FACTORS AFFECTING THE ADOPTION ON IMPROVED DRYING PRACTICES BY LARGE CARDAMOM FARMERS OF LAMJUNG DISTRICT

Large cardamom is one of the major cash crops of Nepal. The research was carried out during February-July 2023 AD to determine the factors affecting the adoption of improved drying practices by cardamom farmers at Lamjung, Nepal. Marsyandhi, Dordi and Dudhpokhari rural municipality. From the multi-stage sampling technique, 95 large cardamom cultivars were selected and personally interviewed for the collection of primary data. The binary logistic regression model was used to assess the various factors affecting the adoption of improved drying practices. The findings also revealed that the majority of the farmers 58.95% uses improved bhatties whereas 41.06% farmers still use traditional bhatties. Age, membership and training show a positive relationship with improved drying practice being statistically significant with 5%, 1% and 1% level of significance respectively. The adoption of improved drying practices of large cardamom was mostly driven by training. These results suggested that training and membership in any social organization should be strengthened to enhance the adoption of improved technology in post-harvest practices of large cardamom.