Adoption of Improved Technologies for Cropping Intensification in the Coastal Zone of West Bengal, India: A Village Level Study for Impact Assessment

Abstract

This study evaluates the impact of improved agricultural technologies that were introduced in selected areas of coastal West Bengal (India) during 2016-2018 to demonstrate their ability to improve the agricultural, social and economic status of farming communities in the study region. The study employed participatory innovation tree (PIT) exercise followed by a questionnaire survey at Rangabelia and Jatirampur villages under Rangabelia gram panchayat, Gosaba Community Development Block of South 24 Parganas district, West Bengal, India. The demonstrated technologies were: Tech. 1, introduction of post-monsoon relay crop lathyrus in medium-up and medium-lowland by adjusting date of sowing of rice varieties; Tech. 2, water saving options (drip irrigation + straw mulch) in high value post-monsoon crop tomato, and Tech. 3, zero tillage and mulching techniques for different potato cultivars. Eighteen impact indicators (II) were identified by PIT exercises on all three technologies and included in an interview schedule. Analyzed data revealed that amongst the eighteen IIs, better yield (II-8) had the highest sensitivity towards adoption of Tech. 1. Less water requirement (II-2) showed highest sensitivity for the adoption of Tech. 2. Both the above-mentioned indicators were equally sensitive for the adoption of Tech. 3. All three technologies mostly reduced the fertilizer application, increased the system productivity, net return and benefit: cost ratio over farmers’ conventional practices. Although all three technologies demonstrated almost equal values of sustainable yield index (SYI), based on lowest standard deviation (σ) of respective yield values, the Tech. 1 could be considered as most sustainable in the study location.