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Research Journal of
Agriculture and Forestry
Vol. 8(1), 1-8, January (20
20
International Science Community
Association
Farmers’ perception on transitioning to organic agriculture (OA) in Tsirang
Received
Abstract
Organic agriculture (OA) has its roots in traditional agricultural practices. By
best results from generation to generation. In Bhutan, given the importance and the country’s commitment to convert fully to
organic, it is imperative to investigate how farmers feel on this matter as they are th
the ground. Accordingly, this study was conducted to (i) identify the drivers and deterrents of transitioning to OA and (ii)
assess farmers’ perception on transitioning to OA in Tsirang Dzongkhag. A total of 326 farm
from five Gewogs and interviewed using semi
who were aware of OA and its benefits were more likely to convert organic (p
more likely to go organic compared to those who did not receive any training (p
reluctant to convert organic (p
≤.001). An independent sample t
to organic compared to older farmers (p
on farmers’ perception to convert to organic (p
farming, (ii)
health benefits of OA, (iii) environmental benefits and (iv) low cost of production with (46.9%), (41.4%),
(18.5%) and (14.2%) respectively. Farmers also identified some major challenges such as (i) labor shortage (90.9%), (ii)
labor intensity (43.2%), (ii
i) low yield (36.4%) and (iv) pest and diseases (36.4%). Majority (53.40%) of respondents were
not in favor of Bhutan converting to 100% organic just yet. The study shows that most (64.8%) of the respondents following
organic practices supported going orga
Keywords: Deterrents, drivers, o
rganic
Introduction
Conventional agriculture (CA) has been dominant in previous
decades and contributed to increased agricultural productivity
and improved farmers’ living standards
1
. Though CA provides
maximum yield in most cases, concerns about environment,
economic and soc
ietal impacts of CA have led many farmers to
pursue alternative practices that can make food production more
sustainable
2
.
Organic agriculture (OA) is one widely used method that is
thought of as a viable alternative to avoid the ill effects of
synthetic agro-chemical use
3
. Low external inputs with
sustainable strategies have emerged as viable alternative and
OA appears to be more successful in marginal areas where agro
chemicals have not been extensively used such as in Bhutan
OA was launched in Bhutan
in 2003. The philosophies of
Bhutan’s development concept based on Gross National
Happiness (GNH) and the principles of OA share common
concepts.
With the whole world into the organic movement, Bhutan in
2010 also announced to the world, at Rio+20 summit
Agriculture and Forestry
Sciences
__________________________________
20
)
Res.
Association
Farmers’ perception on transitioning to organic agriculture (OA) in Tsirang
district, Bhutan
Pema Thinley and Sonam Tashi
*
College of Natural Resources, Lobesa, Punakha
stashi.cnr@rub.edu.bt
Available online at: www.isca.in
Received
th
February 2018, revised
th
May 2019, accepted
th
July
201
Organic agriculture (OA) has its roots in traditional agricultural practices. By
trial and error, local farmers passed their
best results from generation to generation. In Bhutan, given the importance and the country’s commitment to convert fully to
organic, it is imperative to investigate how farmers feel on this matter as they are th
e principal implementers of the plan on
the ground. Accordingly, this study was conducted to (i) identify the drivers and deterrents of transitioning to OA and (ii)
assess farmers’ perception on transitioning to OA in Tsirang Dzongkhag. A total of 326 farm
from five Gewogs and interviewed using semi
-
structured questionnaires. Results of binary regression indicated that farmers
who were aware of OA and its benefits were more likely to convert organic (p
≤ .001). Farmers who received
more likely to go organic compared to those who did not receive any training (p
≤ .001). Non organic farmers were still
.001). An independent sample t
-
test indicated that young farmers were more likely to conver
to organic compared to older farmers (p
≤ .05). Mann-
Whitney U test suggested that large households had positive influence
on farmers’ perception to convert to organic (p
≤ .05). The main drivers influencing OA were (i) traditional method of
health benefits of OA, (iii) environmental benefits and (iv) low cost of production with (46.9%), (41.4%),
(18.5%) and (14.2%) respectively. Farmers also identified some major challenges such as (i) labor shortage (90.9%), (ii)
i) low yield (36.4%) and (iv) pest and diseases (36.4%). Majority (53.40%) of respondents were
not in favor of Bhutan converting to 100% organic just yet. The study shows that most (64.8%) of the respondents following
organic practices supported going orga
nic while only 90.8% of non-
organic respondents were not in favor of the idea.
rganic
agriculture, perception, transition, Tsirang.
