Case study on farming practices and constraints faced by farmers of lateritic belt of Birbhum district, West Bengal, India

Farmers in the lateritic belt of Birbhum district, West Bengal, India face significant agricultural constraints due to agro-climatic, infrastructural, technological, and socio-economic factors. This study conducted in three villages of lateritic belt of Birbhum district, aimed to analyse their farming practices, technologies adopted by them since green revolution, challenges faced and to identify potential solutions. Both qualitative and quantitative approach was adopted, using well-structured interviews with 90 farmers, 30 each from each 3 villages. The findings revealed that small and fragmented landholdings, dependence on erratic monsoon rainfall, poor soil nutrient status were major agro-climatic constraints. Infrastructural constraints included insufficient irrigation facilities and high costs of essential inputs. Among technological constraints, pest infestations causing the most significant yield losses and lack of proper technical assistance were the critical issues. Socio-economic constraints, such as low investment capacity and lower benefit-cost ratio, restricted the risk bearing ability of farmers for adopting new profitable practices. Farmers suggested several measures to mitigate these constraints, including employment guarantee during off-season, subsidy on inputs, short term credits, more crop insurance coverage, and targeted training programs for tackling increasing disease-pest problems. Strengthening irrigation infrastructure, promoting stress-tolerant and high-yielding varieties, promoting cooperative purchasing models for inputs were also suggested by the respondents. This study emphasizes the need for an integrated approach, combining financial support, technological interventions, and knowledge dissemination, to enhance agricultural productivity and profitability in the region.