Extent of Farmer Participation in the Tribal Sub Plan in Udham Singh Nagar District of Uttarakhand, India

Farmer participation plays a pivotal role in the successful implementation of government programmes, particularly those targeting marginalized communities. The Tribal Sub Plan (TSP) is a focused initiative aimed at improving the socio-economic conditions of tribal farmers through agricultural support, input distribution, training, and livelihood diversification. The present study was conducted in Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttarakhand, with a purposive sample of 400 tribal farmers drawn from TSP-covered villages. Data were collected using a structured interview schedule to assess the extent of farmer participation across different stages of the programme, including planning, resource utilization, execution, and evaluation. The findings revealed that a majority of farmers exhibited medium to high levels of participation in resource utilization and capacity-building activities, while comparatively lower participation was observed in planning and decision-making stages. Correlation analysis indicated that education, socio-economic status, extension contact, and economic motivation were positively and significantly associated with farmer participation, whereas age exhibited a negative relationship. The study underscores the need to enhance farmer participation in the Tribal Sub Plan through greater involvement of local institutions, strengthening of extension services, timely input delivery, and inclusion of farmers in planning and monitoring processes. Such participatory approaches are essential to ensure that the TSP effectively achieves its objectives of tribal empowerment and sustainable agricultural development.