Package of Practices Approach in Adoption of High-Yielding Varieties - An Appraisal

Introduction MUCH of the research and extension effort in India in connection with the development and release of high-yield- ing varieties (HYVs) since the mid- 1960s has revolved around the concept of a 'package of practices'. Fanners have generally been extolled to adopt the HYVs of crops like paddy, wheat, bajra, jowar and maize along with vastly increased amounts of fertilisers, pesticides, insecticides, etc, to gain maximum benefit from the new technology. The implication which fanners and others seem to derive from the literature on HYVs is that unless they include all parts of the input package at their 'recommended' levels, HYV technology will not be of any benefit. According to the Programme Evaluation Organisation of the Planning Commission {15, pp 159-160] the proportions of Indian farmers adopting all four recommended practices in the and 55.84 per cent for wheat, paddy