International Journal of Agriculture Extension and Social Development

author(s)
Anil Kumar S, Manjunatha Reddy TB, Shashidhar KR and Sadanand K Mushrif

abstract
The promotion of environment-friendly agriculture is essential in the backdrop of the environmental burden caused by chemical input-intensive farming practices prevalent since the First Green Revolution. Synthetic agrochemicals, derived from non-renewable fossil fuels, are not only diminishing in availability but may also exert pressure on foreign exchange in the future. Natural farming, which integrates traditional ecological knowledge with on-farm resource recycling, offers a sustainable alternative. This study was carried out in five adopted villages of Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Kolar district, Karnataka, under the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru. A structured interview schedule was used to collect data from 150 trained farmers to assess changes in perception and identify constraints in the adoption of natural farming practices. Findings revealed that only 4.67% of farmers had a high perception of natural farming before training, which increased to 28.00% after training. The major constraints reported were the complex procedures involved in preparing natural farming inputs such as Jeevamrutha and Beejamrutha (73.33%) and the high cost of certain organic raw materials (69.67%). The results highlight the effectiveness of KVK training in improving farmer awareness of natural farming, while emphasizing the need for simplifying input preparation methods and ensuring cost-effective resource availability to enhance adoption in the region.