Policy Prescriptions for Conversion to Organic Agriculture- A Study in the Konkan Belt of Maharashtra

Abstract

In the ecologically fragile and undeveloped Konkan belt of Maharashtra, India, this study assesses the economic feasibility and sociodemographic factors of switching from inorganic (conventional) to organic rice agriculture. The study uses Independent Sample T-tests and a Binary Logistic Regression model to assess economic comparability and forecast adoption probabilities using primary survey data gathered from 188 paddy farmers in the Palghar, Thane, and Raigad districts (94 of whom practise organic farming and 94 of whom practise inorganic farming). The results of the T-test show that organic farming is economically viable. The Binary Logistic Regression model, which correctly classifies 73.9% of the adoption cases, identifies formal education (p = 0.013, Odds Ratio = 2.78), livestock ownership (p = 0.053, Odds Ratio = 2.097), and structured market access (p = 0.065, Odds Ratio = 4.197) as the critical sociodemographic drivers of organic agriculture. A mixed-method triangulation framework is utilised with qualitative studies to overcome the limitations of the quantitative method. The study comes to the conclusion that incorporating livestock, professionalising Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), and continuing "hand-holding" are essential to internalising negative externalities and creating a self-sufficient and sustainable rural economy.