A STUDY ON FARMERS PERCEPTION TOWARDS CULTIVATION OF ORGANIC PRODUCE IN COIMBATORE Anish. K & Ramachandran K. K. GRD Institute of Management, Dr. G.R.D. College of Science, Coimbatore India * Corresponding author email: anishkannan@gmail.com ABSTRACT Soil biology scientists began in the late 1800s and early 1900s to develop theories on how new advancements in biological science could be used in agriculture as a way to remedy these side effects, while still maintaining higher production. In the developing world, many producers farm according to traditional methods which are comparable to organic farming but are not certified and may or may not include the latest scientific advancements in organic agriculture. The study is to find the problems related to cost, net return, and the existing problems in cultivating organic crops that has been compared with the advantages of non-organic method cultivation carried out. The objectives are to examine the perspective of the farmers towards organic farming, to find out the cultivation practices, cost and returns for their efforts in organic farming and finally, to identified the market demand for their produces and problems faced by the farmers during organic cultivation. The farmers who cultivate organic food products at least in one acre of land with a minimum of 2 years of continuous experience in cultivation in the outskirts of the Coimbatore which is under the vicinity of the researcher to collect the data has been considered for the study. 50 farmers have been selected purposively. Tools used for the study are Percentage analysis, Weighted Average and Chi-Square Test are applied. KEYWORDS: Organic, Farming, Farmer, Perception, Satisfaction INTRODUCTION Soil biology scientists began in the late 1800s and early 1900s to develop theories on how new advancements in biological science could be used in agriculture as a way to remedy these side effects, while still maintaining higher production. Albert Howard is widely considered to be the "father of organic farming", because he was the first to apply scientific knowledge and principles to these various traditional and more natural methods. Increasing environmental awareness in the general population in modern times has transformed the originally supply-driven organic movement to a demanddriven one. Premium prices and some government subsidies attracted farmers. In the developing world, many producers farm according to traditional methods which are comparable to organic farming but are not certified and may or may not include the latest scientific advancements in organic agriculture. Hayami, Ruttan(1971) made a study on Agricultural development- an international perspective. The concluded fact is that the success in agricultural growth, is based on an ecologically adapted and economically viable agricultural technology which involves a continuous adaptation to available resources as well as a positive response by cultural, economic and political forces. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM An overview of the various studies shows most of the studies pertaining to cultivation of inorganic methods. Very few studies have discussed about the organic farming in Coimbatore is identified. The study is to find the problems related to cost, net return, and the existing problems in cultivating organic crops that has been compared with the advantages of non-organic method cultivation carried out. The present study could help farmers, traders, and others such as NGOs / Environmental concerned will benefit on this behalf. Besides, the study also would help the government and policy makers in better understanding of the present way of organic Therefore, it is clear that whether the result of the analysis would help the farmers to assess their cost and returns due to organic OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The objectives are To examine the farmers perspective towards organic To find out the practices, investment and returns for their efforts in organic To identified the market demand for their produces and problems faced by the farmers during organic cultivation. FRAMEWORK OF HYPOTHESES There is no significant variance between demographics There is no significant variance between demographics 285
