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National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal
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ThesisItem Open Access NUTRITIONAL STATUS OF FARM WOMEN IN ASPIRATIONAL DISTRICTS OF KERALA AND TAMIL NADU(ICAR-NDRI, KARNAL, 2023) DITTY MARIA DOMINIC; H. R. MeenaAbout two third of the labour in farming is constituted by women. Irrespective of their degree of affluence, they provide 14 to 18 hours of productive physical labour every day. Nutrition has notifying significance in case of farm women, because they have to bear and rear children along with carrying out agricultural production activities. Hence the present study focused on the nutritional status of farm women in aspirational districts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The study was conducted in Wayanad, Virudhunagar and Ramanathapuram districts, which were listed as aspirational districts by NITI Aayog. From each aspirational district, two blocks were randomly selected. Two villages were selected from each block randomly and 30 households having at least 2 milch animals and cultivating in at least one crop season were selected from each village as respondents. Thus the total sample size was 360 households. Nutritional status of farm women was measured using Body Mass Index (BMI) (anthropometric measure). Household food security was measured using Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (USAID, 2007), the factors affecting nutritional status was determined using exploratory factor analysis followed by multinomial regression. Behavioral intention to consume nutritious food was studied using Likert type scale based on theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 1985) and structural equation modeling was used for theory testing. A multi-lingual education module (folder) was developed on diet and nutrition of farm women and its perceived effectiveness was measured using the scale developed based on Guidelines for Pretesting and Evaluating Communication Materials given by Ministry of Health, Zambia and USAID, as it is cross country validated and reliability was high. Major findings of the study were as follows: Majority of the households (~67%) experienced various levels of food insecurity (moderate [35.83%] –mild [25.83%]-extreme level [5.28%]) and only 33 percent of the households were food secure. Majority of the respondents (59-95%) did not experience severe food insecurity. There is a significant but weak relationship between food security and nutritional status. All the three identified factors had significant influence in the nutritional status of farm women in both the states and cumulatively explained the variance in BMI up to 59 percentage. In both the states majority of the respondents had medium intention to consume nutritious food, followed by high intention. The model fit indicators shows that theory of planned behavior adequately predicts behavioral intention. The effectiveness of the module was perceived as high by the respondents in general. Hence the study reinforces the need for nutrition sensitive extension approaches.ThesisItem Open Access FARM DIVERSIFICATION IN HARYANA: AN APPRAISAL FOR FUTURE FARMING(ICAR-NDRI, KARNAL, 2023) ELIZABETH JOSE; K. PonnusamyContinuous mono cropping system threatens the sustainability of future agricultural production in terms of soil, water, climate and market parameters which warrants diversified farming system enabling farmers to use their resources efficiently with its ecological benefits. The present study was undertaken to explore the potential of farm diversification in the state of Haryana. The study was carried out during 2020-2022 in three agro ecological zones of Haryana state. One district from each agro-ecological zone was chosen followed by two blocks each in every district and two villages of selected block. With the help of expert opinion and progressive farmers, 15 farmers from each village were selected. Ex-post design and case study approach were followed. The data were collected using structured interview schedule with the sample size of 240 comprising 180 farmers and 60 experts. Data were analysed by frequency, percentage and Cumulative Square Root Technique. Two Delphi surveys were organized with 60 experts to identify future drivers of Haryana agriculture sector for the year 2030. The study revealed that Crop Diversification Index of the Haryana state was found to be decreasing (0.272(2010) to 0.262(2018)), while Farm Diversification Index of the state was found to be increasing (0.509(2010) to 0.546(2019)). Proximity to NCR (0.896), increased road density (0.857) and improved access to market information (0.801) were found to influence farm diversification extensively. Market uncertainties (0.876) and climate induced factors (0.796) were perceived to hinder the farm diversification considerably. Farm diversification with enterprises such as sheep (3-3.8), piggery (2.4-2.66), apiary (2.55), mushroom (4.8), ber (5-6) and cauliflower (2.6-5) provided better income in comparison to the traditional field crops. Kaithal district (2.46) reported the highest farm diversification efficiency followed by Bhiwani (1.88) and Hisar (1.64) districts. Availability of fertile soil, increased area under irrigation, better marketing and transportation facility were the major reasons for Kaithal to score the highest BC ratio compared to Hisar and Bhiwani. The study suggests the need for modification in government schemes (MPMV and BBY), making provision for adequate attractive incentives and timely payment of the compensation amount. Extension