Paddy Stubble Management: A Study on Farmers’ Opinions

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to examine the paddy straw management practices by farmers amidst the various difficulties faced by them in terms of machinery, resources, etc. The study was conducted in Rohtak district of Haryana (India). A well-structured interview schedule was formulated and one hundred farmers were interviewed accordingly. Simple random sampling technique was adopted for the selection of twenty paddy growing farmers from each of the blocks viz. Rohtak, Sampla, Meham, Lakhan Majra and Kalanaur of the selected district. The data was analysed, tabulated and the results were drawn using the statistical tools of SPSS and MS Excel. The Chi-square test was used to establish the relation between the paddy straw management technologies and the reasons for non-adoption of these technologies. It is found that maximum number of farmers are marginal land holders. Many farmers are unaware of the conservation techniques to manage paddy stubble viz. use of decomposers, etc. The high cost and low availability of paddy stubble management machinery also plague the farmers. The results of the study help in understanding the behaviours of farmers towards tackling the paddy stubble. Also, useful inputs can be drawn to design, manufacture and adopt the agricultural implements for stubble management. The study is based on a sample of just hundred farmers and is limited to Rohtak district only. Nevertheless, the study is valuable for it comprehensively interrelates the myriad aspects of paddy stubble management in the stubble burning prone area of Rohtak.