Contract Farming: Status and Effect on Socio-economic, Psychological and Social Characteristics of Farmers in Assam Buragohain Debahash1*, Dubey J.P.2 1Research Scholar 2Professor, Department of Adult, Continuing Education and Extension, Faculty of Social Science, University of Delhi, Delhi *Corresponding author email id: devburagohain@gmail.com
Abstract Globalization and commercialization has brought a better opportunity for farmers in rural areas in improving their livelihood by enhancing their economic growth. Contract farming is a system where supply of agricultural/horticultural/ livestock products under forward contracts between producers/ suppliers and buyers. It is a form ofvertical integration within agricultural commodity chains so that the firm has greater control over the production proces s and final product. Contract farming has now become a dominant and growing mode of raw material production and procurement through a co-ordination between the processors, market and the exporters. The paper describes that various models of contract farming existed but in informal way. The paper focuses on the status of contract farming and its impact on farmers’ socio-economic, psychological and social characteristics. The most prominent model of contract farming exist is intermediary model which account for 36.34 per cent of the respondents. Maximum of the enterprises involved in contract farming is poultry which account for 32 per cent of the respondents and very least is piggery which holds only 3 per cent of the respondents. Around 63.67 per cent of the respondents were in contract with private firm or company for the procurement of their product. The paper also examined that there is a significant association between the characteristic of the respondents like age, annual income, extension contact, information source utilization, economic motivation and scientific orientation with the practice of contract farming. Various researchers has observed that farmers and sponsors were highly benefited by involved in contract farming. Top Keywords Association, Contract farming, Enterprise, Impact, Models of contract farming, Psychology, Social, Socioeconomic, Sponsors. Top |