efforts should be fine-tuned for accelerating the adoption of enterprises such as poultry, piggery, fishery, apiary, mushroom, ber and cauliflower and sheep farming due to their potential for higher income generation and suitability for farm diversification. R and D efforts should be strengthened to enhance the income from dairy farming. Scenario forecasting on future farming of Haryana for the year 2030 reveals that if government policy support and technological up-gradation moves in an accelerated way (Shining future), there is a high chance of large scale production of food and non-food crops, milk, egg and meat. In addition, government policies are also focusing on the production of less water requiring crops, which in turn decelerate growth of paddy in this scenario. Study concludes that area based planning (based on SWOT analysis of different agro-ecological zones of Haryana) is the prime strategy to achieve farm diversification in the state. Farmer Producer Companies, Public Private Partnership, ICT tools, entrepreneurship and advanced farm machines should be the areas of attention for developing farming sector of Haryana state in a sustainable fashion.ThesisItem Open Access EXPLORATORY ANALYSIS OF INTEGRATED FARMING SYSTEMS OF KERALA(ICAR-NDRI, KARNAL, 2023) VANI CHANDRAN; Ritu ChakravartyThe present study was conducted in Kerala. Three districts were selected randomly each from Southern, Central and Northern Kerala. The respondent groups of the study were comprised of Farmers and Extension Personnel. The total sample size was 240, among that 180 were IFS farmers and 60 were officials. Data were collected through a well structured interview schedule. The collected data were analyzed by using appropriate statistical tools in order to draw meaningful conclusions. Most of the IFS farmers in Kerala belonged to old aged category and had completed education up to higher secondary. The primary occupation of the majority of the respondents were farming only and they were marginal farmers with small family size and herd size. Most of the farmers had medium level experience in IFS activities and had high mass media exposure with medium extension agency contact and extension participation. In the study area, nine IFS components were identified. Component analysis in terms of extent of adoption, integration of practices and contribution to household income revealed that, extent of adoption of identified components and contribution to annual household income varied from low to medium whereas extent of integration of available components varied from medium to low. Based on various combinations, eight different dairy based IFS systems were identified and dairy and crop were the dominant component in all systems both in terms of adoption as well as integration. The findings also pointed out that for establishing and maintaining various components in a unit, farmers were experiencing different technological needs and constraints. IFS farmers perceived the need for value addition technologies more than production technologies. In general, they preferred socially accepted low cost technologies with high income generation capacity, efficiency, flexibility, easy accessibility and permitting sustainable and maximum utilization of local resources. Lack of remunerative prices for farm produces and high cost of production were the top ranked constraints experienced by the farmers. Majority of the IFS farmers had a neutral to favourable attitude towards IFS. IFS offers multiple sources of income and guarantees supply of balanced and nutritious food to families which were the most important factors that influenced the attitude. The findings highlight the need for revamping of the existing policies, schemes, programs, to support institutional strengthening and capacity building of the farmers. This will help the farmers to expand their existing units by adding more components and technologies to their units. Further, this would overcome many constraints faced, thereby improving the productivity and profitability.ThesisItem Open Access INDIGENOUS CATTLE-REARING AMONG THE DAIRY FARMERS: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY IN KARNATAKA(ICAR-NDRI, KARNAL, 2023) CHETHAN PATIL N. D.; K.S. KADIANThe present study entitled Indigenous cattle-rearing among the dairy farmers: An exploratory study in Karnataka was taken up with the aim of exploring livelihood of indigenous cattle keeping farmers, document existing management practices in rearing cattle, production performance, preferential traits of breeds, attitude towards rearing indigenous cattle, constraints in cattle-rearing and efforts of different agencies in conservation of indigenous cattle. Exploratory and ex-post facto research design with case study method was employed. The study was purposively conducted in six districts of Karnataka which is having three registered indigenous cattle breeds namely, Amritmahal, Hallikar and Malnad Gidda. One hundred twenty indigenous cattle owners from each breed were selected thereby making a total of 360 respondents. Data were collected using semistructured interview schedule by personal interview method. Respondents with a mean age of 42.96±0.45 years with primary to secondary school level education, nuclear family type with small to medium family size, having annual income of medium to the low, land holding of semi-medium to small, mass media exposure of very poor to poor and low to medium social participation, medium to low extension agency contact, low to medium level of risk orientation, innovative proneness and economic motivation. From indigenous cattle, each household