Improved Farm Technology Adoption and its Role in Doubling Farmers’ Income: A Case of Dry Zones in Karnataka

Abstract

The study has estimated the adoption of improved dry farming technologies, identified the factors governing their adoption and assessed the socio-economic impact owing to their adoption, including enhancement in farm incomes. The study is largely based on the primary data collected from a sample of 500 farm households spread across 50 villages chosen from 25 talukas in all the five dry zones of Karnataka. Technology Adoption Index (TAI), multiple regression model and descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data. The TAI was found highest in the Improved Livestock Management Practices (ILMP), followed by Improved Crop Production Technologies (ICPT), Improved Energy Management Systems (IEMS) and Improved Soil and Water Conservation Technologies (ISWCT), and was least in Improved Land Use Systems (ILUS). Due to adoption of improved dry land technologies, across all dry zones, the average increase was 21.37 per cent in resource-use efficiency, 22.75 per cent in profitability, 14.96 per cent in standard of living, 13.50 per cent in women's participation and 8.19 per cent in reduction of women's drudgery. Given the technology adoption levels much below the desired levels, the extension gap (Yield Gap-II) needs to be more focussed than research gap (Yield Gap-I) in the next 4–5 years. To achieve “doubling of farmers’ income by 2022", a multi-pronged approach needs to be adopted by all concerned in a consistent and planned manner, since the contributions to double the farm incomes come not only from technological innovations, but also significantly from institutional support, infrastructural facilitation and policy intervention.