Assessing the Adoption Level of Recommended Technologies and Finding the Major Causes of Decline in Darjeeling Mandarin Cultivation

The Darjeeling mandarin is the major cash crop for hill ecosystem of West Bengal. But the cultivation of mandarin is gradually declining due to diverse bio-physical and socio-economic stresses. The farmers in the region expressed their helplessness orientation towards continuation of mandarin cultivation and shifting to alternative farm and non-farm activities. The present study was conducted to understand the field level scenario on extent of decline in different mandarin growing belt of Darjeeling and Kalimpong hills. The study tried to understand the adoption level of recommended technologies and the major causes of decline. Total five hundred farmers were surveyed over a period of three years from 2017–2020. The findings revealed significant loss of area under mandarin crop from 40 to 90 per cent and even complete disappearance in few areas from the traditional agro-ecosystem. The adoption level of recommended technologies was very poor with mean adoption score of 1.47 in a scale of 3. The farmers perceived problem of insect and disease problem (3.57) as major technological factors, emergence of new pest and diseases with changing climate (2.48) as major climatic factors, non-adoption of scientific mandarin cultivation technologies (2.79) as major social factor, poor economic condition of farmers (MS=2.73) as major economic factor and poor access to private as well public extension service as major institutional factor (2.90) for the present crisis in mandarin cultivation. Therefore, the policy makers should take into account these diverse factors in mind before formulating any technology outreach programme or re-plantation drive for revival of Darjeeling mandarin cultivation in the region.