Asian Journal of Agricultural Extension, Economics & Sociology
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Challenges in Sesame Production and Marketing: Insights from Kerala\u27s Onattukara Region, India
No full textSesame is one of the nine major oilseeds grown in India, with cultivation spread across every state. Although sesame is grown in 11 districts in Kerala, the sesame cultivated in the Onattukara tract has unique characteristics. In Kerala, sesame is cultivated on 326.51 hectares, with a total production of 163.1 tonnes and a productivity rate of 499 kg per hectare. This study aims to analyze the challenges faced by farmers in the production and marketing of sesame in the Onattukara region of Kerala. The districts of Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, and Kollam were purposively selected for the study, as the Onattukara region is located within these three districts. A total of 163 farmers were included in the sample, comprising eighty farmers each from Kollam and Alappuzha districts and three farmers from Pathanamthitta. Constraints faced by farmers in sesame cultivation were ranked using the Garrett ranking technique.
Sesame cultivation in the Onattukara region faces various challenges in both production and marketing, such as inadequate seed availability, high input costs, low yields, labor shortages, low prices, weather-related issues, price fluctuations, delayed payments, low demand for the final product, and the lack of institutional market mechanism. Similarly, sesame processing unit owners also encounter issues in production and marketing, including raw material shortages, a lack of skilled labor, poor raw material quality, costly production methods, lack of support, low product prices, price volatility, inadequate storage facilities, inefficient markets for final products, and limited consumer awareness.
A micro-level study on sesame production and marketing would help producers make informed and specific decisions to improve their income. These insights can guide producers in making informed decisions and assist policymakers in implementing corrective measures like resource allocation for inputs, training and capacity building, improving market linkages to enhance sesame production, productivity, and market stability. These interventions, grounded in micro-level data, could substantially support both short-term gains and long-term sustainability in sesame production, demonstrating the practical utility of the research in enhancing both farmers livelihoods and local agricultural policy
Off-Farm Activities and Food Security Status: A Study of Smallholder Farmers in Kilifi South Sub-County, Kenya
No full textFood security is critical to the economic, social, religious, political and cultural development worldwide. This study goes deeper to investigate the role of off-farm as a livelihood strategy on food security in Kilifi South Sub-county. This Sub-county is one of the areas where food insecurity incidences are prevalent as a result of unpredictable rainfall patterns, sandy soils and high evaporation rate which as a result leads to numerous undesirable effects, such as frequent crop failure, high food commodity prices and famine. The study adopted survey design. The aim was to identify and analyze the role of off-farm activities on food security status among the smallholder farming community members in Kilifi South Sub-county. The objective of this study is to determine the influence of off-farm activities as a livelihood strategy on household food security status among the smallholder farming community in Kilifi South Sub-county. The study administered a standard questionnaire to a sample of 384. Sampling was done by use of systematic sampling procedure. Data was collected on food security status and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. From the information gathered through personal interviews, to determine the influence of participation in off-farm activities the results indicates that kiosks and green grocers were practiced by 32% food secure, while those selling fish were 25% food secure, those operating commercial motorcycling were 15% food insecure and lastly those selling charcoal were 28% food secure. It was therefore concluded that households involved in off-farm activities were food secure. This shows that although off-farm activities are not promising, they are important component of livelihood strategies. To further enhance food security and improve food security status in Kilifi South Sub-county, engagement in off-farm activities should be encouraged. The findings of this study would be beneficial to leaders, stakeholders and policy makers in decision making process pertaining suitable interventions in attainment of food security in Kilifi South Sub-county
Analysis of Rice Productivity and Sustainable Food Security in Bantul Regency
