A Diagnosis of Biophysical and Socio-Economic Factors Influencing Farmers’ Choice to Adopt Organic or Conventional Farming Systems for Cotton Production

Abstract

Organic agriculture is one of the most widely known alternative production systems advocated for its benefits to soil, environment, health and economic well-being of farming communities. Rapid increase in the market demand for organic products presents a remarkable opportunity for expansion of organic agriculture. A thorough understanding of the context specific motivations of farmers for adoption of organic farming systems is important so that appropriate policy measures are put in place. With an aim of understanding the social and biophysical motivations of organic and conventional cotton farmers for following their respective farming practices, a detailed farm survey was conducted in Nimar valley of Madhya Pradesh state in central India. The study area was chosen for being an important region for cotton production, where established organic and conventional farms operate under comparable circumstances. We found considerable variation among organic and conventional farmers for their social and biophysical motivations. Organic farmers were motivated by the sustainability of cotton production and growing safer food without pesticides, whereas conventional farmers were sensitive about their reputation in community. Organic farmers with larger holdings were more concerned about closed nutrient cycles and reducing their dependence on external inputs, whereas medium and small holding organic farmers were clearly motivated by the premium price of organic cotton. Higher productivity was the only important motivation for conventional farmers with larger land holdings. We also found considerable yield gaps among different farms, both under conventional and organic management, that need to be addressed through extension and training. Our findings suggest that research and policy measures need to be directed toward strengthening of extension services, local capacity building, enhancing availability of suitable inputs and market access for organic farmers.

Partial Acidulation of Rock Phosphate for Increased Productivity in Organic and Smallholder Farming

“…The smallholder, low-input organic farmers rely on on-farm produced organic materials for soil fertility [29]. These organic resources have been used in different forms to improve P nutrition.…”

“…It has to be noted that these are just two examples of typical soils in the area. In every farmer's field, the conditions and farming systems vary considerably in terms of size, crop rotations, irrigation opportunities and resource availability [29].…”

Determinants of Households’ Adoption of Organic Pesticides for Lawns and Gardens

“…In the literature on organic farming, environmental knowledge and attitudes also play an important role in the adoption of organic and IPM practices [8] [40] [41]. However, the impacts on a farmer's adoption differ from a consumer's purchase of pesticide-free or lower pesticide products in terms of sensitivity.…”

“…Consumers are likely to alter their behavior more easily than farmers do under awareness of serious environmental degradation, strict subjective norms, and high expectation of environment quality[41] …”

Extent of Bollworm and Sucking Pest Damage on Modern and Traditional Cotton Species and Potential for Breeding in Organic Cotton

“…Cotton is a significant cash crop accounting for 30% of India's agricultural gross domestic product [4]. The majority of Indian farmers are smallholders with less than two hectares of land to cultivate [5,6]. There are several factors that influence the low production levels and increase poverty of Indian smallholder farmers.…”