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Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa

In the imperial Gazetteer of India 1878, Pusa was recorded as a government estate of about 1350 acres in Darbhanba. It was acquired by East India Company for running a stud farm to supply better breed of horses mainly for the army. Frequent incidence of glanders disease (swelling of glands), mostly affecting the valuable imported bloodstock made the civil veterinary department to shift the entire stock out of Pusa. A British tobacco concern Beg Sutherland & co. got the estate on lease but it also left in 1897 abandoning the government estate of Pusa. Lord Mayo, The Viceroy and Governor General, had been repeatedly trying to get through his proposal for setting up a directorate general of Agriculture that would take care of the soil and its productivity, formulate newer techniques of cultivation, improve the quality of seeds and livestock and also arrange for imparting agricultural education. The government of India had invited a British expert. Dr. J. A. Voelcker who had submitted as report on the development of Indian agriculture. As a follow-up action, three experts in different fields were appointed for the first time during 1885 to 1895 namely, agricultural chemist (Dr. J. W. Leafer), cryptogamic botanist (Dr. R. A. Butler) and entomologist (Dr. H. Maxwell Lefroy) with headquarters at Dehradun (U.P.) in the forest Research Institute complex. Surprisingly, until now Pusa, which was destined to become the centre of agricultural revolution in the country, was lying as before an abandoned government estate. In 1898. Lord Curzon took over as the viceroy. A widely traveled person and an administrator, he salvaged out the earlier proposal and got London’s approval for the appointment of the inspector General of Agriculture to which the first incumbent Mr. J. Mollison (Dy. Director of Agriculture, Bombay) joined in 1901 with headquarters at Nagpur The then government of Bengal had mooted in 1902 a proposal to the centre for setting up a model cattle farm for improving the dilapidated condition of the livestock at Pusa estate where plenty of land, water and feed would be available, and with Mr. Mollison’s support this was accepted in principle. Around Pusa, there were many British planters and also an indigo research centre Dalsing Sarai (near Pusa). Mr. Mollison’s visits to this mini British kingdom and his strong recommendations. In favour of Pusa as the most ideal place for the Bengal government project obviously caught the attention for the viceroy.

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Subject: Fisheries Resource Management × Author: Sonam × End date: 2018 × Start date: 2018 × Type: Thesis × Thesis Type: M.Sc ×
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Sustainability of Women Mushroom Growers and Its Impact on their Livelihood
    (Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa, Samastipur, 2018) Sonam; Kala, Shishir
    Mushroom cultivation has become an important agriculture activities contributing to the economy of our nation. It has proved to be a part of sustainable agriculture as mushroom farming today is being practiced in more than 100 countries and the production is increasing at an annual rate of 6-7 per cent. Present world production of mushrooms is around 3.5 million tonnes as per FAO statistics. In addition, mushrooms could potentially be very important in future food supplies and in new dimensions of sustainable agriculture. On the other hand sustainability of mushroom cultivation practice will make a woman self reliant which can improve the rural livelihood as the women are the backbone of Indian agricultural workforce. It has been observed that women have immense roles for mushroom cultivation as women can easily inculcate the training technology to grow mushroom. Besides mushroom cultivation require a small initial capital, small space, less input and low cost agriculture waste materials as substrate and all the activities right from spawn production of different species of mushroom can be practiced through out to the year. In India mushroom is known by various name like Kukurmutta, Khumbhi, Gobarchatta, Bhumiphor etc. At present scenario it has been observed that many of the women usually takes the training of mushroom cultivation but cannot practice it at regular basis due to some reason which is unknown. It means may be due to lack of skills of mushroom production, spawn is expensive, lack of awareness of benefits of mushroom consumption and the traditional believes in the community. The study was conducted in Samastipur District of Bihar state. Samastipur is one of the thirty-eight Districts of Bihar in India. The District also boasts of a Central Agricultural University in Pusa, well known as Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University Pusa, Samastipur, Bihar. From each selected village 15 respondents were selected by snowball technique and further information were gathered with the help of personal interview schedule. The main purpose of this research is to evaluate the women mushroom grower’s sustainability and its impact on their livelihood. Keeping in view the