Profiling farmers’ socio-economic and agronomic attributes for climate resilience management in Marathwada

The present study was conducted during 2023–24 in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra to examine the profile characteristics of farmers. Out of the eight districts in the region, Nanded, Dharashiv, and Hingoli were purposively selected based on their significant climatic variability in terms of rainfall and temperature. Within each selected district, two tehsils were randomly chosen, resulting in a total of six tehsils. Further, two villages were randomly selected from each tehsil, and 15 farmers from each village were randomly chosen, making a total of 180 respondents. An ex-post facto research design was adopted, and data were collected using a pre-designed interview schedule. To ensure accuracy, validity, and completeness, farmers were personally contacted. Statistical tools such as frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation were employed for data analysis and interpretation. The findings revealed that the majority of farmers were middle-aged (58.89%) and educated up to the high school level (33.33%). Most farmers were small landholders (40.00%) and had a medium level of annual income (Rs.72,601 to Rs. 2,50,743) (75.00%). A majority had medium farming experience (54.44%) and relied on borewells as their primary source of irrigation (56.66%). The cropping pattern was found to be fair (67.22%). In terms of behavioral characteristics, most farmers exhibited a medium level of scientific orientation (55.00%), mass media exposure (58.89%), economic motivation (63.89%), risk orientation (65.56%), and awareness of climate-resilient agricultural (CRA) technologies (49.44%). Additionally, a medium level of farm mechanization (62.22%) and extension contact (61.67%) was observed among the respondents. These insights highlight the socio-economic and agronomic profile of farmers in the region, providing a foundation for developing targeted interventions to enhance their climate resilience management.