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This study is an attempt to identify the socioeconomic factors that affect farmers' decision-making process regarding the adoption of organic farming. A total of 100 (50 organic and 50 conventional) farmers were interviewed and their demographic, socioeconomic and ecological behaviour differences were studied. The behavioural analysis identified education, environmental concerns and social benefits as the prominent drivers of organic farming, while lack of government support in marketing, managerial and technical spheres as major constraints to its adoption. The probit model confirms that farmers with a smaller size of holding who are educated, younger and practice diversified cropping are more inclined towards organic farming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aims to ascertain farmers’ practices, challenges faced, and suggestions for scaling up crop diversification and sustainable agriculture in Punjab, India’s Granary. The results highlight that both organic and conventional farmers are grappling with similar challenges. However, a higher proportion of organic farmers cited difficulty in marketing, high labor requirement, low yield and low income as major challenges. Farmers offered several suggestions for scaling up production, resource access, and marketing facilitation. Valuable insights are offered into how ingenious low-cost solutions can alleviate resource-constrained conditions and state policymaking geared to create an enabling environment while engaging with farmers and stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the widely recognised environmental and human health benefits of organic and natural farming, its adoption in north-west India is quite low. Thus to know the status, cultural practices, inputs used, benefits, economic aspects and constraints of organic and natural farming, a geo-tagged survey of organic/natural farmers in five districts of Punjab in north-west India was conducted by Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana. Findings of the survey study revealed that adoption of organic/natural farming accelerated after the year 2005. Wheat (76.32%) and basmati rice (55.26%) were the major crops being grown by the farmers. Organic farmers were using farmyard manure, green manuring and vermicompost for soil health management besides liquid organic manures such as jeevamrit and vermiwash and buttermilk and botanicals viz. neem biopesticides, natural farming concoctions- agniastra and brahmastra for pest and disease management. Manual weeding was the predominant weed management practice adopted by more than 70 per cent of the farmers. It was found from the study that no farmer was practicing complete package of natural farming, but a few had integrated one or more practices of natural farming with organic farming practices. Farmers diverted their path towards organic/natural farming due to human health (32.89%) and environment concerns (39.47%). Lack of marketing facilities (60.53%) and labour-intensive nature of operations (59.21%) were found to be the major constraints in its adoption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving agricultural sustainability requires a comprehensive assessment of economic, social, and environmental dynamics. This assessment must be supported by scientifically validated indicators that measure all aspects of the system. This study aims to assess and compare the indicator-based farm sustainability of wheat farming in Punjab, India, under two farming systems: conventional farming (CF) and organic farming (OF). This study is based on cross-sectional data collected through a primary survey of 348 wheat growers (143 organics and 205 conventional). A multi-stage random sampling technique was used to collect the data. Based on the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) 2008 index construction methodology, a composite sustainability index (CSI), economic sustainability index (ESI), social sustainability index (SSI), and environmental sustainability index (EnSI) have been constructed. The study is motivated by the significant focus on wheat-rice monoculture in Punjab, which has led to declining agricultural growth, over-exploitation of groundwater, and excessive use of agro-chemicals, among other sustainability issues. The empirical results of CSI show that OF is more sustainable than CF in terms of environmental and social sustainability, whereas CF is economically more viable than OF. The study suggest that the government should adopt a balanced approach that encourages and promotes both farming systems simultaneously. To enhance the sustainability of CF, the focus should be on resource conservation technologies, farm practices and ensuring farmers' well-being, while financial incentives, educational opportunities, and market expansion are crucial for making OF more sustainable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]