Determinants of farmers’ fertilizer use gaps under rice-based cropping systems: Empirical evidence from Eastern Gangetic Plain

Abstract

Unbalanced fertilizer use is a major reason for crop yield gaps but the fertilizer use gaps (overuse or underuse) are complex to quantify in intensive cropping systems. The quantification of nutrient use gaps relative to government-endorsed fertilizer recommendations could be a measure of the extent to which unbalanced fertilizer contributes to yield gaps, but this is rarely examined especially for intensive cropping systems. We, for the first time, identified the determinants of farmers’ fertilizer use gaps under diverse rice-based cropping system. We have surveyed a total of 412 farms, separated into three farm sizes (small-scale, medium-scale and large-scale farms), in intensive rice-based cropping systems in four diverse Agro-ecological Zones of the Eastern Gangetic Plain. Principal component analysis was used to examine how the explanatory variables related to one another. Then considering the nutrient gaps from both overuse and underuse, the beta regression model was used to identify the determinants of N, P, K and overall nutrient use gaps. The results indicate that gender, education, farm sizes, off-farm income, amount of organic manure used, number of irrigation events, seed, soil and land type, advice from fertilizer dealers and extension agents and purchasing ability of fertilizers at government fixed price are highly influential determinants of farmers’ current N, P, and K use gaps relative to government-endorsed recommendations. Systematic field demonstrations showing benefits of balanced fertilizer use, dissemination of easily understandable soil testing technologies, effective training programs and follow up visits by the extension agents, together with mass community engagement and monitoring of subsidized fertilizer use could achieve greater adoption of balanced fertilizer use practices. Widespread adoption of recommended fertilizer can boost food security and rural livelihoods, minimize environmental losses of nutrients and enhance the economic returns and minimize the considerable expenditure from Govt. treasury.

Keywords

• Determinants
• Nitrogen
• Nutrient use gap
• Phosphorus
• Potassium