Farmers’ Perception and Adoption of Abiotic Stress Tolerant Rice Varieties in Rain-fed Lowlands of North Eastern Uttar Pradesh

Abstract

The study is based on field level data collected from submergence-prone areas of rain fed lowlands of eastern Uttar Pradesh. Two districts viz. Gorakhpur and Siddharthnagar were selected purposively on basis area and production. The ultimate sample size was 120 farmer households. Qualitative and quantitative information on rice production practices for the kharif season of 2015-16 was collected using structured interview schedules.Farmers were asked to compare the relative performance of improved and traditional varieties being grown in the village. The varietal diversity index (VDI) was employed to know rice varietal diversity at farm level in the region.An analysis of farmers’ preferences and perceptions showed that majority of sample farmers cultivating Sarjoo-52 (89%) and Kalanamak (100%) preferred these varieties for their good eating quality. However, Swarna Sub-1 and Samba Masuri Sub-1 were preferred by majority of farmers (84 per cent) for higher yield performance during field submergence conditions.