Barriers Faced by Small Farmers in Adopting the Integrated Plant Nutrient System for Sustainable Farming Development

This paper presents findings of a study on the barriers faced by small farmers in adopting the integrated plant nutrient system (IPNS) for sustainable farming development. The study was conducted in 3 villages in the central sub-district of Narail, in Bangladesh. Data were collected through interviews with 110, randomly selected farmers. The majority were found to use plant nutrient sources either inadequately or only moderately. Manure was found to be used much less frequently than fertilizers, even though in the past it was the main source of soil nutrients for farmers in the region. The results indicate that more than three quarters of the farmers questioned confronted moderate barriers in adopting IPNS, while 20% faced severe barriers. In addition the barriers faced were found to be inversely proportional to the farmers' education level, farm size, innovativeness, extension contact network, knowledge of the IPNS technique and the perceived benefits of using manure. Key words: Farmer; barrier; IPNS; sustainable agriculture; Bangladesh. DOI: 10.4038/suslj.v7i1.1840 Sabaragamuwa University Journal vol. 07 no.1, 2007 pp 3-21