Socio-economic determinants influencing the rice-based farming system practices of farm women in North Bihar, India

Abstract

In India, Agriculture serves as the mainstay for a huge number of people. The present study aims to determine the factors influencing participation of farm women in rice-based farming activities in rural areas of Bihar. The research was undertaken in Samastipur district of Bihar state, where a total of 160 rural women farmers were selected through a simple random sampling method. The present study examines the relationship between women's participation in rice-based farming systems and various independent variables, as well as the predictive strength of these variables. The results revealed that possession of agricultural implements, involvement in decision making, adoption of rice production technologies and women’s contribution were positively and significantly associated with their participation in rice-based farming activities. In contrast, factors such as age, education, size of family, social participation, landholding size, income and overall socio-economic status showed a significant negative correlation with their level of participation.