INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR INNOVATIVE RESEARCH IN MULTIDISCIPLINARY FIELD

Abstract

Mixed Farming System (MFS) are defined as farming systems practiced by households or by enterprises where crop cultivation and livestock rearing together form integrated components of a single farming system. The best known form of mixed farming is when crop bye-products or residues are used to feed the animals and the excreta or manure from the animals are used as nutrients for the crops. The objective of the study is to examine the attitude of mixed farmers towards mixed farming system and to examine the relationship between the attitude mean score and socio economic characteristics of mixed farmers. The study area is Palakkad district in Kerala where paddy cultivation is practiced along with cattle rearing.  Primary data is collected through structured questionnaires from 394 sampled farmers practicing mixed farming especially paddy cultivation with cattle rearing. A random sampling technique is used to select respondents.  A five point Likert scale is used to measure the attitude of mixed farmers. The Spearman's rank correlation analysis and Independent-Samples Kruskal-Wallis Test is performed to examine the relation between attitude mean score and socio economic characteristics of mixed farmers. The study found that mixed farmers have a highly favourable attitude towards mixed farming system. The study also revealed that mixed farmers' attitudes toward mixed farming were not significantly associated with any of the selected socio-economic or farm-related characteristics. Neither the continuous variables (net farm income, farming experience, agricultural area, imputed expenses, and value of milk cattle) nor the categorical variables (age, education, family size, and agricultural activity status) showed statistically significant relationships with attitude mean score.