Factors Influencing the Knowledge and Adoption of Sustainable Sugarcane Initiative (SSI) by the Sugarcane Farmers of Villupuram District

Sugarcane occupies a significant position on the agricultural map of India, covering large areas in sub-tropics and tropics. In 2014-15, there were 538 sugar mills in the country when compared to 139 mills in 1950-51 and the acreage under sugarcane from 1950-51 (1.71 million ha) to 2015-16 (4.90 million ha) has increased (Cooperative Sugar Vol. 47 (3), November 2015). Sugarcane a water guzzling crop is often raised with water scarcity issues. To achieve higher production by means of ensuring efficient utilization of water and fertilizer, the Sustainable Sugarcane Initiative (SSI) under TN-IAMWARM project was implemented in the year 2011. The Tamil Nadu Irrigated Agriculture Modernization and Water-bodies Restoration and Management Project (IAMWARM) is a multidisciplinary project funded by World Bank. The research study conducted in Villupuram district during 2015-16, involving 124 Sugarcane farmers comprised from 74 villages. The objective of the study was to identify the relationship between various personal, socio-psychological characteristics of the sugarcane farmers and their Extent of knowledge and adoption of Sustainable Sugarcane Initiative (SSI). Among the fourteen variables under study, eight of them showed a positive and significant association with dependent variable, extent of knowledge. Correlation analysis between extent of adoption and profile also revealed that eight independent variables showed a significant positive and associative relationship.