Socio-economic characteristics of the farmers practicing different methods of irrigation in the Malaprabha command area of Karnataka

A study conducted in the Malaprabha command area revealed that in case of flood method of irrigation, the average age of the farmers was 45.4 years whereas that of farmers under furrow method of irrigation, border strip method of irrigation and alternate furrow irrigation was 43.74, 37.69 and 38.63 years, respectively. The average family size of the farmer under flood method of irrigation was 7.37 whereas it was 8.03, 6.74 and 6.11 under furrow method of irrigation, border strip method of irrigation and alternate furrow irrigation method, respectively. The average land holding of them was 4.12 ha, 5.08 ha, 5.44 ha and 4.54 ha under flood method of irrigation, furrow method of irrigation, border strip method of irrigation and alternate furrow irrigation method, respectively. Majority of the farmers following flood, furrow, border strip and alternate furrow irrigation were literate and it was 57.14 per cent, 54.29 per cent, 91.43 per cent and 88.57 per cent while illiterate range was 42.86 per cent, 45.71 per cent, 8.57 per cent and 11.43 per cent, respectively. All sample farmers were growing a number of crops under different methods of irrigation. Maize, wheat, chickpea, cotton and jowar were the major crops grown, whereas sunflower and green gram were the other crops. It was noticed that, the cropping intensity on farms in case of flood method of irrigation was highest (184.47 %), followed by border strip method of irrigation (172.06 %), furrow method of irrigation (166.34 %) and alternate furrow irrigation (158.59 %). Majority of the area was under furrow method of irrigation (45.77 %) followed by flood method (35.87 %), border strip method (10.31 %) and alternate furrow irrigation (8.05 %). Together only 18.36 per cent of the respondents are using scientific methods.