Constraints and strategies of smallholder farmers for successful protected cultivation of capsicum: A critical appraisal

The study was framed to assess the challenges/constraints in protected cultivation of capsicum by small holder farmers in Karnataka state, India and provide strategies for sustained profitability. Ex-post-facto research design was followed for conducting study in three districts (Bangalore Rural, Bangalore Urban and Chickballapur) of Karnataka. From each district, 50 smallholders capsicum cultivation farmers under protected cultivation were selected through purposive random sampling, constituting 150 respondents. Garrett’s ranking technique was adopted to analyse the constraints faced by the farmers in the study area. The various constraints experienced by the farmers were broadly grouped in to production constraints, market constraints, financial constraints, technological constraints, institutional constraints, weather-based constraints, health and labour constraints. These finding demonstrated urgent need to intervene towards the constraints experienced by the smallholder capsicum grows under protected cultivation, which not only ensures to get stable income but also sustain their livelihoods.