earned an average of ₹16876 per annum, with a mean share of 24.82% in annual family income. Annually, around 198 man-days of employment were generated from indigenous cattle. The average daily consumption of indigenous cow milk was 1.22 liters/household. The annual mean FYM production was 5.98 tons per household. Around 56.67% of the respondents considered rearing indigenous cattle as the security against uncertainties and 63.33% symbolized social status. High adaptability was first ranked preferred trait in indigenous cattle followed by multi-utility, easy maintenance, traction power and religious/cultural sentiments. Significant differences were found between the breeds with respect to age at first calving, lactation length, dry period, inter-calving period and service period. Majority of the respondents using both natural service and artificial insemination in indigenous cattle breeding. Grazing cum stall feeding was commonly practiced feeding method in all the breeds except in Malnad Gidda, wherein 95% depend on open grazing. Most of the respondents feed concentrates and green fodder to indigenous cattle on seasonal/ production basis. Mixed type of cattle shed was commonly seen, located adjacent to farmers’ residence. Vaccination of indigenous cattle was widely practiced with occasional deworming. Cent per cent of respondents feed colostrum to new-born but only after expulsion of placenta. Knuckling and stripping were common milking methods being followed. Producer-Brokers-Buyers link was the common marketing channel for trade of indigenous cattle under unorganized local livestock market. Four separate case studies were also done including a Math, a goshala, a government cattle breeding farm and a progressive farmer, all of whom are working for conservation and development of indigenous breeds of Karnataka. The study concluded that indigenous cattle keeping happened to be one of the important livelihood sources for the farmers. Along with supplementing family income, they also play a major role in achieving the nutritional security, enriching land through FYM, providing employment opportunity around the year for better utilization of family labour and act as security during uncertainties. Majority of the respondents had neutral attitude towards rearing indigenous cattle and pluralistic agencies like SDAH, religious institutes, NGO and progressive farmers working for conservation of indigenous cattle; but it needs extension interventions for convergence of their efforts.ThesisItem Open Access EFFECTIVENESS OF CLIMATE RESILIENT DAIRY FARMING PRACTICES IN KARNAL DISTRICT OF HARYANA(ICAR-NDRI, KARNAL, 2022) PUSHPENDRA YADAV; B.S. MEENAClimate change is the long-term alteration of temperature and weather patterns. The German watch’s Index (2020) ranks India as the world’s seventh most vulnerable country. Increased temperatures and variations in rainfall patterns make dairy farming sensitive to climate change. Vulnerability to climate change has hardly been documented in the context of India; experimental studies have been conducted on effects of season and climate on production performance and other physiological parameters of dairy animals. The key focus of climate resilience efforts is to address the climate variability. Absorb stresses and maintain function in the face of external stresses imposed upon it by climate change and adapt, and evolve into more desirable formations that improve the sustainability of the climate. For resilient agriculture ICAR has launched a project that called NICRA project. The project consists of four components viz. Strategic Research, Technology Demonstration, Capacity Building and Sponsored/Competitive Grants. Keeping the above scenario in mind, the present investigation was carried out to appraise farmers’ awareness towards climate change and its impact on dairy farming, to assess the effectiveness of technological interventions on performance of dairy animals and to document the adaptation strategies to climate change followed by the farmers. The present study was carried out in purposively selected Karnal district of Haryana, in its 6 villages (3 experimental and 3 control) and a total sample size of 120 was considered (60 from 3 NICRA beneficiary villages and 60 from non-beneficiary villages). The study revealed that Overall awareness on climate change was almost 70 per cent in beneficiary villages whereas, in non-beneficiary villages it was only 31.36 per cent. There was a significant difference in all the productive and reproductive parameters of dairy animals. In beneficiary villages average daily milk yield and lactation yield in indigenous cows increased with the upsurge in awareness on climate change While, in crossbred cow peak yield, average daily milk yield, lactation yield and lactation length were increasing positively Whereas, in buffalo peak yield, average daily milk yield and lactation yield got increased on beneficiaries farmers’ dairy animals. Total 16 and 19 adaptation strategies were documented for crop and dairy farmers, respectively. The interventions will be more effective if dispersed to more villages and when more farmers get the benefit.ThesisItem Open Access APPRAISAL OF DAIRY FARMING PRACTICES IN NORTH BIHAR: FARMERS PERSPECTIVE(ICAR-NDRI, KARNAL, 2022) SUBHASH KUMAR SAURAV; RITU CHAKRAVARTYIndia is the largest milk producer in the world. An essential component of its agricultural economy is the dairy subsector. Since, the milk production has increased remarkably, it now has the largest economic impact on the country than any other agricultural product. Small and marginal farmers, as well as landless