Conventional agriculture (CA) has been dominant in previous
decades and contributed to increased agricultural productivity
. Though CA provides
maximum yield in most cases, concerns about environment,
ietal impacts of CA have led many farmers to
pursue alternative practices that can make food production more
Organic agriculture (OA) is one widely used method that is
thought of as a viable alternative to avoid the ill effects of
. Low external inputs with
sustainable strategies have emerged as viable alternative and
OA appears to be more successful in marginal areas where agro
-
chemicals have not been extensively used such as in Bhutan
4
.
in 2003. The philosophies of
Bhutan’s development concept based on Gross National
Happiness (GNH) and the principles of OA share common
With the whole world into the organic movement, Bhutan in
2010 also announced to the world, at Rio+20 summit
that it will
become a 100% organic nation by 2020
has around 56,118 acres under organic management
the and Samdrup Jongkhar in the south were declared as organic
districts in 2004 and 2012 respectively.
However, given the a
cute labor shortage and the potential of
SAC’s in yield elevation, farmers may be tempted to pursue CA
or continue CA, if already into it. The biggest barrier most
farmers face when switching to organic production is the change
in their mindset. Farmers ad
challenges such as shortage of labor, pest and diseases, limited
land holding and often lower yield
On the contrary promoters of OA argue it to be better in all
aspects or at par to CA
9
. As Bhutan has not been affected much
by agro-
chemicals due to the age old traditional farming
practices which have been dominant, transitioning to OA will
not be a problem
10
.
Therefore, transiting to a fully organic country will largely
depend on farmers and their perception/choice. We are y
know the basis of their choice or preference of what factors
would encourage farmers to embrace OA or conversely
discourage them.
__________________________________
ISSN 2320 – 6063
Res.
J. Agriculture and Forestry Sci.
1
Farmers’ perception on transitioning to organic agriculture (OA) in Tsirang
201
9
trial and error, local farmers passed their
best results from generation to generation. In Bhutan, given the importance and the country’s commitment to convert fully to
e principal implementers of the plan on
the ground. Accordingly, this study was conducted to (i) identify the drivers and deterrents of transitioning to OA and (ii)
assess farmers’ perception on transitioning to OA in Tsirang Dzongkhag. A total of 326 farm
ers were randomly selected
structured questionnaires. Results of binary regression indicated that farmers
.001). Farmers who received
training were
.001). Non organic farmers were still
test indicated that young farmers were more likely to conver
t
Whitney U test suggested that large households had positive influence
.05). The main drivers influencing OA were (i) traditional method of
health benefits of OA, (iii) environmental benefits and (iv) low cost of production with (46.9%), (41.4%),
(18.5%) and (14.2%) respectively. Farmers also identified some major challenges such as (i) labor shortage (90.9%), (ii)
i) low yield (36.4%) and (iv) pest and diseases (36.4%). Majority (53.40%) of respondents were
not in favor of Bhutan converting to 100% organic just yet. The study shows that most (64.8%) of the respondents following
organic respondents were not in favor of the idea.
become a 100% organic nation by 2020
5. As of today Bhutan
has around 56,118 acres under organic management
6. Gasa in
the and Samdrup Jongkhar in the south were declared as organic
districts in 2004 and 2012 respectively.
cute labor shortage and the potential of
SAC’s in yield elevation, farmers may be tempted to pursue CA
or continue CA, if already into it. The biggest barrier most
farmers face when switching to organic production is the change
in their mindset. Farmers ad
opting OA are deterred, by
challenges such as shortage of labor, pest and diseases, limited
land holding and often lower yield
7,8.
On the contrary promoters of OA argue it to be better in all
. As Bhutan has not been affected much
chemicals due to the age old traditional farming
practices which have been dominant, transitioning to OA will
Therefore, transiting to a fully organic country will largely
depend on farmers and their perception/choice. We are y
et to
know the basis of their choice or preference of what factors
would encourage farmers to embrace OA or conversely
Research Journal of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences______________________________________________ ISSN 2320 – 6063
Vol. 8(1), 1-8, January (2020) Res. J. Agriculture and Forestry Sci.
International Science Community Association 2
Given the importance of OA in Bhutan, and the governments
serious commitment on transitioning to 100% organic, it is also
necessary to investigate the factors that would either encourage
or deter farmers from adopting OA. The core objectives of this
study are to assess farmer’s perception on transitioning to OA
and identify the drivers and deterrents in adopting Organic
Agriculture in Tsirang district.