No full textThis study aims to find out how much rice production is in order to achieve sustainable food security in Bantul Regency in 2017-2023, and to find out how the productivity level of rice fields is. The initial idea of this study was due to the increase in the population in Bantul Regency from 2017-2023 which caused the conversion of rice fields to settlements, this will reduce agricultural land resources for rice production. This study uses a descriptive method with a quantitative approach, the data needed in this study is secondary data obtained from BPS Bantul Regency and analyzed using Microsoft Excel by comparing the demand side and the supply side. To determine the level of productivity of rice fields, the carrying capacity formula of agricultural land is used. Based on the results of the analysis carried out, it was obtained that in terms of demand or need for rice in 2023, it can be calculated based on the number of population and physical consumption figures of 81995.9989 tons. Meanwhile, the results of the calculation in terms of rice availability or production in Bantul Regency in 2023 are 83290.32986 tons. So if we compare the need with availability, Bantul Regency has a surplus, which means that the number of rice needs in Bantul Regency in 2023 is above the number of needs or demand. Based on the projection calculations, Bantul Regency will still experience a surplus until 2035, meaning that the rice availability in Bantul Regency until 2035 will be higher than the demand or required amount. Furthermore, when viewed from the level of rice field productivity in 2023 based on rice production or availability, it shows that Bantul Regency has a surplus with an availability of 0.082512239 tons, this figure is slightly above the minimum physical consumption figure of the population of Bantul Regency of 81.23 kg/person/day (0.08123 tons/year). Productivity based on the carrying capacity of agricultural land also experienced a deficit, the value of a shows 0.0000000010063, less than 1 (a < 1)
Study on Cost and Returns of Cash Crops in Sirmour District, Himachal Pradesh, India
No full textThe present study examines the cost and returns of major cash crops raised by different category of farmers in district Sirmour, Himachal Pradesh. The study also identified the different production problems faced by farmers using weighted rank method. Two stage stratified random sampling technique was followed to select a sample of villages and the ultimate farmers. A random sample of 60 farmers was chosen for the study. The major findings revealed that production of vegetables varied from 6.42 qtl for peas to as high as 25.93 qtl of tomato per farm. Garlic being a spice crop recorded the production of 14.37 quintal per farm. In the study, per hectare cost of cultivation was found to be highest for tomato, i.e., Rs. 34200, followed by garlic (Rs. 26134) and beans (Rs. 15427) and lowest for peas (Rs. 11247), The per hectare net return was found to be higher for garlic crop (Rs.115066) when compared to tomato crop (Rs. 55785), beans and peas (Rs. 17108 to Rs. 6703). Therefore, garlic crop was found to be the most profitable crop with the net return of Rs. 115066 which was more and double of profit earned from tomato (Rs. 55785), peas (Rs. 6703) and beans (Rs. 17108). Similarly, the cost of cultivation was found to be highest for the large farmers and the per hectare net return also seemed to be the highest for the large farmers. Likewise, gross returns were also found highest for large farmers than that of small farmers. Further, the study revealed that major production problems faced by the farmers were availability of quality seed, high cost of inputs which were rated at top, followed by monkey & stray animals, quality of seed not available, high cost of inputs and high incidence of pest and pesticides etc. In order to increasing farm production and to minimise operational costs, the availability of high yielding variety seeds, reasonable prices of inputs like seed, fertilizers, pesticides etc., may enhance the farmers’ net return and income
Assessing the Attitude of Entrepreneurs towards Agri-Business in Tamil Nadu Using a Standardized Measurement Scale
No full textThis study examines the attitudes of entrepreneurs towards agribusiness, focusing on how various factors influence their entrepreneurial ventures in the agricultural sector. The study employs a robust methodology, using Thurstone and Chave\u27s scaling technique to construct and validate an attitude scale. Results indicate that the majority of entrepreneurs (51.33%) exhibit a moderately favorable attitude towards agribusiness, with a notable proportion 28.67% showing a highly favorable disposition. This favorable attitude is attributed to factors such as opportunity identification, resource pooling and resilience, despite the inherent risks and seasonal fluctuations viz., weather conditions, supply and demand etc., associated with agribusiness
Effect of Urbanization on Employment, Wages and Livelihood of Rural People in Haryana, India
No full textAims: This paper examined the effect of urbanization on employment, wages and livelihood of rural people in Haryana.