Farmers perception towards cultivation of organic produce METHODOLOGY This study is an empirical research based on survey method. Both primary and secondary data have been used in this study. Required primary data have been collected with pre-tested, will structured and non-disguised interview schedules from the farmers and village traders. Required secondary data have been collected from the Directorate of Economics and Statistics of Government wed site, Season and Crop Report of Government of Tamil Nadu, The sample size of the present study is 62 farmers. The farmers who cultivate organic food products at least in one acre of land with a minimum of 2 years of continuous experience in cultivation in the outskirts of the Coimbatore which is under the vicinity of the researcher to collect the data has been considered for the study. 50 farmers have been selected purposively. During data editing process, 12 interview schedules were not considered for the data analysis due because there were few information that were not matching the study and vague data. Hence, the final sample size was concluded to 50 farmers. This study has the following limitations: LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY This study confined to the farmers cultivating in the outskirts of the Coimbatore city limits who are residing in the accessible vicinity of the researcher. Hence, the generalization of the results is restricted. The farmers are not in the habit of maintaining a detailed methodological records regarding cost, return and price in their cultivation and promotion. Hence the information might be subjected to recall bias. The size of the sample is restricted. Therefore, the limitations of a restricted sample size are applicable to the present study. DEMOGRAPHICS Demographics of the respondents are classified based on their age, gender, marital status, educational qualification, family size, place of residence, economic status and their type of consumption of food that are presented in the table below: Sl. No. DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONDENTS BY THEIR DEMOGRAPHICS Demographics Respondents (50 Nos.) Percentage (100%) 01. Age 20 to 30 6 12.00 30 to 40 15 30.00 40 to 50 14 28.00 More than 50 15 30.00 02.. Gender Male 48 96.00 Female 2 4.00 03. Marital Status Married 46 92.00 Unmarried 4 8.00 04. Educational Qualification No formal education 4 8.00 Primary / Secondary 20 40.00 Higher secondary 9 18.00 Diploma 5 10.00 Graduation 11 22.00 Others 1 2.00 05. Family Size 1 to 4 members 14 28.00 4 to 6 members 32 64.00 Above 5 members 4 8.00 06. Place of residence Urban 4 8.00 Semi-urban 21 42.00 Rural 25 50.00 286
07. Economic Status Below Rs.20000 35 70.00 Rs.20000 to 40000 10 20.00 Rs.40000 to 50000 5 10.00 08. Type of Food Only Vegetarian 20 40.00 Both veg and non-veg 30 60.00 Source: Primary Data The above table shows that maximum (30%) of the respondents belong to the age more than 50 years, another 30% of the respondents belong to the age between 30 and 40 years, 28% of the respondents belong to the age from 40 to 50 years and the remaining 12% of the respondents belong to the age between 20 and 30 years. None of the respondents belong to the age below 20 years. It is evident that majority (96%) of the respondents are male and 4% of the respondents are female. Majority (92%) of the respondents are married and 8% of the respondents are unmarried. When comparing the educational status, maximum (40%) of the respondents have qualified upto primary / secondary levels, 22% of the respondents were graduates, 18% of the respondents are having higher secondary qualification, 10% of the respondents are diploma holders, 8% of the respondents do not have any formal education and the remaining 2% of the respondents are having other qualifications. It is understood that most (64%) of the respondents are having 4 to 6 members in their family, 28% of the respondents are having 1 to 4 members in their family and the remaining 8% of the respondents are having above 5 members in their family. It is evident that half (50%) of the respondents are living in rural areas, 42% of the respondents are living in semi-urban areas and the remaining 8% of the respondents are living in urban areas. It is found that majority (70%) of the respondents are having income below Rs.20000 per month, while 20% of the respondents are having between Rs.20000 and 40000 per month and the remaining 10% of the respondents are having between Rs.40000 and 50000 per month. It is observed that most (60%) of the respondents consume both type of food like Vegetarian and Non-Vegetarian and 40% of the respondents consume only vegetarian food. DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONDENTS OPINION ABOUT ORGANIC FARMING Sl. No. Opinion on Organic Farming Respondents (50 Nos.) Percentage (100%) 01. Opinion about using organic foods User 24 48.00 Non-user 26 52.00 02. Experience in Organic farming Less than 10 years 13 26.00 10 to 15 years 26 52.00 More than 15 years 11 22.00 03. Land used in organic farming Less than 2 acres 11 22.00 2 to 5 acres 23 46.00 5 to 10 acres 8 16.00 More than 10 acres 8 16.00 04. Type of Crop Cultivation Cash Crop 20 40.00 Food Crop 30 60.00 05. Manuring Plant Materials 1 2.00 Others 49 98.00 Source : Primary Data 287