Materials and methods
Study area: The study was conducted in Tsirang Dzongkhag
with assistance from the concerned agriculture extension agents.
Data collection and sample size: From 12 gewogs in Tsirang
Dzongkhag, five were selected randomly. Stratified random
sampling was used to select households (hh) for the study from
respective gewogs. Non-farming households were excluded
from all gewogs. The size of sample was determined by using
Yamane’s formula with 95% confidence interval. Data
collection was carried out using semi-structured questionnaires.
There were 326 sample households from a total of 1,727
households
11
.
Data analysis: The data was analyzed using International
Business Machines Corporation-Statistical Package for the
Social Sciences (IBM-SPSS), v.23.0. Data were checked for
normality and homogeneity prior to analysis. Mostly the data
were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Variable scales were
measured using Likert’s scale score varying from 1 to 5.
Independent sample t-test and Mann Whitney U test were used
to analyze farmers age and farm labor size with two groups of
respondents - those who were in favor and those who were not
on Bhutan shifting to fully organic. A binary logistic regression
was used to find farmers perception on transition to organic
agriculture with awareness, training received, method of
farming and gender.
Results and discussion
Respondents profile: A total of 326 households were selected
for the survey intended for this study. The results show that
67.1% of the respondents were males and the remainder
females, indicating that the respondent selection is mixed, but in
favor of males by more than one fold. It shows that majority of
the respondents who are actively engaged in agricultural
activities were males. The majority of respondents (47.5%) were
uneducated while less than 1% of the respondents had university
degree. A total of 248 (76%) respondents practiced OA while 78
respondents practiced CA.
Respondents age: The minimum age of respondent was 18
years old while the maximum age was 89 years old. From
grouping of respondents according to their age groups, majority
of them (47%) fell in 41-60 years’ group indicating decline in
youths taking up farming (Table-1). Bhutanese farming
comprises relatively less mechanized farming, so youth are
considered as the backbone of OA farming but it is observed
that more and more youth are migrating to urban areas
12.
In age
group 41-60 years, it was observed that out of 154 respondents,
77% of them were more than 50 years old indicating aging labor
force (M = 49.5).
Table-1: Respondents’ age profile.
Age No of
respondent
Percentage (%)
Male Female
Below 12 0 0 0
13-18 3 0 1
19-40 124 26 12
41-60 154 31 17
Above 61 45 10 3
Total 326 67 33
Crop Information: Yield comparison: The study found that
there was a considerable yield gap but constricted to important
cash crops such as paddy, potato and chili while other crops
such as mustard, broccoli, cauliflower and cardamom had
negligible yield gap between organic and non-organic farmers
(Figure-1).
In this study non-organic farmers were found to have 8.45%
higher yield in paddy compared to organic farmers, with
21.98% and 21.49% higher in potato and chili respectively.
Crop Management: Usage of Synthetic agro-Chemicals: About
23.93% respondents reported that they use synthetic agro-
chemicals (SACs). About 44% of the respondents have seen
negative impacts related to use of synthetic chemical fertilizers
(SCFs) whether they use it or not. From the study it was found
that 22.10% of respondents use fertilizer (urea) for soil nutrient
management. Urea was used at the rate of 38 kg/ac mainly for
paddy cultivation (Table-2). Only 5.3% of respondents used
herbicides (butachlor) for weed management. Herbicide
particularly Butachlor was used mainly in paddy at an average
rate of 10 kg/ac.
Table-2: Usage of SACs.
Variables Yes
(%)
No
(%)
Mean value of SACs
used.
Urea
(Kg/ac)
Butachlor
(Kg/ac)
Do you use synthetic
Chemical fertilizers 22.1 77.9
38 10
Do you use SCP/H? 5.3 94.7
SCP/H=Synthetic chemical pesticides/Herbicides, SACs =
Synthetic Agro Chemicals.
Research Journal of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences______________________________________________ ISSN 2320 – 6063
Vol. 8(1), 1-8, January (2020) Res. J. Agriculture and Forestry Sci.
International Science Community Association 3
Figure 1: Yield comparison.
