Assessing fertilizer use behaviour for environmental management and sustainability: a quantitative study in agriculturally intensive regions of Uttar Pradesh, India

Intensification of agriculture has challenged environmental sustainability in the form of contaminated water resources, particularly due to the irrational use of synthetic fertilizers. The strong relationship between yield and fertilizer use has led farmers to overrule the systematic approach of fertilizer application. Although various measures have been applied to understand the farmers’ decision-making regarding fertilizer application rates, its excessive use, however, remains inexplicable. To understand this decision-making process, the study attempts to assess the farmers’ fertilizer use behaviour using a socio-psychological model based on available resources, prevailing socio-economic conditions and personal aspects of users in Uttar Pradesh region of India. A survey study was conducted on 312 farmers, categorized by differential land holdings. Regression analysis results indicated that among the series of variables, variables, viz. lack of eco-efficient fertilizers, access to irrigation, credit facilities, use of available cash, farming experience and farm size, are critical ones for determining the fertilizer use decision of farmers. The outcome of the study argues that sustainable interventions in agriculture facilitate the management of natural resource base as global consequences of over-consumption of nitrogen fertilizer particularly have challenged the capacity of natural resources, viz. soil and water. This research work suggests the need for site-specific tailor-made policy measures which can be instrumental in mitigating environmental externality resulting from mismanaged farm practices like excessive use of fertilizers.