Browsing by Author "Jayasree Krishnankutty"
Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
Results Per Page
Sort Options
ThesisItem Open Access Enhancing the role of informal sector in food security and poverty reduction in malawi-policy implications and recommendations(Department of agricultural extension, College of horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2012) Aston Oliver, Mulwafu; KAU; Jayasree KrishnankuttyMalawi is a land-locked country located in the Southern Africa along the Great Rift Valley. The country has a population of approximately 14 million people, of which 51 per cent are women. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy, providing livelihood to 80 per cent of the population and generating 35 to 45 per cent of GDP. The growth of economy is fundamental through exploitation of abundant natural resources, particularly enterprise development in agriculture sector. The rural poor, largely women are the players in informal sector, as cultivators, growers, vendors and buyers of agro-based products. The sector is informal in the sense that the units involved are mostly unregistered, not recorded in official statistics, and have little or no access to formal markets for goods and credit facilities. The informal sector activities have widely been recognised for its important role in promoting food security and poverty reduction. Surplus production at household level has been the major sources for translating to rural economic activities. The sector plays central function in addressing challenges of rampant unemployment and small incomes. The study was conducted in Balaka district, which is situated in the South and Ntcheu in the Central region of Malawi. In Balaka, Mangochi turn-off and Ulongwe markets were targeted while in Ntcheu, Tsangano turn-off and Kampepuza markets. Hence, four local markets were purposively sampled due to the nature of agro-based businesses carried out. Thirty farmers involved in the informal sector were randomly selected from each of the markets as respondents, making a total sample size of 120 farmers. The main objectives of the study were analysing the internal and external factors influencing the sector, examining the supply chain dynamics of agricultural commodities and understanding the spatial distribution of the informal sector. In addition, the study determined policy suggestions for possible up-scaling of the role of informal sector in promoting food security and poverty reduction in rural Malawi. The results revealed that informal sector activities were largely carried out by females accounting 61.7 per cent of total respondents. 50 per cent of respondents had education up to the eighth standard. Almost two-third of the respondents were involved in farming and agri-business activities operating along the main roads. The majority of respondents had average monthly income between MK10,000-MK30,000 (55%) and only 6 per cent had average monthly income of more than MK50,000. The computed household commercialisation index (HCI) revealed existence of three levels of commercialisation among respondents; subsistence (38%), semi-commercial (33%) and commercial (29%). This delineation suggested bringing specific support for improving the commercialisation processes at each level with rightful policy measures. Computation of crop commercialisation index (CCI) was another important measure that determined crops amenable for commercialisation. The results indicated that vegetables were the best option for commercialisation. Ranked second, third and forth were tubers, fruit and food grains in that order. Finally, an analysis of enterprise profit as percentage of annual crop sales was done in order to understand about crop diversification potential. The results indicated that the enterprise profit as percent of sales from vegetables, fruits and tubers were higher than that of food grains. For example, in 2010-2011 growing season, percent of tubers (82%), vegetables (79%), fruits (93%) and food grain registered only 48 percent. The multinomial logistic regression revealed that credit facilities, farmer business orientation, innovativeness, commodity transportation, monthly income and information source utilization were the significant factors influencing the transition from subsistence to semi-commercial. Education and extension services were significant factors contributing to the transition from semi-commercial farming to commercial. Despite the successes registered, the informal sector continues to face problems ranging from its productivity to managerial aspects. Its productivity is constrained with inadequate infrastructures (roads, markets, water, electricity, etc), access to credit facilities, lack of processing facilities and marketing linkages. On managerial aspects, prevailing situation indicated that there is limited farmer capacity building, limited information and non farmer favouring policies regarding their growth in the sector. In conclusion, the informal sector demonstrates immense potential in bringing better wellbeing of rural communities. It holds the promise of being the target for developmental activities by different agencies, as better technologies, market information and farmer support can help increase the volume, efficiency and value share of the informal sector which will ultimately improve the rural economies to a great extent.ThesisItem Open Access Integrated rural development programme- A case study(Department of Agricultural Extension, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 1988) Jayasree Krishnankutty; KAU; Ramachandran Nair, K PTo have an indepth analysis of the various aspects of Integrated Rural Development Programme in the State, giving more stress to the beneficiaries angle, the present investigation was undertaken under the title “I. R. D. P – A case study”. Awareness of the beneficiaries about the programme and their extent of utilization of the facilities of the programme was measured in this study. Awareness was measured in 3 dimensions viz. awareness