Study on factors influencing the adoption of drip irrigation by farmers in humid tropical Kerala, India

Adoption of drip irrigation in Kerala State of India is very low and potential exists to increase its adoption in the State. A field survey was conducted in two districts to determine the major factors influencing farmers’ adoption of drip irrigation and to draw conclusions that will help in developing policy and institutional interventions to encourage the adoption. The results indicated that adoption index of farmers is higher in Kozhikode, when compared with the Thrissur district. However, with respect to different crops, adoption index is not statistically significant. Socioeconomic characteristics such as age, education, experience, land holding size, etc. have a positive influence on drip irrigation adoption index by farmers. Farmers have realized yield improvement in the range of about 13% to 47% through drip irrigation, when compared to surface method of irrigation for arecanut, coconut and nutmeg. High productivity and income from cultivation of crops like coconut, arecanut and nutmeg have acted as an incentive to adopt the costly system of drip irrigation in the case of both Kozhikode and Thrissur farmers. The number of drip irrigation components and type of emitters indicated a significant and linear response for drip irrigation adoption. The reported constraints experienced by farmers include rainfall, clogging of drippers, high initial cost, inadequate subsidy, difficulty in getting subsidy, etc. This information will help to prioritize the factors that affect adoption decisions and provide insights for improving the crop and water productivity.