Economic Analysis of Farming System in Western Plain Zone of Uttar Pradesh

Abstract

Farming system is a complex inter related matrix of soils, plants, implements~ animals, labour and capital. Farming system approach helps in poverty reduction, food • security, competitiveness and sustainability in production. It helps small and marginal • • farmers to generate more income and provides employment for family labourers during off-seasons. It includes livestock, poultry, fishery, duckery, mushroom production, apiculture; sericulture along with crop components through which total biomass production per unit area can be increased. Keeping in view the above facts, the present study entitled "Economic Analysis of Farming System in Western Plain Zone of Uttar Pradesh" was conceptualised and undertaken with the following specific objectives (i) To know the socio-economic profile of the respondent in the existing farming system (ii) To identify the existing farming system and work out their cost and returns in the study area (iii) To explore the possibilities of increasing income for farming system(iv) To identify constraints affecting the efficiency of existing farming system. The Western plain Zone of Uttar Pradesh was purposively selected as locale of the study consistsof nine districts, four districts selected purposively for the present study. From each of the selected districts, one block was selected randomly and than two villages from each block (total 8 villages) were selected randomly. After making the list of all farmers of the selected villages, keeping them in chronological order as per their holding, 25 farmers from each village and a total of 200 respondents were selected in probability proportion to their population. The socio economic factor identified were age, inc01Tie, education, type of family, size of holding, material possession, farm equipment, occupation, social participation, livestock population cropping pattern, cropping intensityand assets & · liabilities.The condition of large fanners was found better than to other category farmers because of large holding size, higher education level more assets and more • • • • • nun1ber of incorne sources, than that of n1ediun1, small and rnarginal farmers. In the study area 3 n1ajor farming system were identified i.e. sugarcane based, livestock based and cereal based'\ and within these three farming systen1s 23 sub farming system were also idcnti ficd, about 40 per cent respondents were adopted fanning system i.e. Sugarcane-t-livcstock+Cereals+Fodder under sugarcane based farming system (13), under livestock based (8) and (2) in cereal based farming system. In respect of the economics of the farming systemthe overall cost of cultivation of sugarcane wheat ' ' rice, sorghum and oat was estimated to be Rs.134160.74, 54325.0, 80814.0~ 40545.0 and 41217.30 with a net return of Rs.55209.86, 21466.79, 21062.76, 15653.1 and 4438 respectively. ,.fhe benefit ratio was found to be highest in sugarcane ( 1 : 1.41) and lowest in case of oat ( 1: 1.1 0). ,.fhe cost of rearing, net return and benefit cost ratio fron1 a Cow and Buffalo was found to be Rs. 47226.74 & 45881.00, Rs. 22279.00 & 24208.21 and 1:1.47 & I: 1.53 respectively. Atnong the n1ajor identified farn1ing systen1s Sugarcane +livestock -1- cereal -t- fodder was found n1ost appropriate on the basis of the return obtained per rupees of investtnent (B:C ratio) followed by Cereal + sugarcane + livestock -t- fodder -f- mustard and Livestock + cereal -t-fodder. A linear programn1ing (LP) tnodel was used to find out the optimal farn1 plan for optin1un1 allocation of the scare resources for n1axin1ization of net return for different categories of fan11ers. The return was 51, 16.21, 8.0 and 25 per cent higher in optin1un1 farn1 plan as con1pared to exiting farn1 plru1 on n1arginal, small, n1edium and large farn1s respectively. T'he overall net return was estin1atcd to be 26.77 per cent higher on optin1al plan than the existing. r['he farn1ers were !'acing 111any typeS of problenl in CrOP. ftll'llling. lt \VaS observed that highest numberof respondents 187 (93°/o) reported the problen1 of Fragn1entation and sub-division of land and lowest 61 (30.5o/o) respondents fl1cing the problen1 of l)clayed payment by markding agency. Simi !arty in livestock r~aring f·~mm: rs rl:portcd the problem of heat detection (91 %). and lowest of lack or organized milk marketing facilities in villages (28%).