FARMERS' PERCEPTION OF INTEGRATED SOIL FERTILITY AND NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE CROP PRODUCTION: A STUDY OF RURAL AREAS IN BANGLADESH

This study aimed to determine farmers’ perception of integrated soil fertility and nutrient management for sustainable crop production. Integrated soil fertility (ISF) and nutrient management (NM) is an advanced approach to maintain soil fertility and to enhance crop productivity. A total number of 120 farmers from eight villages in four districts of Bangladesh were selected using a stratified random sampling method and data were collected from each farmer through personal interviews. Five point, Likert-type response scales were used to measure farmers’ perception of the issues. The findings of different categories of farmers indicated that landless, marginal and small farmers had a low level of awareness when compared with medium and large farm holders. The overall perception of farmers in the study areas revealed that a significant proportion (78%) had either a low or a very low level of perception while 22% had a medium to high level of perception. Findings from individual interviews with farmers indicated that they perceived themselves as having a low perception of preparation of farm yard manure and the role of organic matter as well as the beneficial aspect of ISF and NM for sustainable crop production. Among the nine characteristics of farmers, four characteristics- education level, farming experience, farm size and communication exposure influenced farmers positively. However, two characteristics- family size and fertilizer use negatively influenced farmers’ perception of ISF and NM for sustainable crop production.