Study Design: Two stages purposive sampling design was used for the selection of sample. At first stage, three districts namely Gurugram, Rewari and Mahendergarh had been selected purposively indicating different level of urbanization. At second stage, road side villages located within 10 Kilometer from their respective urban centre (Cluster 1) and villages located more than 10 Kilometer from urban centre (Cluster 2) had been selected purposively to collect the required information.
Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in Haryana during February and March 2018. The relevant primary data was collected from village head of sampled villages through personal interview using pre tested schedule.
Methodology: Total 90 villages were surveyed to collect the information on relevant variables. The collected data were analyzed using tabular method to achieve the objectives of the study.
Results: The study revealed that more people were residing in villages located away from urban centre (cluster 1) as compared to villages located near to urban centre (cluster 2) in all districts. The literacy rate was a little higher in cluster 1 than cluster 2 for both male and female population. Majority of population was engaged in agriculture in both clusters while higher percentage of population was engaged in agriculture in cluster 2 as compared to cluster 1. 87.13 percent and 66.09 per cent of total workers were engaged in non-farm sector in cluster 1 and cluster 2, respectively. The majority of village head in both clusters reported that urbanization had created better marketing facilities, job opportunities and provided better services. Although, the facilities had increased in the villages due to urbanization but more improvement was required to reduce the urban- rural gap. The majority of job created by urbanization was unskilled type in both clusters. The private sector had played a very important role in the development of villages in cluster 1 while in cluster 2, the government agencies had played important role in the development of villages.
Conclusion: The study concluded that urbanization had created opportunities for the rural people in Haryana. However, a good policy framework was still required to get the robust result of urbanization on rural transformation
An Economic Analysis of Production and Marketing of Banana in Middle Gujarat
No full textIndia is the second largest producer of fruits in the world (horticultural statistics at a glance 2018) and area, production and productivity of banana has increased over the years in Gujarat as well as in middle Gujarat also. In middle Gujarat, banana is one of the major fruit crop which is economically viable to the farmers as it gives higher return, so there is need to study the economics of fruit cultivation. Different cost for banana cultivation was calculated using cost concept. Different marketing channel was identified and marketing efficiency was calculated using Acharys’s formula. The study revealed that the cost A was ₹ 278397.31 per ha and cost C2 was ₹ 396162.82 per ha for banana cultivation and benefit cost ratio over cost C2 was 2.06. There were three marketing channels identified in middle Gujarat region. Marketing efficiency was higher in channel IV, which was 1.23. Unavailability of labour, increasing prices of inputs and unavailability on time of inputs were the major production constraints faced by farmers. Not getting proper price for produce, unavailability of labour and higher commission charges were the major marketing constraints faced by farmers. They suggest to focus on to strengthen supply chain through formation of FPOs, so the problems related to inputs and output prices can be solved. And with the help of new mechanical advancement problem of post-harvest losses and labour shortage can be solved
Evaluating Stakeholder Preferences and Willingness to Pay for Ecosystem Services in Kole Wetlands of Kerala for Effective Conservation Planning
No full textKole wetlands in Kerala are a multifunctional sub-sea level wetland rice agroecosystem with high ecological significance and are one of the most productive as well as threatened wetland in the State. This study attempts to identify the various ecosystem services provided by the Kole wetlands and examine the stakeholder priority for ecosystem services through preference ranking analysis using Garrett’s ranking method. Payment card method was used to estimate the stakeholder willingness to contribute for the conservation in terms of willingness to pay (WTP) and analysed the factors that affect their WTP using an ordinary least square regression model. The data were collected from 50 stakeholders equally representing the major stakeholder groups from three block panchayaths having highest Kole wetland area. The study identified 20 ecosystem services supplied by Kole wetlands illustrating its multifunctional vital role in sustaining ecological and human systems. Stakeholders prioritised the water-related ecosystem services such as groundwater recharge and flood water regulation as the most important service reflecting its critical