Adoption and Socio-economic Benefits of Baler for Agricultural Crop Residue Management

Description

Page: 256-259

Jatesh Kathpalia¹, Rashmi Tyagi², Anil Kumar Saroha³, and Rijul Sihag⁴ (Department of Sociology, CCSHAU, Hisar, Haryana^1,2,4 and Department of FMPE, CCSHAU, Hisar, Haryana³)

To solve the problem of crop residue in the combined harvested fields in Haryana, farmers are adopting a straw baler farm machine for collecting and baling paddy straw. Farmers are becoming more technologically aware, and this has led to a steady increase in the area under baler machines which is beneficial for the farmers. Keeping in mind the benefits of straw baler a study was carried out in the Kaithal district of Haryana state among 80 adopter farmers and results revealed that fifty percent of the farmers had a medium adoption level while 27.50 percent of the respondents had a low adoption level, additionally, 22.50 percent of the respondents reported a high adoption level. Notably, age was found to be significant at a chi-square value of 10.25*, education was also significant (17.31*), and Subsidiary occupation, annual income, mass media exposure, and socio-economic status were also found significant. A significant number, (32.50%) of the respondents, acknowledged improvements in health, education, and entertainment after adopting a baler. Additionally, 31.25 percent of the respondents reported an increase in their participation in social organizations and activities. One-fourth of the respondents mentioned experiencing enhanced decision-making abilities.