about the schemes, about the benefits of the schemes and about the implementing agencies of the programme. The experience of the beneficiaries in the utilization of IRDP facilities and constraints or problems experienced by them were also analysed. The study was conducted in Ollukkara Block of Trichur District. The sample was 120 IRDP beneficiaries consisting of 40 marginal farmers, 40 agrl/non-agrl. Labourers and 40 beneficiaries belonging to Schedule Castes or Scheduled Tribes. Data was collected using an interview schedule and suitable statistical techniques were employed in the analysis of the data. The study revealed that majority of the respondents had medium awareness about the schemes, low awareness about the benefits of the schemes and all beneficiaries had low or medium awareness about the implementing agencies. As far as extent of utilization was concerned, there was absolutely no beneficiary with high extent of utilization. Majority of the respondents had low extent of utilization. Most of the selected independent variables contributed substantially in the case of awareness. But in the case of extent of utilization, only four variables had substantial contribution towards it. The experience of beneficiaries in utilization of IRDP facilities was medium. The analysis of the constraints felt by the beneficiaries revealed that there were a lot of malpractices prevalent in the sanctioning and distribution of assistance, there were undue delays in disbursing the loans and that quality of the products obtained by way of assistance was poor. The results point out vividly to the prime need for a more systematic and effective functioning of the programme with better co-ordination and supervision at all levels in order to have a better image of the programme in the rural sector.ArticleItem Open Access Integrated rural development programme: An awareness study(Kerala Agricultural University, 1992) Jayasree Krishnankutty; Ramachandran Nair, K P; KAUThe study on awareness about IRDP revealed maximum awareness in the marginal farmers. Others like agricultural labourers, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes had either very low or medium awareness only. The awareness about the benefits of the programme was very low for majority of the beneficiaries under the study. None had the correct knowledge on the various implementing agencies of the programme. This was very marked in the socially and educationally backward beneficiaries.ThesisItem Open Access Non- governmental sources of agricultural extension in Kerala: status and potential(Department of Agricultural Extension, College of Horticulture,Vellanikkara, 2005) Simi George, KAU; Jayasree KrishnankuttyThe study entitled “Non-governmental sources of agricultural extension in Kerala: Status and potential” was undertaken to “ collect and consolidate the different types of non-governmental extension sources involved in providing extension in the state; to classify the non-governmental extension sources based on their involvement in agricultural development; to analyse the activity focus, extension approaches followed and the mode of operation of the selected non-governmental extension agencies; to identify the success indicators of these non-governmental extension providers; and to analyse the salient personal and socio-economic characteristics of the beneficiaries under different agricultural programmes implemented by the non-governmental extension providers and to appraise the suggestions of the beneficiaries in improving the non-governmental extension services”. The study was carried out in five non-governmental extension agencies of Kerala, selected based on the predominant roles being performed by them, identified by the researcher. A sample of 30 beneficiaries covering different agricultural programmes was drawn from each agency following simple random sampling, thus making the total sample size 150. The personal and socio-economic characteristics of the beneficiary respondents as well as the probable success factors of the non-governmental extension agencies were selected through judges rating. The selected variables were measured using suitable procedures. Data were collected through pre-tested interview schedules and were analyzed and interpreted using appropriate statistical tools. Types of non-governmental extension agencies identified are: (1) Agricultural consultants/firms (2) Para technicians (3) Progressive farmers (4) Farmer’s organizations/Co-operatives (5) Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) (6) Agri-business firms (7) Input dealers (8) Print and electronic media (9) Private sector banks (10) Self-Help Groups (SHGs). The major roles found being performed by the non-governmental extension agencies are: (1) Advocacy (2) Consultancy (3) Infrastructure development (4) Input supply (5) Marketing. Mode of operation is influencing the outcome of non-governmental efforts. A high degree of concordance among beneficiaries regarding their perception about various success factors of the agencies was noticed. All the selected agencies were comparatively good in their effectiveness and the general factors found to be contributing to their effectiveness and success were communication methods, periodic evaluation and review of activities, co-ordination and integration of activities, resource use efficiency, participatory approach, and activities based on felt needs of clientele. Taking into account the effectiveness index computed for every selected agency, the agency selected for ‘marketing’ role came first and the agency selected for ‘consultancy’ role, the last. The factors that distinguished between the most effective and the least effective agencies were communication methods, periodic evaluation and review of activities and resource use efficiency. The mean status score was computed for assessing the status of any new agency that is to be taken up for studying on this particular aspect. Beneficiary respondents were analysed based on their socio-economic characteristics and 100 per cent