Preliminary synthesis of farmers' attitudes and preferences towards nutrient application in China and India

Th e International Potash Institute (IPI) has initiated the distribution of a questionnaire to several hundred farmers in villages and locations across India and in two locations in East China, and to approximately a hundred fertilizer dealers in India. Th e results were compiled and compared between the two countries and, in some cases, between villages of the same country. Th e results show that Chinese farmers rarely avoid the annual application of nitrogen (N), phosphate (P), potash (K) and organic matter (OM), when compared with farmers in India. About 40% of farmers asked in India add K 'sometimes' or 'never', while 10% only apply 'sometimes' in China. Th e use of a soil test was highly varied between the various locations in India, but was very low in the two locations surveyed in China. Dependence on precipitation and the socio-economic level of farmers strongly aff ects the use of nutrients and consumption of services such as soil testing. Regular contacts with extension services also varied greatly between locations in In- dia and were quite high in China. Indian farmers appear to appreciate less the knowled- ge of the fertilizer dealers, mostly ranking their knowledge as poor to medium, but Chinese farmers tend to rank the dealers' knowledge as "good" and "very good". Most farmers in the survey appreciate workshops and meetings as the best channels for receiving agronomic information, followed by TV and information sheets. It is concluded that, in order to make the most effi cient dissemination of agricultural knowledge, a site-specifi c knowledge transfer policy has to be tailored according to the local agronomic, social, economic and societal parameters and the needs of the region.