Farmers perception towards cultivation of organic produce More than half (52%) of the respondents are non -users of organic foods and 48% of the respondents are users of organic foods. It is understood that most (52) of the respondents are having experience in organic farming between 10 and 15 years, 26% of the respondents are having experience less than 10 years and the remaining 22% of the respondents are having experience more than 10 years in organic It is clear that maximum (46%) of the respondents were using between 2 and 5 acres of land for their organic farming, 22% of the respondents are using less than 2 acres for their organic farming, and the remaining 16% each of the respondents were using 5 to 10 acres and more than 10 acres for their organic Most (60%) of the respondents are engaged in cultivating food crops and 40% of the respondents are engaged in cultivating cash crop during cultivation. Majority (98%) of the respondents are using other organic fertilizers for cultivation of crops and the remaining 2% of the respondents are using plant material for their organic cultivation. LEVEL OF SATISFACTION TOWARDS FARMING OF ORGANIC PRODUCTS Organic Farming Highly Satisfied Satisfied Dissatisfied No. % No. % No. % Investment 17 34.00 27 54.00 6 12.00 Yield 2 4.00 29 58.00 19 38.00 Demand 8 16.00 22 44.00 20 40.00 Expenses 8 16.00 12 24.00 30 60.00 Risk 12 24.00 15 30.00 23 46.00 Subsidy 5 10.00 16 32.00 29 58.00 Source : Primary Data It is found from the above table that more than half (54%) of the respondents are satisfied investing towards farming their organic products, while 34% of the respondents are highly satisfied and the remaining 12% of the respondents are dissatisfied with regards to investing in farming the organic It is clear that most (58%) of the respondents are satisfied with regards to demand for their organic products, while 4% of the respondents are highly satisfied and the remaining 38% of the respondents are dissatisfied towards demand for their organic It is evident that maximum (44%) of the respondents are satisfied towards expenses incurred for their organic products, while 40% of the respondents are dissatisfied towards expenses incurred for their organic products and the remaining 16% of the respondents are highly satisfied. It is found that less than half (46%) of the respondents are dissatisfied towards risk factors involved in producing organic products, while 30% of the respondents are satisfied towards managing the risk factors while producing organic products and the remaining 24% of the respondents are highly satisfied. It is found that more than half (58%) of the respondents are dissatisfied towards the subsidy they receive while producing organic products, 32% of the respondents are satisfied and the remaining 10% of the respondents are highly satisfied with regards to subsidy they received for producing organic ANOVA H0 : There is no significant variance between demographics DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE RESPONDENTS AND SATISFACTION TOWARDS ORGANIC FARMING Demographics Age Gender Marital Status Groups Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig. Between Groups 9.230 3 3.077 Within Groups 157.190 46 3.417 0.900 0.448 Between Groups 13.441 1 13.441 Within Groups 152.979 48 3.187 4.217 0.045 Between Groups 4.007 1 4.007 Within Groups 162.413 48 3.384 1.184 0.282 288
Educational Qualification Family Size Economic Status Place of Living Source : Computed Between Groups 17.054 5 3.411 Within Groups 149.366 44 3.395 Between Groups 28.344 2 14.172 Within Groups 138.076 47 2.938 Between Groups 1.277 2.639 Within Groups 165.143 47 3.514 Between Groups 3.624 2 1.812 Within Groups 162.796 47 3.464 1.005 0.426 4.824 0.012 0.182 0.834 0.523 0.596 Results show that the variance between demographics of the respondents and their satisfaction towards organic farming Based on the satisfaction of the respondents towards Age (F = 0.900, Sig. = 0.448) had a no significant variance with the level of satisfaction towards organic farming, followed by marital status, ( F = 1.184, Sig. = 0.282), Educational Qualification (F = 1.005, Sig. = 0.426), Economic Status (F = 0.182, Sig. = 0.834) and finally, Place of living, (F = 0.523, Sig. = 0.596) which are not found to be significant ant the null hypothesis is accepted. Whereas, satisfaction of the respondents towards Gender ( F = 4.217, Sig. = 0.045) and Family Size ( F = 4.824, Sig. = 0.012) are found to have significant variance with the satisfaction towards organic farming and the null hypothesis is rejected. CHI-SQUARE TEST H0 : There is no significant variance between demographics EXPERIENCE IN ORGANIC FARMING AND TYPE OF CROP CULTIVATED Experience in organic farming Less than 10 years 10 to 15 years More than 15 years Total Source: Computed Type of crop cultivated Cash Crop Food Crop Total 1 12 13 5.2 7.8 13.0 13 13 26 10.4 15.6 26.0 6 5 11 4.4 6.6 11.0 20 30 50 20.0 30.0 50.0 RESULTS Chi-Square Value : 7.707 Degree of Freedom : 2 Table Value : 5.991 Result : Significant The result of the chi-square test reveals that the calculated chisquare value (7.707) is more than the table chi-square value (5.991) at 5% level of significance (P<0.021) and therefore, the relationship between Experience of the respondents and Type of crop cultivated is significant. Thus, the hypothesis is that the relationship between the two factors holds good. Hence, the null hypothesis is rejected. SUMMARY OF RESULTS DEMOGRAPHICS It is found that maximum (30%) of the respondents belong to the age more than 50 years, It is evident that majority (96%) of the respondents are male Majority (92%) of the respondents are married Maximum (40%) of the respondents have qualified upto primary / secondary levels, 289
