A Comparative Study on Knowledge Level of Paddy Growers about Natural Farming and Conventional Farming practices

The study was conducted in natural and conventional crop fields in the Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh spanning one block and involving 120 sample respondents, Sixty farmers practised natural farming practises and the other 60 practiced conventional farming To select 30 farmers from each hamlet, a purposive sample strategy was used. The data was collected using a well-structured interview schedule, with the primary goal of determining paddy growers' knowledge of natural and conventional farming approaches. In the Naidupeta block, paddy is a key crop. The study found that the majority (48.3 percent) of respondents had a medium level of knowledge of natural farming practices, followed by high and low levels of knowledge of conventional farming practices, and that the majority (60.0 percent) of respondents had a medium level of knowledge on natural farming practices, followed by low and high levels of knowledge on conventional farming practices. Farmers' understanding of natural and conventional paddy farming methods would aid in the development of appropriate measures to strengthen the practices.