Usage of Organic Manure: The study found that organic
manures were obtained through integrated system of farming to
maintain soil fertility and health. Organic manures were applied
at an average rate of 911.20 kg/ac for paddy, 835.16 kg/ac and
693.61 kg/ac for maize and vegetables respectively. This is
comparatively low compared to recommended 4-5 ton/ac. This
could be due to limited source of organic manure as most
farmers do not have livestock integrated in their farming
systems.
For soil nutrient management, 34.40% of respondents used cow
dung, 24.50% cow dung with poultry (CDP) and 18% used cow
dung and leaf litter (CDL). Cow dung was found to be the main
source of organic nutrient management in respondents’ farms.
No other sources of nutrient management such as vermi-
compost or compost were used by farmers’ which was related to
having no knowledge of the process to make such organic
fertilizers.
Awareness on Organic Agriculture: 7.67% of the respondents
attended training on OA compared to 92.33% who did not
(Figure-2). Majority of respondents (58.90%) were not aware of
OA, while only 41.10% responded “yes” to the knowledge and
understanding of OA (Figure-3). Despite frequent awareness
and trainings given by extension agents in Tsirang, majority of
the farmers are still unaware of OA, which could be due to the
remoteness of their dwellings from the gewog center.
Understanding of OA: Majority of farmers (47.5%) understand
OA by defining it as traditional method of farming followed by
27% and 25.5% defining it as having more pest and diseases and
organic production to be healthy respectively. Only 2.8% of the
respondents defined OA as a sustainable method of farming
(Figure-4).
Figure-2: Training on OA.
Figure3: Awareness on OA(n=326).
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000
Paddy
Maize
Mustard
Broccoli
Potato
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Chilli
Root crop (Raddish)
Ginger
Yield (Kg/ac)
Crop
Average yield organic Average yield Non organic
Research Journal of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences______________________________________________
ISSN 2320 – 6063
Vol.
8(1),
1-8, January
(2020) Res. J. Agriculture and Forestry Sci.
International Science Community Association
4
Figure-4:
Respondents’ understanding of OA.
The results show that respondents’ concept of OA is restricted
more towards their age old traditional method of farming which
has similar practices to OA of having an integrated system using
locally available resources free of SACs. Their concept of OA is
close to definition given by the NOP that OA is an approach to
agriculture where the aim is to create integrated, humane,
environmentally and economically sustainable agricultural
production systems, which maximizes reliance on-farm derived
resources
13
.
The respondents’ idea of OA is also influenced by the deterrents
of OA such as high occurrences of pests and diseases which
they relate it to having low yield and poor quality reducing the
demand and income of farmers. Their idea of OA takes least
consideration on the sustainability provided by practicing
organic farming. This could be due to low awareness among
farmers on the actual concept of OA.
Drivers of Organic Agriculture:
Table-3 shows the major
factors that encourage respondents to continue or adopt OA.
Majority of the respondents (46.9%) felt that they want to
continue or are encouraged to adopt OA because OA resembles
traditional way of farming. Similarly, 41.4% of respondents
were in favor of health awareness being a major driver,
followed by environmental benefits (18.5%) of OA. Only 0.6%
of the respondents related experiencing illness due to use of
SACs. Even strong policies from the government was rated as a
low driver in taking up OA.
Bhutan is bestowed with its age old method of agriculture
production which by default share the same principles of an
organic production
14
. Bhutanese farmers heavily depend on
traditional knowledge that advocates the use of organic
materials such as cattle manure, leaf litter, poultry manure and
crop residues as organic fertilizers
15
. Their indigenous
knowledge on farming is compatible to organic farming
methods which can be a huge driving factor that ultimately lead
to farmers accepting and promoting the idea of OA.
Among majority of rural and poor farmers who make their
living through agriculture, one of the main causes of health
issue is due to exposure to SACs. Comparative analysis of
nutritional value of the two systems reveal considerable
difference in favor of organic
16
. On average organic foods are
said to contain 10-60% more healthy fatty acids, 5-90% higher
vitamin C content and 10-50% more secondary metabolites with
higher mineral content and dry matter
17
.
Farmers were aware of some environmental benefits of OA such
as utilization of local renewable resources, improved soil
fertility and low water pollution. The continuous use of large
quantities of synthetic nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus
fertilizers to elevate yield in CA leave toxic residues, which
penetrates into groundwater, as well as flows, into water bodies
leading to eutrophication, anoxia and consequently to the
gradual decrease in biodiversity
18
. As the current global
movement is in-line with clean environment and natural
products, Bhutan could easily become a pioneer in organic
farming
19
.
