Adoption Behavior and Outcomes of KVK-Led Capacity-Building Interventions for Vegetable Cultivation in Areas Affected by SalineIrrigation Water in Western Rajasthan, India

Abstract

Soil salinity poses a significant challenge to agricultural productivity, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions where vegetable cultivation is vulnerable to stress conditions. This study examined adoption behavior and farm-level outcomes associated with capacity-building interventions implemented by ICAR-CAZRI, KVK, Pali, Rajasthan. A multistage sampling design was used to select
120 farmers, comprising 60 trained farmers who participated in KVK-led capacity-building activities and 60 untrained
farmers who did not participate during the study period. The composite adoption index among trained farmers increased
from 32.4% before participation to 78.6% after completion of the relevant intervention activities. The pre–post comparison
indicates a marked within-group change, but because participation was not randomly assigned and comparable baseline and post-intervention observations were not available for the untrained group, the change should not be interpreted as definitive causal evidence of program impact but were treated as indicative. Among individual practices, adoption gains were greatest for drip irrigation (55.0%), salt-tolerant varieties (54.2%), raised-bed cultivation (53.7%), mulching (53.3%) and integrated nutrient management (50.2%). The study also identified major capacity-building needs and constraints under Learning, Extension and Institutional (LEI) components. Trained farmers recorded higher mean yield, gross returns, net returns and benefit–cost ratio than the untrained comparison group. The findings provide field-level evidence of differences in adoption and economic outcomes 
associated with KVK-led capacity-building in areas affected by saline irrigation water, while highlighting the need for controlled longitudinal studies to establish causal effects.