Attitude of Farmers towards In-situ Water Conservation in Semi-Arid Regions of Tamil Nadu
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48165/IJEE.2024.60313Keywords:
Dryland, In-situ water conservation, Attitude, Pudukkottai and Tamil NaduAbstract
Water scarcity poses a significant challenge for farmers in dryland regions. The availability of water in these dryland areas greatly impacts crop cultivation and directly affects the livelihoods of farmers. As a result, preserving water resources is crucial for achieving successful crop cultivation. Scientists emphasize that in-situ water conservation is more effective than other methods. However, previous research has indicated that farmers have been reluctant to adopt in-situ water conservation (ISWC) practices Therefore, this study was conducted to analyse dryland farmers’ attitude towards ISWC practices in the Pudukkottai district. The data was collected from 120 participants during September October 2023. Statistical analysis techniques, such as the correlation, regression, and path analysis, were used to analyze the data. The results indicate that a majority of the farmers (53.33%) displayed a highly favourable attitude towards in-situ water conservation. Furthermore, variables such as cropping intensity, innovativeness, information seeking behaviour, cosmopoliteness, risk orientation, scientific orientation, awareness of soil erosion problems and accessibility of farm implements were found to have a positive association with the attitude towards in-situ water conservation. The policy implications include providing incentives to farmers who adopt water conservation measures and implementing effective training programs.
Downloads
References
Aladenola, O. O., & Adeboye, O. B. (2010). Assessing the potential for rainwater harvesting. Water Resources Management, 24, 2129-2137.
Ali, G. T., & Ghosh, S. (2018). Farmers’ participation in irrigation management and influencing factors in West Bengal. Indian Journal of Extension Education, 54(3), 67-72.
Ashoori, D., Bagheri, A., Allahyari, M. S., & Michailidis, A. (2016). Understanding the attitudes and practices of paddy farmers for enhancing soil and water conservation in Northern Iran. International Soil and Water Conservation Research, 4(4), 260- 266. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iswcr.2016.09.003
Ataei, P., Karimi, H., & Es’haghi, S. R. (2022). Socio-cognitive analysis of farmers’ water conservation behaviour: The case of the Kavar plain, Iran. Science Progress, 105(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/ 00368504221128777
Ataei, P., Karimi, H., Hallaj, Z., & Mottaghi Dastenaei, A. (2024). Risks and farmers’ behavior change towards water conservation: a study in the Southeast of Iran. Water Supply, 24(3), 723–737. https://doi.org/10.2166/ws.2024.032
Bagdi, G. L., & Joshi, U. (2018). People’s participation in implementation of soil and water conservation programme: case study of Antisar watershed in Kheda district of Gujarat. Indian Journal of Extension Education, 54(4), 74-83
Bagdi, G. L., & Kurothe, R. S. (2016). Attitude of farmers towards participation in watershed management programme: A case study. Indian Journal of Soil Conservation, 44(3), 327-331.
Chang, G., Wang, L., Meng, L., & Zhang, W. (2016). Farmers’ attitudes toward mandatory water-saving policies: A case study in two basins in northwest China. Journal of Environmental Management, 181, 455-464.
Chikwanha, O. C., Mupfiga, S., Olagbegi, B. R., Katiyatiya, C. L., Molotsi, A. H., Abiodun, B. J., Dzama, K., & Mapiye, C. (2021). Impact of water scarcity on dryland sheep meat production and quality: Key recovery and resilience strategies. Journal of Arid Environments, 190, 104511. https://doi.org/10.1016/ j.jaridenv.2021.104511
Faridi, A. A., Kavoosi-Kalashami, M., & Bilali, H. E. (2020). Attitude components affecting adoption of soil and water conservation measures by paddy farmers in Rasht County, Northern Iran. Land Use Policy, 99, 104885. https://doi.org/10.1016/ j.landusepol.2020.104885
Hiwarkar, G. R., Wakle, P. K., Gomase, A. S., & Lambe, S. P. (2014). Correlates of farmers’ knowledge of recommended water productivity practices. Indian Journal of Extension Education, 50(1&2), 100-102.
Jara-Rojas, R., Bravo-Ureta, B. E., & Díaz, J. (2012). Adoption of water conservation practices: A socioeconomic analysis of small scale farmers in Central Chile. Agricultural Systems, 110, 54- 62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2012.03.008
Jha, S., Kaechele, H., & Sieber, S. (2019). Factors influencing the adoption of water conservation technologies by smallholder farmer households in Tanzania. Water, 11(12), 2640.
