Growing with the Land: Understanding the Future of Olericulture Farming in Khoijuman, Manipur through Statistical and Bayesian Insights
Dr. Brahmacharimayum Anilkumar SharmaOlericulture practice (the science of vegetable cultivation) took a pivotal role in meeting the increasing demand for vegetables in Manipur, India. The main focus of the study to understand the increasing demands for vegetable and ultimately conversion of paddy cultivated fields in to perennial vegetable cultivated field can be sustainable in future. The study is based on the dataset collected from 120 in Khoijuman village, Bishnupur District, Manipur, India, one of the most important areas of olericulture practice in Manipur, engaged in vegetable farming though households’ surveys. Again, the study tries to an empirical understanding of factors influencing olericulture development. The study applied Gaussian descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, classical regression, and Bayesian inference, the study explores relationships among variables such as land size, education, crop rotation, training, age, production levels, and income. The study highlights strong positive correlations between land used area and annual production rate (r = 0.42), income level (r = 0.31), and educational qualification. Moreover, the Bayesian regression analysis indicates probability-based insights for policy recommendations by validating these relationships with posterior means for important coefficients. In the backdrop of sustainable development, the impending issues like input costs and the impact of climate change are important factors. To meet the growing demand for vegetables, the study recommends methods for expanding olericulture, such as improved irrigation infrastructure and training by attracting educated rural youth.