Deterrents to adopt OA: Organic farmers:
Table-4 shows the
factors that deterred farmers from continuing or adopting OA.
Majority of respondents felt that labor shortage (90.9%) was the
most deterring factor followed by labor intensity (43.2%), low
yield and pest and diseases (36.4%). This could be because
respondents’ had a mean of 3 members living in their household
and working in the farm resulting in labor shortage.
Research Journal of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences______________________________________________
ISSN 2320 – 6063
Vol.
8(1),
1-8, January
(2020) Res. J. Agriculture and Forestry Sci.
International Science Community Association
5
Labor shortage has become an important issue, particularly
because OA is labor intensive
8
. Organic farming was found to
be labor-intensive which requires additional labor ranging from
7% to a high of 75% based on requirements during each
intercultural operations
20
.
Only 3.4% of respondents felt that poor soil fertility in organic
farms to be a deterring factor in taking up OA. This could be
due to the nature of organic farming which includes
sustainability through nutrient recycling compared to CA which
includes mono cropping depriving the soil of organic matter as
well as various macro and micro nutrients apart NPK in longer
run. Addition of organic manure rich in organic matter also
helps to stabilize the soil pH in OA, which is missing in most
CA practices leading to acidification, deterioration of soil
structure and texture.
Non-Organic farmers:
Table-5 shows the factors that deter
non-organic farmers from adopting OA. Similar to organic
farmers, majority (82.6%) of the respondents felt that labor
shortage is the main deterrent. Low yields (43.5%) from organic
farms and small land holding (36.2%) were other major
deterrents for non-organic farmers from adopting OA. Even low
support from the government was rated as a low deterrent in
taking up OA.
Table-3:
Main drivers for adopting OA.
Drivers Strongly disagree (%) Disagree (%) Neutral (%) Agree (%) Strongly agree (%)
Traditional way of farming 0.0 0.6 8.6 43.8 46.9
Health Benefit 0.0 0.0 17.9 40.7 41.4
Environmental benefits 0.0 9.3 34.0 38.3 18.5
Government policies 4.9 45.7 30.9 17.3 1.2
Experienced ill health 66.0 8.0 15.4 9.9 0.6
Likert scale: 1=Strongly disagree, 2=Disagree, 3=Neutral, 4=Agree, 5=Strongly agree.
Table-4:
Factors that deter farmers from continuing OA.
Deterrents Strongly Disagree (%) Disagree (%) Neutral (%) Agree (%) Strongly Agree (%)
Labor shortage 0.0 0.0 1.1 8.0 90.9
Labor intensive 0.0 0.0 9.1 47.7 43.2
Low yield 0.0 1.1 6.8 55.7 36.4
Pest and diseases 3.4 6.8 30.7 22.7 36.4
Poor soil fertility 22.7 40.9 26.1 6.8 3.4
Table-5:
Factors that deter farmers from converting to OA.
Deterrents Strongly Disagree (%) Disagree (%) Neutral (%) Agree (%) Strongly Agree (%)
Labor shortage 0.0 0.0 4.3 13.0 82.6
Low yield 0.0 5.8 15.9 34.8 43.5
Small land holding 8.7 2.9 20.3 31.9 36.2
Low governmental support 0.0 13.0 39.1 44.9 2.9
Poor soil fertility 0.0 18.8 47.8 33.3 0.0
Low market value 8.7 39.1 40.6 11.6 0.0
Research Journal of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences______________________________________________
ISSN 2320 – 6063
Vol.
8(1),
1-8, January
(2020) Res. J. Agriculture and Forestry Sci.
International Science Community Association
6
Similarly, labor shortage was found to be a major factor during
conversion to OA as Bhutan has the highest internal migration
rate in Asia, which should be a big concern to the policy
makers
21
. Espousing organic way of life and practices
undeniably require additional labor inputs, especially in
managing soil fertility and pest compared to conventional
farming
19
.
A similar study
22
reported that one of the main constraints of
organic- based farming is the yield gap that has been evident
which comes to around 9-25% higher in conventional farming.
Farmers’ income will only increase if organic crops out-yield
conventional crops
23
. Though organic yields may increase
beyond current productivity but it may not become as high as in
systems using chemical inputs.
Results from this study also showed that small land holding
proved to be a deterrent among farmers to convert organic.
Farmers having large farm holdings and higher income can
easily take the risk to practice organic cultivation methods
24
.
