Extent of Adoption of Recommended Practices of Maize (Zea mays) Cultivation in the State of Nagaland

Abstract

Agriculture is considered as the backbone of Nagaland’s economy where about one-third of the population depends on agriculture. Major variants of cereals produced in Nagaland are rice, maize and millet. The two most common methods of cultivation in the state are jhum and terrace cultivation which makes about 86 per cent of the total cultivable area. With the increasing trend in population, there arises a need to stress more on improving the production and productivity of agriculture so as to overpass the gap between the demand and supply of food grains. A study was carried out in six districts of Nagaland with a sample size of 300 maize farmers to measure the extent of adoption in regard to recommended cultivation practices of maize. The respondents were interviewed personally with the help of structured schedule. The data obtained were coded, tabulated and analysed using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation and co-efficient of variance. Findings revealed that 69 per cent of the respondents had moderate level of adoption, followed by 19.33 per cent having high adoption level and 11.67 per cent having low adoption level for recommended cultivation practices of maize.