Skip to content
Home▶ Journals▶ Indian Journal of Extension Education▶Archive▶Vol. 62 No. 4 (2026)▶Disconnect between Academic Research and Farmer Needs in…
Indian Journal of Extension Education
Indian Journal of Extension Education ›
Online ISSN 2454-552X
Submit your paper About the journal
Research Article

Disconnect between Academic Research and Farmer Needs in Indian Agricultural Systems: A Comparative Study

, , , ,
Bhartendu Yadav — Assistant Professor, School of Agriculture, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara-144411, Punjab, India
Abhilash Singh Maurya — Subject Matter Specialist/Scientist (Extension), Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Palti Kheda, Raebareli-229212, Uttar Pradesh, India
Atin Kumar — Assistant Professor, School of Agriculture, Uttaranchal University, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
Rajesh Kumar Kanojia — Scientist (Agronomy), Dariyapur, Raebareli-229405, Uttar Pradesh, India
Kaushlesh Kumar Singh — Senior Scientist & Head, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Dariyapur, Raebareli-229405, Uttar Pradesh, India
Published 24 Sep 2026 Vol. 62 No. 4 (2026), pp. 187-192 ● Open access
❝ How to cite 🔗 https://doi.org/10.48165/IJEE.2026.62427
Formats:PDF ● Open access
Download PDF

Abstract

The study was conducted in 2024-25 to assess the gap between agricultural research and farmers’ needs and to compare the factors influencing technology adoption in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. A convergent parallel mixed-methods design was adopted, and 384 farmers were selected from Ludhiana and Bathinda in Punjab and Varanasi and Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh using multistage stratified random sampling. Primary data were collected through structured interviews, focus group discussions, and personal interviews and were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, chi-square, correlation, and regression analysis. The study found that the farmers in Punjab showed higher awareness of recent agricultural research, greater extension contact, and higher adoption of improved technologies than farmers in eastern Uttar Pradesh. Regression analysis indicated that research awareness, extension contacts, irrigation access, farm size, and education significantly influenced technology adoption, with research awareness showing the strongest effect. The findings indicated that the research–farmer gap was associated with unequal access to knowledge, extension services, infrastructure, and resources. The study highlighted the need for participatory, region-specific, and farmer-centric agricultural research and stronger extension linkages. 

 

KeywordsAdoptionExtensionGapResearchSensitivityTechnology

The full text of this article is available as a PDF.

