Crop diversification in India: a study of maize cultivation in Karnataka

Growing need of agricultural production has been greatly felt with the growth of population, not only for the sake of food security but also for providing employment. Crop diversification within the sector has also been noticed to a great extent. Of which, the growth of production of maize has registered at the highest with CAGR at 8.5 per cent in the last three decades. Using one way Least Squares Dummy Variable (LSDV) for twenty-seven districts over twelve years, present study explored that the introduction of new hybrid seed (HYV) is one of the most important factors for significant growth of maize crop in the state. Further, though the crop is suitable in the drier region, the role of timely rainfall is also found to have significant on the yield level