CROP DIVERSIFICATION AND ITS DETERMINANTS AMONG VEGETABLE FARMERS IN KOTAGALA, NUWARA ELIYA DISTRICT IN SRI LANKA

Abstract

This study examines the how demographic and farming characteristics of smallholder vegetable farmers influence their crop diversification in the Kotagala area in Nuwara – Eliya district of Sri Lanka. Cross-sectional data were obtained from 86 randomly selected farmers who were cultivating nine vegetable crops in the Kotagala division using a structured questionnaire during the period from October to November 2019. The degree of crop diversification among the vegetable farmers was measured using the Herfindahl index which has a mean value of 0.36 showing that a low degree of crop diversification and the practices in multiple crop cultivation among the farmers are very low. Results of frequency analysis revealed that 60.5 percent of the farmers belong to diversifiers while 39.5 percent of them belong to non - diversifiers. Further, the Censored Tobit model was employed to examine how demographic and farming characteristics of smallholder farmers influence crop diversification and its results indicated that age squared, and education negatively influenced crop diversification at a 10 percent significant level. On the contrary, crop diversification is positively influenced by the age and size of cultivated land at a 5 percent significant level. The findings of the study would help policymakers in crafting appropriate policy measures for promoting crop diversification which will encourage the farmers to improve on their right selection and lead to an increase the yield and food security in the study area.