Conversely it can be very difficult for farmers with small farm
holding to compete with its counterparts as most farmers in
Bhutan are not even self-sufficient and are not ready to take the
risks involved.
Perception on Transitioning to OA:
When asked if Bhutan
should convert to a fully organic country and upon explaining
the country’s unprecedented aim of converting to fully organic
by 2020, irrespective of being organic or not majority (53.40%)
of participants were not in favor of transitioning to organic.
We found that 64.8% (
n
=248) of organic farmers were in favor
of converting to organic. This could be due to various drivers of
OA. Traditional farming methods which share similar principles
as OA was found as a major factor which enabled farmers to
continue OA. Health benefits and knowledge on harmful effects
of chemical usage was also reported to be a major driving
factor
8
.
Conversely 90.8% (n=78) of respondents following CA were
not in favor of converting to organic. This could be due to
various deterrents discussed above. Labor shortage was reported
by 82.6% of respondents. Similarly, a large number of non-
organic respondents (43.5%) complained of lower yield in
organic farming to be a deterrent for them converting to OA.
Age and perception:
An independent sample t-test was
conducted to compare respondents’ age with two groups of
respondents; those who were in favor of transiting fully organic
and those who were not. There was a significant difference in
the score between those who were in favor of transitioning to
fully organic (
Mdn
=43.2,
SD
=13.5) and those who were not
(
Mdn
=47.4,
SD
=13.1);
t
(324) = -2.87,
p
= .004.
These results suggest that farmers’ age does have a significant
effect on their perception. Specifically, our results suggest that
younger farmers respond positively to going fully organic
compared to older farmers (Table-6).
In a similar study conducted in Nigeria, it was found that young
farmers were more likely to practice OA than old farmers as
older farmers exhibited more aversion to various risks related
compared to younger farmers
25
. Age predisposes a supportive
factor of an individual’s strength to physically demanding work
which is required in organic practices especially in a country
like Bhutan where farm mechanization is very difficult.
A similar study conducted in the United States of America
(USA) also found that young farmers, or those having less
experience with organic farming, were drawn to organic
farming relating to the healthy lifestyle offered by OA, relative
to profitability when compared to older or experienced
farmers
26
.
Household size and perception of farmers:
A Mann-Whitney
U test was conducted to compare respondent household size
with two groups of respondents; those in favor of transiting
organic and those who were not in favor. The result suggested
that respondents having larger family members living and
working on the farm/labor force (
Mdn= 178.76
) were more
positive on going organic compared to those having less family
members living and working on the farm (
Mdn=150.17
),
U
=
10904.5,
p
= .004 (Table-7).
Farmers having large number of household members adopted
organic farming practices than those having comparatively
smaller number of household members
25,27
. This could be
because of more labor required in organic practices throughout
the cultivation season. This also confirms that large household
size reduces labor constraints amongst farm families.
Table-6:
Comparison of farmers’ age with their perception on transitioning to OA.
EVA= Equal variances assumed, EVNA= Equal variances not assumed.
Levene's Test for Equality of Variances t-test for Equality of Means
F Sig. t df Sig. (2-tailed) MD Std. Error Dif.
Respondent Age
EVA .48 .48 -2.87 324 .004 -4.25 1.48
EVNA
-2.86 315.82 .004 -4.25 1.48
Research Journal of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences______________________________________________
ISSN 2320 – 6063
Vol.
8(1),
1-8, January
(2020) Res. J. Agriculture and Forestry Sci.
International Science Community Association
7
Table-7:
Comparison of household size and perception.
Family members living and
working on the farm
Mann-Whitney U 10904.500
Wilcoxon W 26129.500
Z -2.877
Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed) .004
Awareness, training, gender, method of farming and
perception:
Results of the binary logistic regression indicated
that there was a collective significant difference between two
groups of farmers; who thought Bhutan should convert to fully
organic and those who thought Bhutan should not convert to
fully organic with farmer’s awareness (
p
≤
.001), training
received (p
≤
.001) and method of farming (
≤
.001).
The data indicated that farmers respond positively on converting
to organic as awareness increases. Organic farmers are more
ready to continue OA despite various deterring factors while
non-organic farmers are still reluctant irrespective of the
harmful effects of SACs. The data also indicated that farmers
who received training on OA were more positive than those who
did not avail training (Table-8).
Table-8:
Binary logistic regression to compare awareness,
training, gender and method of farming with perception on
transitioning to OA
.
