Asian Journal of Agricultural Extension, Economics & Sociology
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Decision Tree for 305-Day Milk Yield in Cross-bred Cattle
No full textCows\u27 Lactation Milk Yield (LMY) is a crucial factor in animal breeding operations. Investigating the influence of potential environmental factors on lactation milk yield is of paramount importance and in order to identify the various factors influencing lactation milk yield, dairy cattle records were analysed using the regression tree approach. Age, Parity (P), Lactation Length (LL), and Calving Season (CS) were taken into account as explanatory variables while 305-day Milk Yield (MY) as a dependent variable. Decision tree study revealed that Lactation Length, followed by Parity, Age, and Calving Season, had the greatest impact on the 305-d milk output of cross-bred cows. The regression trees use the tree to represent the recursive part. Each terminal node or leaf of the tree represents a cell of the section and has just added a simple pattern applied to it in this cell. It was evident from nodes (branches) in regression tree, that cows with parities of 1 and 4 (node 11) produced less milk than cows with parities of 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8 (node 10). More milk was produced by cows older than 4.3 years and whose calving seasons were spring and summer (node 40). With the use of the regression tree method, we were able to extract sub-homogenous groups based on the explanatory variables from records of cross-bred cattle and determine the combinations of environmental conditions that produced the maximum 305-d milk yield
Examining the Power of Accumulation: A Case Study of the Lavera Project by Ambala Farmers Producer Company Limited in Haryana, India
No full textThe concept behind Farmer Producer Organizations is that farmers, who are the producers of Agricultural products, can form groups and register themselves under the Indian Companies Act. 1956. The aim is to enhance farmer\u27s income, capacity building, and competitiveness and increase their advantage in emerging market opportunities. A case study was conducted in the Ambala District of Haryana to examine the role of farmer-producer organizations in enhancing farmers socio economic status. Studying the management and governance system of F.P.C. and assessing the impact of F.P.C. on members was the objective of the case study. Personal interviews and group discussion methods were used for data collection and secondary data from directors for gathering information on the F.P.C. Project Lavera Ambala Farmer Producer Organization, which was established on Sep 02, 2015, for collecting, processing, and marketing milk and milk products. It covered nine Ambala villages and collected raw milk from members and non-member farmers at higher prices than other value chain actors. The study\u27s result indicates that farmers who supply milk to F.P.C. get 9-13 rupees per lit higher price than others. It also provides bonuses to member farmers who are company shareholders, and their income from dairy farming is enhanced by 25-30 percent. Lavera has enhanced net returns for farmers, increased revenue through value addition, and fostered entrepreneurship in rural communities. Members of F.P.C. are highly satisfied with the services provided by F.P.C. and its performance in local areas
Profile Characteristics of Khasi Tribal Farmers Engaging in Collection and Management of Non-Timber Forest Products in Meghalaya, India
No full textTribal farmers belong to indigenous communities and engage in agricultural activities, agroforestry or even non-timber forest product harvesting as their primary livelihood. These farmers are part of ethnic groups with distinct traditions, languages and social structures. Therefore, studying the profile characteristics of these farmers is essential for understanding their unique socio-economic and cultural contexts. This study was conducted on 160 tribal farmers from East Khasi Hills and Ri Bhoi district of Meghalaya, primarily engaged in the collection and management of non-timber forest products. The research, utilized an ex post facto design. Findings revealed that most respondents were young or middle aged, with diverse educational backgrounds. Housing was mainly wooden or concrete with asbestos sheets. Material possession ranged from low to medium, and family sizes were typically medium to large, with nuclear families prevailing. Social and political participation varied, while income distribution skewed towards the low to medium range. Local and regional markets were preferred by over two-thirds of respondents. Livestock ownership, landholding sizes and indebtedness patterns demonstrated diversity. Engagement with mass media, cosmopoliteness, extension contact, participation and opinion leadership varied, with many falling into low to medium categories. Awareness of development schemes was significant, indicating a connection to broader societal initiatives. Tribal farmers displayed diverse levels of scientific orientation, risk and economic motivation, market orientation, and fatalistic attitudes. These findings offer valuable insights for policymakers, researchers and development practitioners, facilitating tailored interventions to address the unique needs and aspirations of this farming community
Adoption of Management Tools by Farmers in the Context of Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services in Menoua Division, West Cameroon
No full textAims: This study aims to analyze the challenges under the adoption of management tools provided by the Program for the consolidation and sustainability of agro-pastoral Counseling (PCP-ACEFA) to farmers in the Menoua Division, West region of Cameroon.
