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Plant Science Today (PST)

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Early Access

Adoptability and profitability of Conservation Agriculture based Sustainable Intensification (CASI) technology in paddy by the farmers in Bihar

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.8995
Submitted
21 April 2025
Published
21-08-2025
Versions

Abstract

Although conservation agriculture practices have been used and promoted for over a decade, farmers have only recently truly embraced and adopted the technologies. The study was conducted on 160 farmers in Bihar using multistage sampling technique with the primary objective of examining the level of technology adoption and comparing the profitability of conservation agriculture using Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) Cost Concept. Garrett Ranking technique was used for the study of constraints in adoption of Conservation Agriculture based Sustainable Intensification (CASI) technology. Adoption of conservation agriculture is still in its infancy in Bihar. As of late, zero tillage and conservation agriculture have been implemented on wide areas. Conservation agriculture technology was found to be embraced by roughly 39 per cent of farmers, with marginal and small farmers having the lowest adoption rates, followed by semi-medium farmers. For every rupee spent in paddy, adopters of conservation agriculture typically made 52 paisa more than conventional farmers due to decreased explicit cultivation costs (hired labour, irrigation, seeds, etc.). Comparing conservation agricultural technique to traditional cultivation methods, the average total costs in paddy decreased by 18.42 %. The major constraints reported by farmers in adoption of CASI include high weed emergence and untimely ZT (Zero Tillage) machine service provision. The implementation of conservation agriculture technology has the potential to improve living standards by reducing cultivation expenses and increasing net revenue for farmers.

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