variation could be noticed among them on their socio-economic characteristics. Regarding the scope for non-governmental extension services in future, both the staff and beneficiaries feel an ample scope for them in the coming years. Suggestions to improve the non-governmental extension services were collected after discussing with the beneficiary respondents. The study draws attention to the emergent need of effective utilization of the experiences and services of non-governmental extension agencies for rural development, particularly for agricultural development.ThesisItem Open Access Stakeholder analysis for enhancing the role primary producers in mango value chains(Department of Agricultural Extension, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2017) Nadhika, K; KAU; Jayasree KrishnankuttyIndia is the largest mango producing and the chief exporting country in the world with an annual mango production of 18 million metric tons, which accounts for about 50 per cent of the global mango supply. In total India has about 8.97 lakh ha dedicated to mango farming, out of which Kerala accounts for about 77.30 thousand ha under mango cultivation during 2014-’15. Muthalamada in Chittur taluk of Palakkad district, is known as the ‘Mango City’ of Kerala. The mango orchards in Muthalamada covers around 4000 hectares, with about 5000 mango cultivators. The annual production of mango in Muthalamada Panchayat is approximately 40,000 tonnes. However, the mango sector in Palakkad district is not devoid of any problems, which hinders its economic advancement. In this background, the present study entitled “Stakeholder analysis for enhancing the role of primary producers in mango value chain” was taken up in the Department of Agricultural Extension, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, during 2015-17. The study was formulated with the objectives to identify the stakeholders in mango value chains, their functions and value share, to analyze the institutions and its role in mango value chain, to identify the marketing channels utilized by the farmers, to examine the price spread and marketing efficiency of the farmers, to understand the constraints faced by the farmers and to suggest value chain enhancement measures in favor of producer farmers. Survey was carried out among the mango growers and other stakeholders in Muthalamada Panchayat. About 60 farmers and 30 stakeholders were randomly selected for the study. Stakeholder analysis, SWOC matrix analysis and Scenario analysis were carried out through group discussions. The results of the baseline information of the respondents revealed that the farmers with age in between 51 and 70 years depended on agriculture alone (64.70 per cent) and hence they were more cautious about marketing their produce. They marketed more than 75 per cent of their produce to distant markets such as Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, etc. The respondents had good educational status with experience of more than 20 years and medium extension contact. The farmers cultivating in leased land along with their own orchard (78.26 per cent) tend to go for combined cultivation practices. Two third of the respondents (68.62 per cent) possessing different areas relied on collection agent for marketing their produce as they are easily approachable and the farmers had to incur only transportation cost. The mango growers were well organized, with about 51 respondents (49 per cent) having membership in Farmer Producer Organization (FPO). Alphonso, Banganpally, Bennett Alphonso and Tottapuri are mainly preferred for cultivation as these varieties are having huge demand in both international as well as domestic markets. Stakeholder analysis according to importance- influence scoring revealed that intermediaries like mandi walas, trader, collection agent and pre-harvest contractor had more influence in the mango sector. The major institutions involved in mango value chain include Krishi Bhavan, State Horticulture Mission (SHM), APEDA (Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority), FPOs (Farmer Producer Organizations), Chittur Agro Park and NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development). The marketing channel utilized by the farmers varies according to the grade of the produce, grade 1 is the export quality, grade 2 is usually the undersized mangoes that does not fulfil the export requirement and grade 3 is malformed mangoes or mangoes having external discoloration, etc. In case of grade 1 mangoes both channel 1 and channel 2 were having marketing efficiency 0.14. Margin was highest for the wholesaler and the exporting agency for channel 1 and channel 2 respectively. For grade 2 mangoes, channel 4 was found to be more efficient (0.24) due to absence of an intermediary. Grade 3 mangoes are mainly sold at the local markets and for processing, wherein marketing of mangoes directly to local market was found to be efficient (0.4) whereas in case of processing involvement of too many intermediaries affects the efficiency of the marketing channel. The important factors affecting marketing efficiency according to binary logistic regression include experience, ownership, income source, type of cultivation, orchard type, credit source and marketing channel. A comparative study was made among two groups of farmers, group I comprising of farmers with less than 5 acres of land and group II encompassing farmers with more than 5 acres. The result highlighted that, cultivation type was significantly different for the respondents of the two groups. Major constraints faced by the farmers during marketing include poor availability of market information, absence of a common collection center, over dominance of middle men and deficit of timely labor. Finally, SWOC analysis and scenario analysis were conducted to arrive at strategic options. The strategic options developed from the study are enhancing value addition and product development, promotion of branding of the produce, to educate the farmers on building competitiveness and