Methodology: 60 farmers were surveyed using a stratified random sampling technic and 5 advisors were interviewed. The data were processed and analyzed with Excel 2013 and SPSS software version 20.
Results: Results shows that a variety of management tools are available to farmers in the Menoua division. The calculation of gross margin (utilization rate 62.96%), Balance sheet (utilization rate 60%) are the most widely used, especially for farms generating large financial flows. Concerning the factors influencing the adoption of management tools, the study revealed several categories: social, economic and institutional. Social factors, for example with the level of education, show that those who adopt the most (50%) have at least secondary education. Furthermore, with the help of the advisors, farmers who adopted these tools have been experiencing changes in their activities as they can now evaluate their activities to know their economic performances which will further permit them to make better decisions. The study also shows that farmers faced difficulties in adopting the use of management tools and it is mostly (33, 33%) due to a lack of finance to expand their exploitation and Implementation difficulties (20.8%). Concerning strategies for a better adoption of tools, farmers mostly propose that the program help increasing their farm size by financing their activities and simplification of tools to the least level that everyone can use.
Conclusion: The recommendations formulated at the end of this study are to increase farmers\u27 awareness and training in the use of management tools to guarantee good yields on their farms
Evaluation of Biofortified Sweet Potato Varieties for Their Growth, Yield and Economic Performance under Assam Condition
No full textAn on-farm trial under Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Baksa was undertaken to evaluate the performance of two biofortified sweet potato varieties (Bhu Sona and Bhu Krishna) against a check variety Dergaon Red. The trial was conducted in eight different locations of Baksa and Dhubri district of Assam following scientific cultivation practices. Assessing the novel varieties for performance and economic return were taken as primary objectives while designing the experiment. Randomised Block Design was used to lay out the design and statistical analysis of the growth and yield characters shows significant differences between the three varieties. The variety Bhu Sona exhibited the highest vine length (214 cm), tuber length (18.6 cm), tuber weight (152.3 g), and average yield (16.7 tonnes/ha). In some significant yield characteristics like marketable tuber yield per plant and tuber yield per plant, the two biofortified varieties were at par with each other. And with respect to days taken for harvesting from planting, Bhu Sona and Dergaon Red were at par with each other with 109.3 days. The economic analysis reflected a maximum gross income of Rs. 253500 per hectare in Bhu Sona which was 26.8% more than the check variety. The variety Bhu Krishna also exhibited a 14% increase in gross return from the check variety. The trial indicated that the cultivation of varieties Bhu Sona and Bhu Krishna is feasible under Assam conditions contributing higher economic return to the farmers
Socio-economic Profile of Fruit Crop Growers of Karnataka and Their Relationship with Entrepreneurial Behaviour
No full textThe study was conducted in Vijayapura district of Karnataka during 2020 to study the socio-economic profile of fruit crop growers and their relationship with entrepreneurial behaviour. Forty each grape, lime and pomegranate growers were selected by use of simple random sampling technique. Thus, making a total sample size of 120. The statistical tools such as mean, standard deviation, frequency, percentage and chi square test were used to draw valid inferences. The findings revealed that more than two fifth (42.50%) of the fruit crop growers belonged to middle age group, one fourth of them had middle school education, nearly half (48.33%) were practicing crop production as main occupation, more than two fifth (43.33%) of them were found to have medium sized family, more than one third (37.50%) of them had medium experience in fruit crop cultivation, nearly half (49.17%) of the fruit crop growers were small farmers, 35.00 per cent of them were found under medium income category. More than two fifth (43.33%) of them were found to have medium level of social participation, 40.83 per cent of them had medium level of mass media exposure, extension participation and deferred gratification, 45.00 per cent of them had medium level of value orientation, two fifth (40.00%) had medium level of self-reliance and more than one third (35.00%) of them belonged to medium level of cosmopoliteness
A Study on Socio-economic Profile of Paddy Growers in Milkipur Block of Ayodhya District of Uttar Pradesh, India