Farmers perception towards cultivation of organic produce Most (64%) of the respondents are having 4 to 6 members in their family, Half (50%) of the respondents are living in rural areas, Majority (70%) of the respondents are having income below Rs.20000 per month Most (60%) of the respondents consume both type of food like Vegetarian and Non-Vegetarian OPINION ABOUT ORGANIC FARMING More than half (52%) of the respondents are non-users of organic foods Most (52%) of the respondents are having experience in organic farming between 10 and 15 years Maximum (46%) of the respondents were using between 2 and 5 acres of land for their organic farming Most (60%) of the respondents are engaged in cultivating food crops Majority (98%) of the respondents are using other organic fertilizers for cultivation of crops SATISFACTION ON FARMING OF ORGANIC PRODUCTS It is found from the above table that more than half (54%) of the respondents are satisfied investing towards farming their organic Most (58%) of the respondents are satisfied with regards to demand for their organic Maximum (44%) of the respondents are satisfied towards expenses incurred for their organic Less than half (46%) of the respondents are dissatisfied towards risk factors involved in producing organic products and finally, it is found that more than half (58%) of the respondents are dissatisfied towards the subsidy they receive while producing organic ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE Therefore, it is concluded that there is no significant variance between the demographics such as Age, Marital Status, Educational Qualification, Economic Status and place of living and the null hypothesis is accepted, whereas, there is significant variance between the demographics viz. gender, family size and their level of satisfaction towards organic farming and the null hypothesis is rejected. CHI-SQUARE TEST It is inferred that the relationship between Experience of the respondents and Type of crop cultivated is significant and the null hypothesis is rejected. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS The farmers have orally communicated that there is no much profit and their sales volume is lower than what they expected. Few of the respondents have opined that the price of the raw material for organic farming is quite high, while the producers get lesser price whereas the retailers benefit more than them. Some of the farmers felt that the labour cost is not compensating their profit margin and some of the farmers felt that to produce non-organic products and realize greater margin than adopting to organic Many of the farmers have problems with regards to water scarcity. SUGGESTIONS AND CONCLUSION Hence, it is suggested that the government organizations, NGOs, organic promoters shall take initiative in solving the sales problems and fetch them the price they expect for their produce. The raw material for organic farming shall be centralized and shall encourage the farmers by providing organic seeds in subdized costs. Greater margin and procuring of organic crops shall be adopted by the government and retailers to motivate the farmers to bring out more organic cultivation. Water scarcity shall be addressed by providing necessary supply during the monsoon failures. It is concluded that the government initiative, NGOs promotion and the organic promoters responsibility to promote the organic farming and bring out more good resources to the society by gradually converting each and every farmer to build a healthy society in the near future. REFERENCES [1] Ajzen, I. 1991. Theory of planned behavior Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 50:179-211. [2] Batte, Marvin T, J. Beaverson, and N. Hooker. 2003. Organic food labels: A customer intercept survey of central Ohio food shoppers. OSU AED Economics 38:1-10. [3] Eischen, Emily, P. Prasertsri, and S. Sirikeratikul. 2006. Thailand organic products Thailand's organic outlook. In Global Agriculture Information Network, edited by R. Nicely. Bangkok: USDA Foreign Agricultural Service. [4] Fotopoulos, Christos, and A. Krystallis. 2002. Purchasing motives and profile of the Greek organic consumer: a countrywide survey. British Food Journal 104 (9):730-765. [5] Ghorbani, M, and S Hamraz. 2009. A survey on factors affective on consumer's potential willingness to pay for organic products in Iran. Trends in Agriculture Economics 2 (1):10-16. [6] Magistris, T., and A. Gracia. 2008. The decision to buy organic food products in Southern Italy. British Food Journal 110 (9):929-947. 290
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