Vol. 7, Special Issue 6 (2019)
Enhancing food security of small and marginal farmers by technological interventions in East Champaran, Bihar
Author(s): Dhiraj K Singh, Md. Monobrullah, A Raizada and Raushan Kumar
Abstract: Agriculture is the primary source of livelihood in Bihar, but nutritional security in many regions is an issue of concern. The extension of new agricultural technologies in backward regions of the state is expected to improve crop yields which will be helpful in improving farmers’ income and their socio-economic status. This study was undertaken in the East Champaran region, which is an economically backward, flood affected region of Bihar. A structured schedule was developed and data from 322 stakeholders was collected from four villages namely - Jasaulipatti, Chandrahiya, Chintamanpur and Khairimal Jamunia to determine their socio-economic status and also collect information on cropping patterns adopted and the productivity of major crops. Data were analyzed using simple descriptive statistics. It was observed that a majority of farmers (53.4%) belonged to middle age group i.e., 35-50 years with a literacy rate of 80%, but 61.2% farmers were below the poverty line and 80% were small and marginal farmers which indicate lower economic status. Keeping in mind the low yield levels, technical intervention in the form of quality seed material of major crops viz. wheat, lentil, moong, chickpea, potato and sugarcane were distributed among the farmers which were sown over 117.8 ha. These field trials were laid out with recommended package of practices in the field of stakeholders with the aim of wider dissemination at the village level itself. The average yield in demonstration plots of wheat, lentil, moong, chickpea, potato and sugarcane was 39.38, 13.34, 9.50, 14.33, 281.15 and 711.47 q/ha, respectively, which are significantly higher as compared to yields obtained from non-beneficiary farmers. The average percentage increase in yield was 50% for all crops with maximum increase in chickpea (142.5%) and minimum in case of sugarcane (4%). This clearly indicated that seed replacement by improved varieties along with improved management practices is essential to obtain higher yields which will enhance the farmer income and also improve nutritional security in the region.
Pages: 12-17 | 796 Views 95 Downloads
download (5720KB)
How to cite this article:
Dhiraj K Singh, Md. Monobrullah, A Raizada and Raushan Kumar. Enhancing food security of small and marginal farmers by technological interventions in East Champaran, Bihar. International Journal of Chemical Studies. 2019; 7(6): 12-17.
