Triggering elements for adoption of Hybrid Napier in crop-livestock system of semi-arid tropical regions of India: evidence from Tamil Nadu

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to understand the elements triggering adoption of Hybrid Napier among dairy farmers of hot semi-arid agro ecological region of India. For this study, a household survey of 450 dairying households distributed in 18 villages and focus group discussions were carried out in the study area. The study found that duration of crops other than fodder crops and land size increases the chances to adopt, while the area under sorghum and farmers being women decrease the chances to adopt Hybrid Napier. The propensity-score matching revealed that farmers adopting Hybrid Napier had significant higher milk production than non-adopters. But at the same time the expenditure on feed(s) and cost of milk production per unit of milk for adopters were significantly higher than non-adopters. Thus farming situation(s) and gender were the major drivers for the adoption of Hybrid Napier rather than as a strategy to reduce cost of milk production.

KEYWORDS:

• Smallholder dairying
• forage
• feed
• grazing
• Napier
• adoption

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the support of Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Chennai and ICAR-Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute, Hyderabad, India for their support.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University and ICAR-Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute.