Fertilizer Use, Value, and Knowledge Capital: A Case of Indian Farming

Bino Paul (), Unmesh Patnaik, Subash Sasidharan, Kamal Kumar Murari and Chandra Sekhar Bahinipati
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Bino Paul: Centre for Human Resources Management and Labour Relations, School of Management and Labour Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai 400088, India
Unmesh Patnaik: Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability Studies, School of Habitat Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai 400088, India
Subash Sasidharan: Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, India
Kamal Kumar Murari: Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability Studies, School of Habitat Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai 400088, India
Chandra Sekhar Bahinipati: Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Tirupati, Yerpedu 517619, India

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 19, 1-16

Abstract: Using the recently released microdata covering input use in Indian agriculture, this study analyzes the relation between value and fertilizer consumption along with four layers of explanation. These layers include factors of production, knowledge capital, social identity, and human capital for both agricultural seasons. Subsequently, the study also examines the propensity to use diverse channels of information. This study uses both regression and machine learning methods for analysis. The main finding of the study is that fertilizer use is directly associated with the value of production. However, the propensity to use fertilizer is the highest for the lowest quantile. Moreover, fertilizer use is a positive covariant of select information sources. Further, similar to tangible resources, the study observes that information plays a crucial role in fertilizer use. Information channels such as extension services have a pivotal role in promoting sustainable farming, especially among marginal farms.

Keywords: fertilizer; value; information; social identity; human capital; sustainable farming; India (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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