objective of the study, related information were gathered pertaining to socio- economic profile, involvement of women mushroom growers, knowledge, attitude and management practices of women mushroom growers and consequential constraints for their mushroom cultivation. For getting results of the study data were analysed by applying suitable formula and statistical method i.e. percentage, mean, standard deviation, coefficient of correlation were applied for getting accuracy of the results. The result of the study indicated that the socio economic profile of women mushroom growers was found different. The study reveals that in case of women mushroom growers a majority of the respondents (56.67%) were young aged (27-38 years). Maximum of respondents (26.67%) had received upper primary level education. More than half of the women mushroom growers (60%) were getting low income (Rs.50, 000-80,000). Maximum respondents (45 %) were engaged in business followed by 40 per cent were in farming in agriculture. The data pertaining to the caste indicates that a majority of the respondents were (65 %) belonged to Backward class. Maximum of respondents pertaining type of respondents (71.66%) family belonged to the joint family. Majority of the respondents having high family status (4.7-5.7) that is 43.34 per cent, 73.34 per cent of the respondents had small family size. Among the respondents the majority of them (40%) belong to the marginal farmers. Majority of the respondents (53.33%) of the respondents participated in SHGs groups, there was cent per cent respondents got training through various sources and majority of the respondents (48 %) doing their allied activities. A large majority of the mushroom growers (91.67%) were to be married. Data pertaining to the training exposure of women highlighted that majority of the mushroom growers (56.66%) received training from RPCAU, Pusa. Maximum respondents (63.33%) got training on production of mushroom 35 per cent of respondents got training for 1 to 3 days. A majority of the respondents (58.34%) got training in year 2015-2018. A large number of women mushroom growers (71.67%) involve in supervision of various activities of mushroom by herself only. 75 per cent had medium level of knowledge. Maximum 73.33 per cent respondents had favourable attitude score ranging (16-19).Majority of respondents (73.33%) had favourable attitude score ranging (16-19). Some of the women were growing mushroom (53.33%) from September to March and running their units with the help of their family members and paid worker. A large number of respondents (58.33%) were giving up to 5 hrs for their household works which was followed by 25per cent respondents were giving up to 7 hrs. On an average, the entrepreneurs spent maximum time in implementation (1.50 hours/day) activities of mushroom cultivation. Among technical constraints lapse in moisture level and controlled temperature and require adequate maintenance were noted as the main technical constraints by the 98.33 and 35.00 per cent of women mushroom growers respectively. A large percentage of respondents (98.33%) expressed mushroom growers faced lacks of proper marketing channel. A majority of respondents (86.66%) reported that mushroom cultivation process is having low esteemed, wasteful and cumbersome activities. Analysis of data related to the psychological constraints revealed that cent per cent respondents expressed that the joint decisions were taken for implementation of works. A large number of respondents (95%) expressed that mushroom cultivation marketing is generally the exploitation by middle men. In mushroom cultivation majority of the respondents (65%) reported that mushroom is a good substitute of vegetables. Maximum of the respondents (68.34%) usually consumed balance food at their home. More than half of the respondents (68.33%) of women mushroom growers could not save their money regularly. The correlation coefficient of fifteen selected independent variables co- related with two dependent variables. The results of sustainability highlighted that the analysis of result related to sustainability (dependent variable) revealed that independent variable i.e. Age (- 0.317)* came to be negatively significant at 5 % level of probability. Whereas land holdings (0.264)* came to be positively significant at 5% level. The results indicated that occupation (-0.414)** and size of family (-0.407)** came to be negatively significant at 1 % level of probability. Whereas education (0.704)**, income (0.481)**, and training (0.485)** was came to positively significant at 1 % level of probability. Further, findings of the study revealed the results related to livelihood (dependent variable) indicated that type of family (-0.259)*was found to be negatively significant at 5 % level of probability. Whereas Family education status (0.281)*, training (0.293)* and working hours (0.293)* were found to be positively significant at 5 % level of significance. While independent variables i.e. size of family (-0.383)** was found to be negatively significant at 1 % level of probability whereas income(0.754)**, land holdings ( 0.582)** were found to be positively significant at 1 % level of probability.