No full textThe study was conducted in five villages of Milkipur block in Ayodhya district, selected purposively based on proximity to the researcher and accessibility. A complete list of all paddy growers in each selected village was prepared. From this list, a total of 120 farmers were selected using a proportionate random sampling technique. The results of the study revealed that the majority of the respondents exhibited various socio-economic characteristics, such as being in the age category of 39-62 years (61.67%), being literate (84.16%), belonging to the general caste (39.17%), living in nuclear families (85.83%), having a family size of 4-8 members (62.50%), being marginal farmers with land holdings below one hectare (43.33%), and having agriculture as their main occupation with subsidiary agricultural labor occupations (90.83% and 21.66%, respectively). A mixed housing pattern was observed in 56.66% of the respondents. In terms of material possessions, diesel engines (53.33%) and chaff cutters (85.83%) were the main farm power and agricultural implements, respectively. For transportation, bicycles (98.33%) were predominant. In terms of communication media, household materials such as coats (100%) and mobile phones (100%) were reported as main possessions. Additionally, 57.50% of respondents had no participation in any organizations. The majority of respondents (52.50%) reported an annual family income of up to 50,000. Gram pradhan (05.57%), family members (06.00%), and mobile phones (06.00%) were identified as the main formal, informal, and communicational sources of extension contact, respectively
Impact Evaluation and Adoption of Climate Resilience and Nutrition Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato in Burundi: A Case Study of the Rural Bujumbura Province
No full textThe new orange-fleshed sweet potato varieties have been adopted with the aim of increasing production, farmers\u27 welfare, and combating chronic malnutrition. This study analyzed the impact of orange-fleshed sweet potato adoption on production in Gihanga commune using the propensity score matching method. A survey of 385 households was carried out on April 2023, including 161 orange-fleshed sweet potato adopters and 224 non-adopters. The determinants and rate of adoption of orange-fleshed sweet potato were also analyzed using the logit model and the Average Treatment effect on the Treated (ATT) method respectively, while Kendall\u27s Concordance Coefficient was used to determine adoption constraints. Thus, unpredictable weather and climatic conditions, lack of capital, unavailability of PDCO cuttings, insufficient arable land as well as high labor costs are the main constraints to orange-fleshed sweet-potato adoption. The adoption rate for orange-fleshed sweet potatoes is estimated at 42%. Adoption of PDCO was positively and significantly influenced by the household head\u27s level of education, family labor, access to credit, access to extension services and membership of producer organizations, while the household head\u27s age and household size had a negative impact on adoption. The ATT revealed that the adoption of orange-fleshed sweet potatoes increased production per adopter household by an average of 369.88 kg, although the difference was not statistically significant. The government and other players in the agricultural sector should do their part to raise awareness, disseminate, facilitate access and mobilize farmers to adopt sweet potato varieties in order to improve their productivity
Expectations and Problems of Rural Youth to become Agri-entrepreneur
No full textThe present study was conducted in Chandrapur and Gadchiroli districts of Eastern Vidarbha Zone of Maharashtra. An exploratory research design of social research was used for investigation. A sample of 120 rural youth were selected by covering 20 villages from two districts on the basis of higher population of rural youth. The two objectives were studied, to study the expectations of rural youth towards agri-entrepreneurship and problems of rural youth to become agri-entrepreneur. Majority of the respondents had expectation to earn more money (95.00%), provide technical knowledge and skill oriented training program about agri-enterprises (84.16%), to gain social status through agri entrepreneurship (77.50%), provide market place to sell agri product (70.83%), government should provide credit/ loan facilities to start agri-enterprises (65.83%) and receive the higher prices to their agri products (70.83%), respectively. The overall 45.00 per cent of respondents had high level of expectations about agri-entrepreneurship. Majority of the respondents were reported problems, lack of proper training and guidance (93.33%), lack of experience in agri-enterprises (90.00%), lack of support from government and other organizational policies, rules and regulations (85.00%), fear about starting of new enterprises (82.50%) and financial/ capital problem (78.33%), respectively
Economic Analysis of Pea Farming in High Hills of Himachal Pradesh, India
No full textPea cultivation is an important agricultural activity in the region, contributing significantly to the local economy and providing livelihood opportunities for farmers. The study examines the cost and returns analysis associated with pea cultivation in the high hills of the state. Simple random sampling has been used for the selection of respondents to collect the primary data. The study stated that the total cost (C3) incurred for the cultivation of pea was Rs 107123.15 per hectare. However, it was found highest in marginal farms (Rs 115210.12/ha) and lowest in medium farms (Rs 91297.73/ha). Furthermore, net income was worked out to be Rs 277918.34 per hectare. The output- input ratio implied that each rupee spent would yield a profit of Rs 2.59 for pea in the study area. Hence, the findings of the study contribute to a better understanding of the economic viability of pea cultivation and can guide efforts towards improving the efficiency and profitability of this agricultural practice in the high hills of Himachal Pradesh