Factors influencing the adoption of pressurized irrigation systems by the farmers of Jhalawar District of Rajasthan

Abstract

Water is fundamental for sustaining a quality life, as well as economic and social development of human society. Pressurized irrigation systems have revolutionized agriculture in many countries of the world. The essential characteristics of this system are frequent, slow and low volume application of water directly in the plant root zone or on the land surface beneath the plant. It is based on the fundamental concept of irrigation only at the root zone of the crop and maintaining the soil moisture near optimum level. The study focused on Factors influencing the Adoption of Pressurized Irrigation Systems of PIS user farmers in Jhalawar district of Rajasthan. The present study was conducted on the year 2021-2022 by the department of agricultural extension and communication, and the Jhalawar district was purposively selected for the study. Multistage random sampling technique was used in the selection of 380 PIS user farmers as a sample for the study. This study investigates the factors influencing the adoption of pressurized irrigation systems (PIS) among the farmers, analyzing various independent variables, including age, education, land holding, annual income, experience in farming, social participation, agricultural progressiveness, economic motivation, risk orientation, and irrigation potentiality. Using Pearson’s product moment correlation coefficient, the study examines the relationship between these factors and the extent of adoption PIS among 380 farmers. The study revealed that the age had non-significant association with the extent of adoption of pressurized irrigation systems. Meanwhile, land holding, annual income, experience in farming, social participation and economic motivation had positive and significant association but irrigation potentiality had negative and significant association with the extent of adoption of pressurized irrigation systems at 5 per cent level of probability. In addition to this, education, agricultural progressiveness and risk orientation had positive and significant association with the extent of adoption of pressurized irrigation systems at 1 per cent level of probability.