labourers, rely heavily on the dairy industry for their livelihood. India's dairy industry makes a significant contribution to job creation, basic food provision, economic growth, stable income for rural residents, and the fight against poverty. Over past six years, milk production in India has increased at an average annual growth rate of 6.3 per cent, while the global milk production is increasing at a rate of 1.5 per cent annually. In the last decade, number of dairy animals in Bihar have increased but the milk productivity is still not up to the mark. The performance of North Bihar is even poorer as its milk productivity is lesser than the average milk productivity of Bihar as a whole. Therefore, it is important to figure out the reasons for the low productivity of dairy animals by analysing the dairy farming practices followed by the dairy farmers. It is also essential to assess the productive and reproductive performance of cattle and buffalo as well as the constraints and benefits of dairy farming perceived by the dairy farmers. For the present study, North Bihar was purposively selected and three districts namely Madhepura, Supaul and Darbhanga were selected on the basis of stratified random sampling. Two blocks from each districts were randomly selected one being nearest and other being farthest from the district headquarter. Two villages from each district were randomly selected and fifteen respondents from each village were randomly selected making the total sample size as 180 respondents. Among the existing dairy practices, the majority of the respondents adopted AI (68.33%), repeat breeding was the major reproductive problem (70.55%) and local veterinary service provider was the major source of consultation for treatment of dairy animals (59.44%). The average daily milk yield was low as compared to overall yield rate of Bihar and dry period was also higher than the recommended values. Distance of veterinary hospital from selected village, lack of credit/finance and inadequate number of veterinary doctors were the major constraints faced by the dairy farmers. This study gives an insight into the productive and reproductive status of cattle and buffalo in North Bihar and animal rearing practices which could be used as a framework for developing training progammes for dairy farmers and will also prove useful for policy makers.ThesisItem Open Access AGRI-STARTUPS IN NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION OF DELHI: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY(ICAR-SRS-NDRI, KARNAL, 2022) VIPIN KUMAR; M.C. ARUNMOZHI DEVIAgri Start-ups have the potential to play a key role in stimulating the expansion of the agriculture sector and in turn, augment farmers income by transforming “subsistence farming into commercial farming” or ‘Agri-business’. The Agri start-ups are expanding at a rate of 25.00 percent year on year, at present about 450, among the total 4300 start-ups in the country. Delhi-NCR is one of the emerging start-up ecosystems in our country and according to the report of World bank (2020), it has also improved its ranking from its place of 142nd to 63rd in “ease of doing businesses”. In this context, the present study entitled “Agri-Startups in National Capital Region of Delhi: An Exploratory Study” was designed with the specific objectives of (1) To document the profile of Agri Start-ups, (2) To analyse the factors influencing the performance of the Agri Start-ups and (3) To identify the constraints faced by Agri-Start-ups. The research study was conducted in the National Capital Region of Delhi in the districts of Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Ghaziabad and Faridabad with fifty Agri Start-ups selected from a total of 133 Agri Start-ups, using purposive sampling method. The significant findings of the study revealed that, 38.00 per cent of the Agri Start-ups were present in the ‘early-traction’ stage, followed by, ‘validation stage’ (30.00%), ‘scaling stage’ (24.00%) and ‘ideation stage’ (8.00%). Majority (74.00%) of the Agri- Start-ups were established during the period 2017 to 2020. Only 28.00 per cent of the Agri Start-ups were acquainted with incubator programme and 40.00 per cent of the entrepreneurs of the start-ups under study had received training related to their Start-ups. The majority of start-up entrepreneurs (70.00%) belonged to the middle age group and were postgraduates. The major sources of funding for the Agri Start-up entrepreneurs from the ‘Institutional sources’ were commercial banks (44.26%) and venture capitalists (20.15%); and from ‘non-institutional sources’ were family & friends (54.52%) and bootstrapping/own savings (49.51%). With regard to the performance of Agri start-ups as perceived by the entrepreneurs, the overall distribution of entrepreneurs the identified factors of the influence revealed that most of the respondents belonged to category of medium level of influence, in case of entrepreneurial behaviour factors (70.00%), economic factors (56.00%), demographics factors (56.00%) and environmental factors (60.00%), and business factors (62.00%). With regard to internal factors (66.00%) and socio-cultural factors (68.18%) the levels of influence were low and medium respectively. The major constraints faced by Agri Start-up entrepreneurs were, low price for the products (49.44), high cost of technologies (47.44), lack of government support (48.14), non-cooperation of family members (54.56) and limited market access during covid-19 pandemic (59.48). Therefore, policymakers and other key stakeholders could also pay special attention for building a conducive and sustainable "Agri start-up ecosystem" by creating a strong functional network among different stakeholders such as start-ups, academia, research, industry, and financial institutions for the promotion of Agri start-ups.ThesisItem Open Access ROLE PERFORMANCE AND JOB COMPETENCE OF FIELD LEVEL DAIRY AND ANIMAL HUSBANDRY PERSONNEL IN SOUTHERN KERALA(ICAR-NDRI, KARNAL, 2022) VISHNUPRIYA, A.; SANCHITA GARAIKerala is one among the highly dairy progressive states in India and has immense potential in the livestock production. Factors like role performance, job competence and job satisfaction of the field level personnel play significant role in augmenting the developmental activities in the concerned departments thereby reaching out to the farmers. Therefore, the present study was undertaken in southern zone of Kerala purposively and three districts namely Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Alappuzha from this zone were selected randomly. Six blocks from each district were selected in random for the study. Major respondents of the study included Dairy Farm Instructors (DFIs) and Livestock Inspectors (LIs). Data were collected from 147 respondents for ascertaining role performance by different rating techniques and from 63 respondents for the other objectives of the study by interview schedule. DFIs had good role performance ascertained by self-rating (72.22% of DFIs), superior rating (66.68% of DEOs) and beneficiary rating (93.33% of farmers) respectively. LIs exhibited outstanding performance by self-rating (80% of LIs) and superior rating (58.33% of VSs) and possessed good performance by beneficiary rating (100% of farmers) respectively. As per the different ratings, their activity wise role performance was found. In the study, majority (72.22 %) of DFIs and 82.22 per cent of LIs expressed the tasks under various parameters of job as extremely important and highly important respectively and it was revealed that more than half (61.11%) of DFIs and most (93.33%) of LIs had possessed high level of knowledge/skills in performing the tasks. Competencies differed significantly at 5% level of significance under these components. With regard to job satisfaction, majority (94.44%) of DFIs and all the LIs (100%) were highly satisfied in their respective jobs. The study explained the significance of the parameters under job satisfaction of DFIs and LIs at 5% level of significance. Feedback documented from the respondents indicated constraints in their job environment and expressed that they had clear perception about improving their competencies in job as they had clearly demarcated the need for the same. They had also suggested possible measures for improvement of the job competency. Hence, suitable steps should be taken by the concerned departments to fulfil their requirements which would enrich the development of the sectors.ThesisItem Open Access IMPACT OF FARMERS FARM SCHOOL ON DAIRY FARMING IN KARNAL DISTRICT(ICAR-NDRI, KARNAL, 2022) SRUTHI C. O.; B. S. MEENADairy farming forms the major part of livelihood of farmers in Haryana though knowledge gaps regarding scientific dairy farming practices prevailed which led to low productive and reproductive performance in dairy animals. As an initiative to address these issues faced by the farmers, ICAR-NDRI established a one-year programme named as “Farmers Farm School” under the efforts of Dairy Extension Division. Hence, the study was undertaken in the four villages where Farmers Farm School has completed its five batches in Indri block of Karnal district, Haryana to assess the contribution made by farmers farm school in fostering transformative learning experience among the beneficiaries, to study the knowledge and adoption of dairy farming practices and to document the feedback of farmers and experts regarding Farmers Farm School. The total sample size was 120. A Transformative Learning Experience Index was developed. Transformative learning experience together as a combination of ten indicators attained a weighted mean of 85.23 per cent by the beneficiary farmers with major contribution from satisfaction-farmer (89.79%) followed by “self-reflection environment”, “action- farmer” and “actionenvironment” was observed with a weighted mean score of 87.99, 87.92 and 87.22 per cent, respectively. More than half (53.33%) of the farmers succeeded in achieving high transformative learning experience after completion of the course. Active participation and involvement led to the same. Farmers in new batches were found to have comparatively low transformative learning experience. Overall knowledge about scientific dairy farming practices possessed by the beneficiary farmers was significantly (p < 0.01) higher than the non-beneficiaries and thus in the case of adoption also. The extent of knowledge observed from the beneficiaries was 84.02 per cent whereas in contrast to the non-beneficiaries with a weighted mean of 49.25 per cent. The extent of adoption in beneficiaries was found to be 73.61 per cent whereas it was 40.06 per cent in non-beneficiaries. A mean score of 9.08 was given to the role played by the facilitators in sharing knowledge on various strata of dairy farming followed by a score of 9.02 for updating the knowledge in dairy and crop farming. A mean score of 9.60 was given for importance of farmers farm school in the present context and 9.50 for the uniqueness of farmers farm school compared to other extension approaches. It can be inferred that feedback along with follow up measures should be practiced at regular intervals to improve the effectiveness of beneficiaries to achieve the goal set by farmers farm school.
