Vegetable are a potent source of food and nutritional security contributing 60.8 per cent share in the food basket in India. Vegetables are grown from landless to large land holdings, but the availability of quality seedlings especially to small, marginal and landless holdings is a question necessitating the need to train and establish vegetable seedling growers in the form of entrepreneurs. An extensive survey was undertaken in the western plain zone of UP followed by group discussions and selection of entrepreneurs. For this purpose, 03 farmers volunteered to take the assignment by sparing 500 m2 areas nearer to their house. A plan of 8 vegetables was drawn and implemented to provide year-round vegetable seedlings. It was observed that April, May, and June were the months where seedling requirement was very less, while remaining month’s seedlings were required in large quantities. The monthly income of Rs 74794, Rs. 78388, Rs 77115 and Rs. 74745 was higher during October, November, December, and January, respectively. In April lowest income of Rs. 7018 was realized. Among the crops, onion seedlings registered the highest tomato equivalent plant as well as income per square meter area. The seedlings production system in only 500 m2 generates 300 man-days of job opportunities. The gross income of Rs.4,88,483 was earned while the cost of cultivation was Rs. 1,74,437 and 54,459/ with professional and family farming mode, respectively registering net income of Rs. 3,14,045 and Rs. 4,34,024 in the same order. Likewise, per day income was Rs. 860 and Rs. 1189, respectively. The results indicated that a family farming mode of vegetable seedling raising could earn Rs.1189 per day and can provide year-round jobs to the family members at the household level.

Keyword: Vegetable nursery; Seedling; Entrepreneur; Income; B:C Ratio; Family farming