An empirical investigation of determinants of practicing sandalwood cultivation in Karnataka

Abstract

Santalum album is a culturally and commercially important plant species. Due to the robust depletion of this resource in its natural habitat and consistent demand, caused huge demand-supply gap for sandalwood globally. The domestication of sandalwood on the farm fields through various silvicultural practices can increase the supply of sandalwood. Sandalwood being a high value crop, its cultivation requires a deep understanding of farmers’ perceptions and the various socio-economic and psychological factors that influence their decision to practice sandalwood farming. Hence, the study was conducted in the Karnataka state using the snowball sampling method and the primary data was collected from 200 sample farmers. The multiple linear regression analysis was employed to analyze the determinants for practicing sandalwood cultivation in the study area. This study aims to offer empirical evidence highlighting the significant impact of these factors on the cultivation of sandalwood along with the socio-economic characteristics of sandalwood farmers. The study highlights the importance of influential factors like landholding size, farmer’s age, family income, government support and market demand. By addressing these factors, the area under sandalwood can be enhanced so that India can revitalize its position in the global sandalwood industry.