Variables B S.E. Wald df Sig. Exp
(B)
AWR 1.509 0.308 24.006 1 .000 4.523
TRN 3.471 1.046 11.009 1 .001 32.17
8
Gender 0.525 0.32 2.693 1 .101 1.691
ONO -1.652 0.411 16.187 1 .000 0.192
Constant -6.605 2.275 8.431 1 0.004 0.001
Likelihood ration test: x
2
= 297.554, (d.f. = 4), n = 326, Cox &
Snell R
2
= .37, Nagelkerke R
2
= .50, AWR = Awareness, TRN =
Training, ONO = Organic or not, GN = Gender.
The results of logistic regression analysis indicated that the
regression model containing all four predictors was statistically
significant (
p
≤
.001) indicating that the predictor variables
significantly predicted the outcome.
Awareness showed strong relationship to respondents’
perception. It recorded an odds ratio of 7.874 suggesting that a
person who is aware of organic farming practices is 7.874 times
more likely to respond positively ongoing organic.
Farmers’ awareness on the environmental, economic and health
benefits of organic method of cultivation are important factors
that motivate farmers to practice OA
28
. Awareness is
encouraging, in particular, for a developing country like Bhutan
where farmers have low level of formal education.
In a similar study conducted adopters of OA had a higher mean
level of education relating to awareness when compared to non-
adopters as education on organic method of farming is a helpful
tool for farmers in analyzing choices and making decisions of
anticipated benefits
27
.
Non-organic farmers developed a “lukewarm” attitude towards
organic farming systems as it required more organic fertilizers
with tedious procedures for soil treatment and the thought that
non-organic farmers have to enrich soil conditions by utilizing
only organic enrichers and natural resources for at least three
years during conversion left them apprehensive about income
stability and related uncertainties
29
. Organic farmers on the
other hand having experienced the hardships and benefits are
more willing to continue organic agriculture.
Despite various training given on OA by extension agents
farmers are reluctant to adopt OA. Farmers tend to have higher
trust in experience based knowledge from self and other farmers
than in information given by governmental agencies or
professional experts of OA
28
. This could be one reason farmers
are still reluctant to participate even though various training
programs are conducted.
Conclusion
The study shows majority (58.90%) of farmers are not aware of
OA. This is despite frequent trainings and awareness
programme conducted by the government. From a total of 326
respondents in Tsirang Dzongkhag, only 41.10% of respondents
are aware of OA.
Drivers of OA include (i) Traditional method of farming, (ii)
health awareness, (iii) environmental benefits, (iv) low cost of
production and (v) market opportunities.
The study also identified several deterrents which discouraged
farmers from converting to organic. Deterring factors for
organic farmers from continuing OA were (i) labor shortage, (ii)
labor intensive/ laborious nature of organic farming, (iii) low
yield and (iv) pest and disease occurrences. Factors that deterred
non-organic farmers from adopting OA were found to be similar
to organic farmers. These include (i) labor shortage, (ii) low
yield, (iii) lack of awareness and (iv) high pest and disease
occurrences.
Binary logistic regression showed that awareness, education and
method of farming to be significantly related to farmers’
perception. Awareness and increasing literacy level of our
farmers can greatly help change this perception.
Research Journal of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences______________________________________________
ISSN 2320 – 6063
Vol.
8(1),
1-8, January
(2020) Res. J. Agriculture and Forestry Sci.
International Science Community Association
8
Mann-Whitney test showed significant relationship between
total number of people living and working on the farm and
farmers’ perception on shifting to organic. As per the study
larger the farm household size, farmers were more positive to
going organic.
Independent sample t-test showed significant relationship
between age and farmers perception. Specifically, the result
suggested that younger farmers respond positively to convert to
fully organic compared to older farmers.
Farmers’ perception on converting to organic agriculture is
negative. Majority of the respondents felt that Bhutan should not
convert to fully organic or not just yet with 53.40% supporting
the idea. We suggest that it is time for the government to equip
our farmers with the right knowledge on OA through awareness
and trainings. Minimizing rural urban migration or providing
better on farm opportunities to youth could greatly benefit
farmers from problems of labor shortage.
Acknowledgement
We are thankful to College of Natural Resources and gewog
officials of Tsirang Dzongkhag, for rendering full support and
help during this study. Further, we would like to show our
sincere appreciation to all the people who helped us financially,
in data collection and guidance with their immeasurable
knowledge with utmost willingness throughout this period.
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