International Journal of Agriculture Extension and Social Development

author(s)
Marneni Divya Sree and Mercykutty MJ

abstract
The study was conducted to assess farmers’ perception on the efficiency of rice-based integrated farming systems (IFS) in terms of productivity, profitability, and employment generation. A structured schedule containing 12 items developed through expert consultation was used to measure the perceived efficiency. The research adopted a multistage random sampling method, selecting 240 farmers in total i.e. 180 from Telangana (Jagityal, Nalgonda, and Khammam districts) and 60 from Kerala (Palakkad and Kuttanad regions). Reliability of the scale was confirmed with Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.865 for Telangana and 0.839 for Kerala. Results revealed that the majority of farmers in both states fell into the medium category of perception (58.33% in Telangana and 60.00% in Kerala). Farmers from Khammam and Palakkad exhibited higher levels of perception due to greater enterprise diversification and higher net returns, while farmers from Nalgonda and Kuttanad showed relatively lower perception levels, largely attributed to limited diversification in Nalgonda and environmental constraints such as soil salinity and flooding in Kuttanad. The findings underscore the significance of diversification and location-specific interventions to enhance the perceived and actual efficiency of rice-based IFS.