Download PDF
  1. Begho, T., Glenk, K., Anik, A. R., & Eory, V. (2022). A systematic review of factors that influence farmers’ adoption of sustainable crop farming practices: Lessons for sustainable nitrogen management in South Asia. Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment, 1, 149–160. https://doi.org/10.1002/sae2.12016
  2. Gireesh, S., Kumbhare, N. V., Nain, M. S., Kumar, P., & Gurung, B. (2019). Yield gap and constraints in production of major pulses in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Indian Journal of Agricultural Research, 53(1), 104–107.
  3. Goodluck, A., Otieno, D. J., & Oluoch-Kosura, W. (2024). Understanding farmers’ perceptions on advisory services in Tanzania: Comparative insights from principal component analysis and Q-methodology. Heliyon, 10(14), e34541. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e34541
  4. Kademani, S., Nain, M. S., Singh, R., Dhull, S. K., Parsad, R., Sharma, D. K., & Roy, S. K. (2026). Personal and institutional determinants of an effective entrepreneurial intervention. Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology, 28(1), 87–101. https://doi.org/10.48311/jast.2026.16843
  5. Kademani Sujay, B., Nain, M. S., Mishra, J. R., & Singh, R. (2020). Policy and institutional support for agri-entrepreneurship development in India: A review. Journal of Extension Systems, 36(1), 15–22. https://doi.org/10.48165/JES.2020.36104
  6. Karunathilake, E. M. B. M., Le, A. T., Heo, S., Chung, Y. S., & Mansoor, S. (2023). The path to smart farming: Innovations and opportunities in precision agriculture. Agriculture, 13(8), 1593. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13081593
  7. Khan, M., Behrendt, K., Papadas, D., Arnold, L., & Sultana, A. (2025). From inequalities to inclusion: Sustainable development for smallholders. Sustainable Development, 33(S1), 1520–1536. https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.70073
  8. Kumar, R., Gohain, N., Verma, D. K., Srivastava, A. K., Yadav, B., Kumar, A., Kumar, A., & Kumar, S. (2026). Economic efficiency and input optimization in dairy enterprises. Asian Journal of Dairy and Food Research, 45(3), 387–395. https://arccjournals.com/journal/asian-journal-of-dairy-and-food-research/DR-2467
  9. Kumar, S., Nain, M. S., Sangeetha, V., & Satyapriya. (2023). Determinants and constraints for adoption of zero budget natural farming (ZBNF) practices in farmer field school. Indian Journal of Extension Education, 59(4), 135–140. https://doi.org/10.48165/IJEE.2023.59427
  10. Lowder, S. K., Bhalla, G., & Davis, B. (2025). Decreasing farm sizes and the viability of smallholder farmers: Implications for resilient and inclusive rural transformation. Global Food Security, 45, 100854. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2025.100854
  11. Mishra, A., Malik, J. S., Chikkalaki, A. S., Niwas, R., & Bhavesh. (2024). A comparative study on knowledge level of climate smart agricultural practices (CSAP) among paddy farmers in eastern Haryana. Indian Journal of Extension Education, 60(3), 77–82. https://doi.org/10.48165/IJEE.2024.60315
  12. Nain, M. S., Singh, R., Vijayraghavan, K., & Vyas, A. K. (2012). Participatory linkage of farmers, technology and agricultural researchers for improved wheat production in national capital region of India. African Journal of Agricultural Research, 7(37), 5198–5207. https://doi.org/10.5897/AJAR12.1538
  13. Pochtrager, S., Bachmann, N., Brunner, M., Tripathi, S., & Jodlbauer, H. (2026). Addressing challenges in agriculture: Exploring smart farming technologies to support future farming practices. Smart Agricultural Technology, 13, 101694. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atech.2025.101694
  14. Rajeev, Jawla, S. K., Singh, J. P., Yadav, B., Kumar, N., & Sahrawat, A. (2025). Innovative feed formulation strategies for optimizing growth and feed efficiency in livestock systems: A review. Indian Journal of Animal Research, 59(Special Issue), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.18805/IJAR.B-5663
  15. Shitaye, Z., Tadesse, B., & Enkuahone, K. (2025). Intensity of agricultural information utilization among small holder farmers in East Gojjam Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia. Heliyon, 11(4), e42495. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2025.e42495
  16. Singh, A., Maurya, A. S., Yadav, B., & Malik, J. S. (2024). Farmers’ attitude towards organic farming in Uttar Pradesh. Indian Journal of Extension Education, 60(3), 33–36. https://doi.org/10.48165/IJEE.2024.60307
  17. Singh, R., Nain, M. S., Sharma, J. P., Mishra, J. R., & Burman, R. R. (2014). Institutional convergence of synergistic strengths for developing women agripreneurs. Indian Journal of Extension Education, 50(3–4), 1–7.
  18. Srivastava, A. B., Singh, K. K., Kumar, A., Singh, P. K., Yadav, B., Neerugatti, M. P., & Verma, S. K. (2025). Sustainability concern on sugarcane production in India with special reference to Uttar Pradesh, India. Plant Archives, 25(1), 1761–1769. https://doi.org/10.51470/PLANTARCHIVES.2025.v25.no.1.255
  19. Vatta, K. (2014). Pattern of rural livelihoods in Punjab: The role of industrial and urban linkages. In S. Uchikawa (Ed.), Industrial clusters, migrant workers, and labour markets in India. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137408778_4
  20. Vyas, D., Bharti, A. K., Mishra, A., Singh, S., & Singh, S. (2025). Adoption level of farmers towards organic farming practices in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India. Journal of Scientific Research and Reports, 31(5), 416–422. https://doi.org/10.9734/jsrr/2025/v31i53039
  21. Yadav, B., Maurya, A. S., Srivastava, A. K., Bhavesh, & Malik, J. S. (2025). Perceived constraints among dairy farmers in eastern India using logistic regression. Indian Journal of Extension Education, 61(4), 201–207. https://doi.org/10.48165/IJEE.2025.614RN03
  22. Yadav, B., Maurya, A. S., Supriya, Narain, S., & Kumar, A. (2026). Socio economic determinants of agriculture households in Punjab: A principal component analysis. Indian Journal of Extension Education, 62(1), 41–47. https://doi.org/10.48165/IJEE.2026.62107
  23. Files, images, and data analysis are unavailable until usage resets at 3:34 PM. Continue chatting with text only, or upgrade for more access.
  24. Claim offer

Looking up citing articles…

    Creative Commons License

    This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.