to increase export potential by addressing quality parameters.ThesisItem Open Access Sustainability and challenges in cultivation of traditional rice varieties in Kerala(Department of Agriculturel Extension, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2019) Ahaljith, R; KAU; Jayasree KrishnankuttyTraditional agriculture comprises systems of agriculture practiced in a locality, using knowledge handed down through generations and evolved to suit the special features of that location. Special type of planting, crop maintenance, input application, post-harvest practices and folk art related to and synchronising with farming operations are the key characteristics of traditional agriculture. Traditional rice varieties are innately high in nutritive value. Rice varieties like Jeerakasala, Gandhakasala, the indigenous scented varieties, once popularly cultivated almost everywhere in the state of Kerala, vanished from the scene as times changed. But now, they are again coming back to a small extent in selected pockets in the state, subsequent to promotion efforts by governmental and non-governmental agencies. The traditional varieties are invaluable, not only for marketing or consumption purpose but also as a tool for genetic resource development and conservation. Cultivation of these varieties is environment friendly, they enhance food security and protection of natural resources. In this view the present study entitled "Sustainability and challenges in cultivation of traditional rice varieties of Kerala" was taken up in the department of Agricultural Extension , College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, during 2017-19. The study was formulated with the objectives to explore into the history of the traditional rice cultivation in selected locations in Kerala along with personal and social attributes of the people who undertake traditional rice cultivation, to document the crop management, product handling and marketing behaviour of the farmers, to examine the Government and non-government support to them, utilization of the same and the legal recognition if any, of the farmers to analyse the constraints experienced by these fanners, and to come up with suggestions and recommendations to improve the status of the traditional rice cultivating communities of Kerala. The study was carried out in two districts, Wayanad and Malappuram. A total of 90 respondents formed the sample for the study, which constituted 60 respondents from Wayanad district and 30 from Malappuram district selected randomly. Analysis of the personal and social attributes of the people who undertake traditional riee cultivation revealed that traditional rice cultivation is manly handled by middle aged to older generation (more than 85.00% of respondents) with agriculture as the main occupation. More than 87.00 per cent of the respondents were males. Majority of the respondents (65.00%) had high school level education. Average educational status was higher in Malappuram district (SSLC level) compared to Wayanad district (below SSLC level). Sixty percentage of the respondents had more than thirty years of farming experience. Respondents in Wayanad district had more farming experience compared to Malappuram district. 85.52 per cent of respondents were belonging to the marginal farmer category which implies the general land holding capacity in Kerala. More than 60.00 per cent of respondents were staying in less than 6 km distance to town. This points towards the general urbanising trend in Kerala. Majority of the respondents (70.00%) were selling more than 40.00 per cent of their produce. Number of respondents, selling more than 80.00 per cent of their produce were less in Wayanad district compared to Malappuram due to shortfalls in Supplyco procurement whereas household eonsumption was comparatively higher in Wayanad district compared to Malappuram distriet. Majority of the marginal farmers were selling only around 40.00 per cent of their produce whereas small, medium, semi medium and large farmers were selling large quantity of produce (>80.00%) compared to marginal farmers. In the case of marketing behaviour, majority of the farmers were positioned in the medium level. Marketing behaviour index had a significant relationship with age, gender, educational qualification, occupation, farming experience and volume of produce marketed. Higher educational qualification had a great role in marketing behaviour development among farmers, so respondents in Malappuram district had high marketing behaviour index compared to Wayanad, because they had higher educational status. Respondents working in other sector had high marketing behaviour index compared to respondents under farming alone. None of the respondents had legal recognition status as registered farmer. Due to lack of proper financial, technical and legal support, farmers had the tendency to shift to banana cultivation. Shortage of skilled labour, transportation facilities and irrigation facilities were the main constraints faced by the traditional rice farmers. Threats from wild animals was the main problem faced by farmers in Wayanad district. There should be a mechanism for registration and official recognition of traditional rice varieties. They should have a separate marketing mechanism, which will ensure better price and improve visibility to consumers. It is imperative that. State Department led schemes should be designed and implemented to promote traditional rice cultivation. Milling facilities that will help preserving the quality and appearance of traditional rice should be established. Educating the farmers on current and future legal and government support mechanisms for traditional rice will motivate the farmers to remain in traditional agriculture. Mitigation strategies to control threat of wild animals will help conservations of these systems in such areas. Improvement in irrigation facilities and individual farmers' access to economic transport and storage facilities will also generally help traditional farming systems.