Family Resources and Agricultural Skills as determinants of Farmer's Motivation in Rubber Cultivation in Kerala
14
Authors
-
Sowmya Sahadevan
Research Scholar, Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science and Higher Education for Women, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu- 641 043, India.
https://orcid.org/0009-0001-2066-7246
-
Malarvizhi Vaithiyanathan
Professor, Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science and Higher Education for Women, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu- 641 043, India.
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9731-1902
Keywords:
Agricultural skill; economic motivation; Kerala; Resource access; Rubber cultivation; Risk- stability motivationAbstract
The research analysed the factors affecting the motivation for rubber cultivation among 180 smallholder farmers in Kerala during 2025. The study was based on primary data collected from 180 farmers and data were analysed using Pearson correlation and hierarchical multiple regression. Results indicate that farmers demonstrated moderate-to-high motivation for rubber cultivation, with economic motivation averaging 3.73, whereas risk–stability motivation reflected a mean of 3.87 on a five-point scale. The resource ownership and control index appeared as the strongest indicator, having an appositive impact on both motivational dimensions, while the financial and institutional access index affected economic motivation only. Agricultural skills have a negative association with risk–stability motivation, suggesting skilled farmers are involved in rubber cultivation due to low perceived risk. Socio-demographic characteristics had limited impact, except gender, which affects economic motivation. The findings suggest that family resource access is the major driver of motivational outcome, whereas skill and demographic factors have limited roles. Policy interventions improving the resource access and converting skill into informed decision-making can strengthen sustainable and economically viable rubber cultivation.
References
Ellis, F. (2000). Rural livelihoods and diversity in developing countries. Oxford University Press.
Feder, G., Just, R. E., & Zilberman, D. (1985). Adoption of agricultural innovations in developing countries: A survey. Economic Development and Cultural Change, 33(2), 255-298. https://doi.org/10.1086/451461
Gordon, A. (2019). Smallholder commercial cultivation and the environment: Rubber in Southeast Asia. Asia's Environmental Crisis, 135-153. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429041877-6
Gowda C, M. J., Dolli, S. S., Dixit, S., Prasad D, M. V., & Saravanan, D. (2022). Farmers decision making pattern on agricultural innovations: A process analysis. Indian Journal of Extension Education, 58(2), 8-14. https://doi.org/10.48165/ijee.2022.58202
Kaiser, H. F. (1974). An index of factorial simplicity. Psychometrika, 39(1), 31-36. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf02291575
Kassie, M., Jaleta, M., Shiferaw, B., Mmbando, F., & Mekuria, M. (2013). Adoption of interrelated sustainable agricultural practices in smallholder systems: Evidence from rural Tanzania. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 80(3), 525-540. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2012.08.007
Mutyasira, V., Hoag, D., & Pendell, D. (2018). The adoption of sustainable agricultural practices by smallholder farmers in ethiopian Highlands: An integrative approach. Cogent Food & Agriculture, 4(1), 1552439. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311932.2018.1552439
Nain M. S., Singh Rashmi, Mishra J. R., Sharma J. P., Singh A. K., Kumar A., Gills R., & Suman R. S. (2019). Maximising farm profitability through entrepreneurship development and farmers’ innovations: feasibility analysis and action interventions. Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 89(6), 1044-49. https://doi.org/10.56093/ijas.v89i6.90833
Nain, M. S., Singh, R., Mishra, J. R., & Singh, A. K. (2024). Developing model for diffusion of farmers’ innovations for maximizing farm income: Indian agricultural research institute experiences. Indian Journal of Extension Education, 60(1), 105-110. https://doi.org/10.48165/ijee.2024.60120
Nunnally, J. C. (1978). Psychometric theory. McGraw-Hill Companies.
Pathak. S. (1992). Determinants of Management Behaviour of Farmers. Indian Journal of Extension Education, 28(3-4), 97-100.
Ravi, B., Dash, A., Mohanta, G., & Shukla, S. (2026). Psychological dimension of resource use in smallholder farming: Insights from credit access, landholding, and technology adoption in India. Acta Psychologica, 263, 106203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.106203
Suriansyah, Nurliza, Dolorosa, E., Rosyadi, & Suswati, D. (2024). Intention to transition: Natural rubber smallholders navigating the risks of farming. Sustainability, 16(5), 1765. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16051765
Vattekkad, R., Singh Jatav, S., Kunchu, P., Vallamala Krishnankutty, M., & Krishnan, M. (2025). Determinants of consumer perceptions towards value-added millet products in Kerala, India. Indian Journal of Extension Education, 61(4), 96-100. https://doi.org/10.48165/ijee.2025.61416
Vishnuprathap, M., Shilpa, V. K., & Karunakaran, N. (2024). Cobweb Phenomenon in Rubber Market of Kerala. Journal of Management Research and Analysis, 11(1), 30–32.
Wang, J., Jiang, H., & He, Y. (2023). Determinants of smallholder farmers’ income-generating activities in rubber monoculture dominated region based on sustainable livelihood framework. Land, 12(2), 281. https://doi.org/10.3390/land12020281
Submitted
Published
Data Availability Statement
Data is available with the corresponding author and will be provided on reasonable request
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Indian Society of Extension Education, Division of Agricultural ExtensionICAR- IARI, New Delhi
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
- The manuscripts once accepted and published in the Indian Journal of Extension Education will automatically become the property of the Indian Society of Extension Education, New Delhi. The Chief Editor on behalf of the Indian Journal of Extension Education holds the copyright.
How to Cite
