Farm Typology for Targeting Extension Interventions Among Smallholders in Tribal Villages in Jharkhand State of India

The highly heterogeneous and complex farm holdings operated by the smallholders in developing countries are often deprived of optimum production and profitability. The farming systems in the state of Jharkhand, India, are heterogeneous due to biophysical (e.g., climatic conditions, fertilizer status, elevation, etc.) and socio-economic (investment potential, production goals, income preferences) factors. The extension interventions to reach the smallholders often face the one-size-fits-all approach making farming less attractive with diminished potential. There is a need to understand the diversity of the farms to classify them into different homogenous groups after studying the nature and characteristics of the farm and operators on the farms. In the current study, twenty-one different variables related to socio-economic,biophysical and geospatial features of the farms from 394 farm households were used for the analysis using Principal Component Analysis to identify six principal components explaining 73.07% of the total variability in the dataset. The first six factors were further analyzed using Euclidean Distance as distance measure and Ward's technique as agglomerative clustering to form four clusters that were found to represent the farm households in the three villages. The four farm types identified were, Type 1. Large farm household with a diversification of crops and intensification of labour (22%), Type 2. Small farm households with major income from livestock (9%), Type 3. Small farm households with diversified cropping system and income from other sources (17%), and Type 4. Small farm households with monocropping dominated by senior farmers with an additional source of income (51%). The validation of the clusters was undertaken through qualitative methods such as focused group discussions and participatory workshops. The findings back up previous research that showed a positive association between farmer categorization and mathematical classification. The study offers a verifiable scientific methodology that could help scale agricultural technologies by forming a specific cluster of farmers based on their characteristics. The technologies applied to various farm types would be helpful to the extension system to target the interventions among the precise members of the identified farm types. Thus, the study suggests the farming system typology based on socio-economic, biophysical and geospatial factors for targeted farming systems interventions among smallholders.

Automated summary

The study examines the heterogeneity of smallholder farms in Jharkhand, India, and proposes a methodology to classify farms based on their characteristics. By analyzing various variables, the study identifies four farm types and validates the clusters through qualitative methods. The findings suggest that categorizing farmers based on their characteristics can facilitate the targeted implementation of agricultural technologies and interventions.