Lian, X., Piao, S., Chen, A., Huntingford, C., Fu, B., Li, L. Z., Huang, J., Sheffield, J., Berg, A. M., Keenan, T. F., McVicar, T. R., Wada,
Y., Wang, X., Wang, T., Yang, Y., & Roderick, M. L. (2021). Multifaceted characteristics of dryland aridity changes in a warming world. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, 2(4), 232- 250.
Mandal, A., Acharya, S. K., & Haque, M. (2022). Socio-ecological factors influencing farmers’ perceptions on water management under conservation agriculture. Indian Journal of Extension Education, 58(3), 60-64.
Mukteshawar, R., Rohila, A. K., Malik, J. S., Kumar, A., & Kumar, R. (2022). Effect of personal characteristics of respondents on their perception towards over-exploitation of water resources. Indian Journal of Extension Education, 58(3), 147-150. https:// epubs.icar.org.in/index.php/IJEE/article/view/125127
Muthulakshmi, Y. R. (2020). Geo-spatial analysis of irrigation water quality of Pudukkottai district. Applied Water Science, 10, 82. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13201-020-1167-6
Oremo, F., Mulwa, R., & Oguge, N. (2019). Knowledge, attitude and practice in water resources management among smallholder irrigators in the Tsavo sub-catchment, Kenya. Resources, 8(3), 130.
Pagaria, P., Kantwa, S., & Das, S. (2018). Adoption of dry land crop (pearl millet) production technology by the farmers in Barmer district. Agriculture Update, 13(1), 81-83.
Rai, D., & K. Singh. (2016). Awareness, attitude and training needs of farmers about recommended practices in watershed development programme. Indian Research Journal of Extension Education, 8(3), 89-91.
Sathya Gopal, P. V., Sireesha, K., & Vijayabhinandana, B. (2014). Adaptation and mitigation measures for climate change by the dryland farmers. Current Biotica, 8(3), 278-287.
Sharafipour, L., & Ahmadvand, M. (2019). Determinants of water conservation behavior of wheat farmers in Arzooieh city using the theory of conservation motivation. Irrigation and Water Engineering of Iran, 10(38), 259–275.
Sharma, P., Kaur, L., Mittal, R., Kaur, S., & Kaur, S. (2018). Relationship of socio-economic characteristics with level of farmers’ awareness about climate change effect on water
resources. Indian Journal of Extension Education, 55(2), 26- 31. https://epubs.icar.org.in/index.php/IJEE/article/view/143728 Singh, R. B., & Kumar. A. (2015). Climate variability and water resource scarcity in drylands of Rajasthan, India. Geoenvironmental Disasters, 2(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1186/ s40677-015-0018-5
Stringer, L. C., Mirzabaev, A., Benjaminsen, T. A., Harris, R. M., Jafari, M., Lissner, T. K., Stevens, N., & Tirado-von der Pahlen, C. (2021). Climate change impacts on water security in global drylands. One Earth, 4(6), 851-864. https://doi.org/10.1016/ j.oneear.2021.05.010
Stroosnijder, L., Moore, D., Alharbi, A., Argaman, E., Biazin, B., & van den Elsen, E. (2012). Improving water use efficiency in drylands. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 4(5), 497-506.
Valizadeh, N., Bijani, M., & Abbasi, E. (2018). Farmers active participation in water conservation: insights from a survey among farmers in southern regions of West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology, 20, 895- 910.
Valizadeh, N., Bijani, M., Fallah Haghighi, N., Hayati, D., Bazrafkan, K., & Azadi, H. (2023). Conceptualization of farmers’ water conservation intention and behavior through the lens of economic man worldview: application of structural equation modeling. Water, 15(18), 3199.
Varua, M. E., Maheshwari, B., Ward, J., & Dave, S. (2017). Groundwater conservation attitudes, behaviour, and water management: The case of farmers in rural India. WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment, 220, 141-150.
Yazdanpanah, M., Feyzabad, F. R., Forouzani, M., Mohammadzadeh, S., & Burton, R. J. F. (2015). Predicting farmers’ water conservation goals and behavior in Iran: a test of social cognitive theory. Land Use Policy, 47, 401–407.
Yohannes, D. F., Ritsema, C., Solomon, H., Froebrich, J., & Van Dam, J. (2017). Irrigation water management: Farmers’ practices, perceptions and adaptations at Gumselassa irrigation scheme, North Ethiopia. Agricultural Water Management, 191, 16-28.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
