Adoption of soil nutrient testing for resource management: A study of farmers’ perception

The study attempted to understand the farmers’ perception regarding the adoption of soil nutrient testing for resource management in agriculture and how the adoption level varies with age groups, landholding sizes, and income groups. An exploratory research study was undertaken and farmers’ responses were recorded using a well-structured, disguised questionnaire. From eight villages in two major districts of Punjab, a total of 150 farmers were selected as respondents. These respondents belonged to different age groups, landholding sizes, and income groups to represent the whole population effectively. It was found that most of the respondents were aware of the ill effects of excessive usage of fertilizers, but still practiced fertilizer inputs based on their-personal experiences instead of using any technical advice established. Young and middle-aged farmers, farmers belonging to semi-medium and medium landholding sizes and medium income groups had higher adoption levels as compared to others. Approximately 50 per cent of the respondents were not using soil nutrient testing while 35 per cent of the total respondents used the technology more than once. Age, landholding sizes, and-income groups had a significant effect on the perception of respondents towards the adoption of soil nutrient-testing for resource management.