Development and Standardization of an Innovative Scale for Measuring the Socio-Economic Status of Agroforestry Farmers in South Gujarat, India

Harshavardhan Deshmukh (), Manmohan Dobriyal, Minalkumar B. Tandel, Rajesh Gunaga, Om Prakash Sharma, Yogesh A. Garde, Umesh Thakare, Ripu Kunwar, Sangram Chavan, Sumit Salunkhe, Narender Singh Thakur, Narendra Singh, Umesh Chinchmalatpure and Ram Mevada
Additional contact information
Harshavardhan Deshmukh: College of Forestry, Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola 444104, Maharashtra, India
Manmohan Dobriyal: College of Horticulture and Forestry, Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University, Jhansi 284003, Uttar Pradesh, India
Minalkumar B. Tandel: College of Forestry, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari 396450, Gujarat, India
Rajesh Gunaga: College of Forestry, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari 396450, Gujarat, India
Om Prakash Sharma: Department of Agriculture Extension Education, N.M. College of Agriculture, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari 396450, Gujarat, India
Yogesh A. Garde: Department of Agricultural Statistics and Computer Centre, N.M. College of Agriculture, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari 396450, Gujarat, India
Umesh Thakare: Krishi Vigyan Kendra, At Sisa, Taluka, District, Akola 444001, Maharashtra, India
Ripu Kunwar: Ethnobotanical Society of Nepal, Kathmandu 44600, Nepal
Sangram Chavan: ICAR-National Institute of Abiotic Stress Management, Baramati 413115, Maharashtra, India
Sumit Salunkhe: Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari 396450, Gujarat, India
Narender Singh Thakur: College of Forestry, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari 396450, Gujarat, India
Narendra Singh: Department of Agricultural Economics, N.M. College of Agriculture, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari 396450, Gujarat, India
Umesh Chinchmalatpure: Department of Extension Education, Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola 444104, Maharashtra, India
Ram Mevada: College of Forestry, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari 396450, Gujarat, India

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 3, 1-19

Abstract: Although trees in the agroforestry system play diverse roles in meeting the food, fodder, wood, and energy requirements of the agrarian community, their multifunctional contribution often remains understudied, especially while assessing the socio-economic status (SES) of farmers. Therefore, we conceptualized, developed, and standardized an instrument to appraise the SES of the farmers who practice agroforestry in semi-arid and sub-humid regions of India. We also determined the consistent performance of the scale by testing the reliability using the test–retest method. We found that the validity of the scale was accepted with a high correlation, confirming the validity and reliability of the new scale. We also prepared certain norms to identify different socioeconomic levels of agroforestry farmers. The scale used 9 major, 14 moderate, and 115 relevant minor indicators to address the dynamism of the SES and the diversification of farming systems. The proposed scale was specially designed and elastic in nature so that it has a wide scope regarding local applicability and utility, such as in multi-farming systems. Hence, this scale might be considered for measuring the SES of farmers who practice agroforestry at cross-regional and national levels.

Keywords: agroforestry; measurement and norms; reliability; socioeconomic status scale; validity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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