wider adoption, farmers adopt only those suitable for their farm, household, and accessible market. Therefore, we strongly advocate FPA for developing and delivering farmer relevant crop technologies as a vehicle to systematically break crop adoption barriers and create a positive impact on household diets, well-being, and livelihoods, especially for smallholder subsistence farmers.

Changes in soil properties, productivity and profitability as influenced by the adoption of site-specific integrated crop management technology in turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) in Eastern Himalayan acidic Inceptisol

Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.), a major spice crop in the North-Eastern Hill Region (NEHR) of India, plays a vital role in the economy of tribal farmers of this region who though practise its traditional farming. The predominance of acidic Inceptisol in NEHR further deteriorates the yield and quality of this crop fetching poor remuneration to the tribal growers. Optimal and balanced plant nutrition holds the key to realize sustainable and cogent crop yields with better quality. Hence, multi-location ‘on-farm’ experimentation on integrated crop management (ICM) technology in turmeric var. Mega Turmeric-1 were conducted in NEHR (India) during 2019 and 2020 to assess the impact on the changes in soil properties, turmeric rhizome productivity and farm profits compared to farmers’ practice (FP). The ICM technology significantly improved the available-NPK besides a substantial increase in the secondary nutrients (exchangeable Ca & Mg, and available-S) over FP. However, ICM had favourable nominal changes in the soil chemical properties (pH, EC, SOC, CEC, free Fe & Al oxides) compared to FP. On an average, the adoption of ICM satisfactorily augmented the yield attributes and turmeric rhizome yield (20.9 Mg ha−1) with a hike of ~27% over the FP besides a quantum gain in net returns to the tune of US $ 875 ha−1 over FP with an enhancement of ~34.4% compared to FP. Correlation analysis indicated that SOC, available-NPK, Ca, S and B exhibited a highly significant positive correlation with turmeric rhizome yield. Multivariate PCA exhibited that N, SOC and K were the most important soil properties attributing to the turmeric rhizome yield. Stepwise multiple regressions indicated that N, SOC and K contributed to the tune of 47.7%, 21.9% and 8.6%, respectively in augmenting the turmeric rhizome yield. Overall, the adoption of ICM technology is highly effective in improving the soil chemical properties, turmeric rhizome yield and economic returns as compared to farmers’ practice in an Eastern Himalayan acidic Inceptisol.

Goat farming for livelihood improvement of tribal farmers at Gawandh tribal village of Maharashtra

Livestock is an important integral part to the sustainability of economy of this nation and livelihood improvement of farmers, especially resource poor tribal farmers. Tribal Sub Plan (TSP) programme is a developmental programme of Government of India meant solely for the development of tribal area throughout India. So a pilot study was made at Gawandh tribal village of Peint taluka, Nashik, Maharashtra for the economic upliftment and livelihood improvement of tribal people with the object of overall development of tribal area. It was revealed that implementation of goat farming by 20 women tribal farmers at Gawandh tribal village, located at Nashik district of Maharashtra has benefitted tribal beneficiary immensefully. Survey report revealed that the average total income of the farmers at the beginning of the programme was ` 15,180 from all sources like agriculture, daily wage, but after four years of continuing this programme, tribal woman farmer on an average earned ` 50,565 from goat farming, besides 12 goats were remaining in their heard. So, income of tribal farmers has become more than triple in a period of four years through rearing of goat. Performance of Osmanabadi goat in the agro-climatic condition of Nashik was also good with high growth and twinning per cent (53.40%).

Impact of Marketing Information System (MIS) on Prices Realization of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) in High Altitude and Tribal (HAT) Zone of Andhra Pradesh

This study mainly focused on impact of MIS on prices realization of selected minor forest produce (MFP) viz., honey (Apis dorsata), hill broom (Thysanolaena maxima), Naramamidi bark (Litsea deccanensis), Seeded Tamarind (Tamarindus indica), Marking nut (Semecarpus anacardium) and Myrobalan (Terminalia chebula). Propensity Score Matching (PSM) technique was employed to analyse impact of market information on price realization of MFP. Primary data was collected from 360 farmer respondents from HAT zone in Andhra Pradesh state. The Probit regression results indicated that considered variables has positive significant association and influenced to access market information in the study viz., experience, frequency of visit to Girijan Primary Co-operative Marketing Society (GPCMS), access to mobile phone, education and trainings on the importance of MIS in accessing market information from GPCMS and Primary Procurement Centres (PPCs). Access to market information by the tribal farmers revealed significant impact (P<0.001) on treated, as the impact indicator (prices) is higher for them compared to untreated. The treated were significantly benefited from market information by 15.19 per cent for honey, 37.95 per cent for hill broom and 89.16 per cent for Naramamidi bark, 60.27 per cent for seeded tamarind, 115.45 per cent for Marking nut and 133.34 per cent for myrobalan.

Organic farming: assessment of the perception of practicing tribal farmers in Jharkhand

Organic farming aims to produce healthy and non-toxic food for consumers using natural inputs to eliminate anysubstance from farming system which is harmful to human as well as soil health. Organic farming is not a new concept but a traditional farming system with modern scientific techniques. Realizing the long-term positive impact of organic farming, Government of India is also promoting the organic farming on a large scale. In line with this, three villages of Angara block of Ranchi District have been developed as fully organic villages. To assess the general, attitudinal and control belief among tribal farmers towards organic farming, a study was conducted in two Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) certified villages namely Dhurleta and Budhakocha of Ranchi district in Jharkhand state during the year 2019–20. Data for the study was collected through personal interview of the tribal farmers practicing organic farming using structured interview schedule developed for the purpose. A total of 50 farmers (25 farmers from each village) selected through systematic random sampling method formed the sample of the study. Findings of the study showed that about 76.80% farmers believed that organic farming is good while 61% of the respondents had favourable attitudinal belief towards organic farming. Majority of the population agreed that disease, pest control, marketing and complexity in certification are the major setbacks in large scale adoption of organic farming.