Socio-Economic Profile of Onion Growers of Kanpur Nagar of Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract

The study was conducted in 5 villages block in Kakwan block of Kanpur Nagar district was selected purposively for the study because of the criteria of nearness to researcher’s village and their accessibility.  To ensure comprehensive coverage, a complete list of all onion growers in each selected village was compiled. Using a proportionate random sampling technique, 120 farmers were selected for the study. The majority of respondents exhibited various socio-economic characteristics: most fell within the age category of 32-51 years (62.50%), were literate (71.66%), belonged to other backward castes (50.00%), resided in nuclear families (60.84%), had family sizes ranging from 5 to 8 members (66.66%), were married (95.00%), and were marginal farmers with land holdings below one hectare (52.50%). Agriculture was observed as the primary occupation, with subsidiary agricultural labor occupations being prevalent (89.16%). Housing predominantly followed a kaccha type pattern (43.34%). Regarding income distribution, the highest proportion of respondents (44.17%) reported an annual income of 1 to 2 lakh. Material possessions varied among the respondents, with the majority owning farm power equipment such as diesel engines (79.16%) and agricultural implements like khurpi (84.16%). Transportation means mainly consisted of bicycles (88.34%), while household items such as gas cylinders and crockery were ubiquitous (100%), along with coats (99.16%). Economic motivation and scientific orientation were found to be at a medium level across the surveyed population.