The present study was conducted during the year 2017-18 in purposively selected Tumakuru district comprising of three agro- climatic zones. From each zone, two taluks and from each taluk two hoblis were selected based on the major crop farming systems. From each hobli, list of villages having maximum number of women headed households practicing family farming was prepared in consultation with staff of Raitha Samparka Kendras (RSKs), Grama Panchayath and local leaders. Further four to eight villages and two to four respondents from each village were purposively selected by using ‘snow ball technique’ thus making total sample of 160.Data were gathered through structured interview schedule and analyzed using appropriate statistical tools. The study revealed that characteristics such as land holding, achievement motivation, adjustability, mass media use, deferred gratification, farming commitment, extension orientation, family size, livestock possession, material possession, credit orientation and risk orientation had positive and significant relationship with family farming efficiency. Similarly, with respect to extent of contribution of independent variables indicated that 12out of 16 independent variables such as family size, land holding, livestock possession, material possession, credit orientation, mass media use, deferred gratification, achievement motivation, risk orientation, adjustability, farming commitment and extension orientation had contributed significantly towards family farming efficiency of women headed households. The R2 value indicated that all the 16 independent variables had contributed to the tune of 79.15 per cent of variation in family farming efficiency of women headed households. Further, Path analysis was applied to know the direct and indirect effects of independent variables on family farming efficiency of women headed households. As regards to the direct effects on family farming efficiency is concerned, land holding, credit orientation, material possession and livestock possession obtained four ranks in the same order. Further, ranking of variables based on their total indirect effects revealed that land holding, mass media use, achievement motivation and material possession had highest indirect effect. The first largest indirect effect was channeled through land holding, livestock possession and risk orientation. The residual effect was found to be 0.2085.

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