An Assessment on the Knowledge Level of Farmers regarding Paddy Straw Management in Ludhiana, Punjab

Managing paddy straw in conservation agriculture is crucial for long term sustainability of agriculture. Rice straw, which is often scattered or burned in the fields, serves multiple purposes like mushroom production, fuel for cooking, ruminant fodder, stable bedding, and paper making. The study has put forth the knowledge level of farmers regarding paddy straw management. The present study was carried out in the Ludhiana district of Punjab purposively on the basis of availability of rice growers using multistage sampling technique with 100 respondents. The study revealed that 47 per cent belong to middle age group ranging from 35-50 years. Among all, 39 per cent of the farmers have completed senior secondary education. Agriculture was the major occupation of the respondents. It has been reported that more than half of the farmers belonged to nuclear families and majority of farmers had small sized family of 2 to 5 members. The operational land holding data of the respondents was categorized into marginal, small, semi-medium, medium and large categories and the majority of farmers have large land holdings of more than 25 acres. Notably, maximum respondents demonstrated a medium knowledge level regarding paddy straw management. The overall result regarding paddy straw management indicates a mixed level of awareness. While the majority of farmers were knowledgeable about certain aspects such as preferred rice variety for extending time period for straw management and the use of a baler. The study established a positive and highly significant relationship between knowledge level and and factors like education and training.