Abstract:
This paper explores the “experts point of view” on the possibility of a (1) package of Eco Friendly Technologies (EFTs) comprised of „Slow release fertilizer‟, „Organic carbon‟ and „Microbes‟ and incorporated those into the root ball of the rice plant at the nursery stage and then healthy seedlings are established in the paddy fields by way of „Parachute Technology‟ to reduce the chemical fertilizer use in two common seed establishment methods in paddy cultivation, i.e. (2) „Broadcasting‟, and (3) „Transplanting‟. The aspects those govern this behavior were identified in consultation with of a panel of scientists, and then classified into six major aspects, namely: (i) Level of „Acceptance‟ (AC); (ii) „Cost‟ of application in the field (CT); (iii) effect on the „Environment‟ (EN); (iv) expected „Performance‟ (PF); (v) existing „Regulation‟ (RG), and (vi) availability of related „Services‟ (SE). Having incorporated these into a questionnaire in the form of attitudinal statements (n=18) supported by a 10-point likert-scale, it was administered in-person with 32 experts to get their views. The data coded were subjected to the tests on Scale Reliability and Unidimensionality to evaluate their internal validity and reliability, and Aggregate Mean Scores were derived. The outcome of analysis show that experts perceive that EFT were in a “better” position in compared to the Broadcasting with regard to the aspects of: EN, PF and RG and “poor” with regard to: AC, SE and CT. In the context of EFTs vs. Transplanting, expert perceptions were “better” with regard to CT, AC and EN, but they perceive that EFTs are not in position to offset the benefits they enjoy in terms of SE, RG and PF. The outcome of analysis highlights the importance of generating private incentives for farmers to reduce monetary and transaction costs associated with use of EFTs and an appropriate institutional set up to regulate the fertilizer markets fully, as those non-competitive or distorted markets would demotivate farmers desire to go for this type of environmentally friendly technologies.
