Agricultural Innovation in Rural India: The Paradox of Farmer Nonadoption in Bajwada, Madhya Pradesh
Author : Natasha Malpani
Publisher : Universal-Publishers
ISBN 13 : 1612337678
Total Pages : 53 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (123 download)
Book Synopsis Agricultural Innovation in Rural India: The Paradox of Farmer Nonadoption in Bajwada, Madhya Pradesh by : Natasha Malpani
Download or read book Agricultural Innovation in Rural India: The Paradox of Farmer Nonadoption in Bajwada, Madhya Pradesh written by Natasha Malpani and published by Universal-Publishers. This book was released on 2011-08-19 with total page 53 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Farmer adoption of sustainable agricultural practices is key to sustainable development, as changes at the farm level are essential to ensuring food security and environmental protection. Reasons for converting to sustainable farming have been studied in a number of instances. However, the underlying rationale that motivates this behaviour is not always made clear. The village of Bajwada in Madhya Pradesh is used as a case to investigate farmer perceptions and attitudes regarding sustainable farming. An innovator has been promoting what seems to be a highly productive and lauded method of sustainable farming called Natu-eco farming for the past five years. Strikingly, this technique has had practically zero adoption in the village. This study aims to examine this paradox by exploring farmer narratives about sustainability, futures and development. Semi-structured interviews were conducted using 18 farmers in Bajwada. Participatory observation was also undertaken for ten days. The development discourse, the drive for modernity and urbanization were found to be important in shaping farmer s perspectives on Natu-eco farming and sustainable agriculture. An understanding of the dominance of certain discourses and narratives offers a new approach to understanding farmer adoption and non-adoption. The results of this study are meant to attract the attention of policymakers and practitioners who are involved in the planning and implementation of schemes and projects promoting sustainable agricultural innovation.
