Rajnish, Renu Gangwar and D.K. Singh
Abstract
Organic farming in India is a traditional agricultural system that has gained renewed importance in recent years due to increasing concerns regarding environmental degradation, declining soil fertility and health hazards caused by excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Organic agriculture mainly avoids or excludes synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and sustainable crop production through natural methods. The Government of Uttar Pradesh is also promoting organic farming through the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY), which emphasizes climate-resilient and sustainable farming systems based on natural resources. Keeping these issues in view, the present study was conducted in Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh to examine the socio-economic, psychological and communication profile of organic farmers. The study was carried out in 16 purposively selected villages from Mohammadi and Behjam blocks of Lakhimpur Kheri district. Total of 128 farmers practicing organic farming were selected purposively. The study followed a descriptive research design and data were collected through a pre-tested interview schedule. The findings revealed that the majority (64.06%) of respondents belonged to the medium age group and most had educational qualification up to higher secondary level. About 42.18 % farmers belonged to the general caste category, while 58.59% had annual family income between 60,000 and 1,20,000. Half of the respondents were marginal farmers and a majority (50.78%) had four to five years of experience in organic farming. Most respondents showed medium levels of livestock possession (64.84%), mass media exposure (71.09%), information-seeking behaviour (84.37%), economic motivation (80.46%), social participation (48.43%) and risk orientation (62.50%).