importance in daily life and agriculture. Estimated mean annual WTP was Rs.211 indicating a general willingness among stakeholders to contribute financially to conservation efforts, as a coping strategy for water related natural disasters. Stakeholder group, Kole tourists were willing to contribute highest amount with mean annual WTP of Rs.248, expecting an improvement of recreational amenities in tourist spots. Stakeholders with higher incomes, larger land holdings, and greater awareness are more willing to pay for the conservation of the Kole wetlands. The insights from the study are valuable for guiding conservation strategies and resource allocation, along with ensuring the supply of essential services and exploring the opportunities for economic diversification, that are crucial to secure necessary financial and non-financial support for the management of Kole wetland ecosystem in a sustainable way
Evolution of Institutional Support for Agricultural Entrepreneurship in Benin
No full textAgricultural entrepreneurship (AE) has been a viable development option promoted by Benin government. This study aims to analyze the institutional environment supporting AE with a focus on innovation within enterprises through laws, and implementation of programs and projects. The data was collected and analyzed using content analysis of documents such as program/project reports, narratives, decrees, orders, and policy documents from various ministries. The results indicate that the institutional framework of Benin did not place particular emphasis on supporting agricultural enterprises. Reforms were initiated lately in 2006 to provide specific support and ensure the emergence of small and medium-sized agricultural enterprises. Laws were enacted, and programs and projects were conducted during the implementation of the reforms. A thorough analysis of the actions regarding AE reveals that the government interventions primarily addressed components including the propensity to innovate and the practice of innovation of the agricultural enterprises. The propensity to innovate did not particularly interest the agricultural enterprises. Reflections led to the integration of the propensity to innovate into support actions because of the increasing failure rates of young agricultural enterprises. Support for innovation was not completed on one type of intervention. Building on the importance of the propensity to innovate, the capacity to innovate, and the practice of innovation, in entrepreneurial success, efforts should continue to be made to create a more favorable institutional environment. Policies will also aim to simultaneously target the three components of innovativeness to provide a better chance of survival for young AE. Case studies will help achieve this goal
Influence of Farmer’s Income Level on Adoption of Agricultural Water Management Practices among Smallholder Farmers in Rongai Sub-county, Kenya
No full textWater is a resource that cannot be replaced and can only be renewed if it is well managed. It is basic for all forms of life, for every aspects of socio-economic development, and for the maintenance of a healthy ecosystem. Agriculture is the biggest water user globally, accounting for 70 percent of total water withdrawals on average. There are different practices that can aid in managing water used for agriculture. Some of these agricultural water management practices are; rainwater harvesting, irrigation, organic farming, and use of drought resistant crops. Farmer’s decision to either adopt or reject these practices can be affected by several factors, some of which are socio-economic. Some of the socio-economic factors that may influence adoption of these practices include farmer’s educational level, income level and farm size. This study examined the influence of farmer’s income level on adoption of agricultural water management practices (Rainwater harvesting, Irrigation Drought resistant crops). Cross-sectional survey design was adopted, while proportionate and simple random sampling technique was used to obtain the respondents. The accessible population was 6,230 smallholder farmers from the target population of 26,804 smallholder farmers in Rongai sub county Kenya. The study was done in August 2023 to November 2023.The study included 120 smallholder farmers in Rongai Sub County. The study used questionnaire to collect data while binary logistic regression was used to analyze the data. The results indicated that adoption of agricultural water management practices is low, only 36% of smallholder farmers had adopted agricultural water management practices. The P value calculated for the 120 smallholder farmers was P=.033 which is < than .05 and therefore the null hypothesis was rejected concluding that in this study income level had statistically significant influence on adoption of agricultural water management practices among smallholder farmers in Rongai sub-county in Nakuru ,Kenya. The findings may help in emphasizing the necessity of assisting farmers in removing financial obstacles that may hinder adoption of agricultural water management practices