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Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat

Assam Agricultural University is the first institution of its kind in the whole of North-Eastern Region of India. The main goal of this institution is to produce globally competitive human resources in farm sectorand to carry out research in both conventional and frontier areas for production optimization as well as to disseminate the generated technologies as public good for benefitting the food growers/produces and traders involved in the sector while emphasizing on sustainability, equity and overall food security at household level. Genesis of AAU - The embryo of the agricultural research in the state of Assam was formed as early as 1897 with the establishment of the Upper Shillong Experimental Farm (now in Meghalaya) just after about a decade of creation of the agricultural department in 1882. However, the seeds of agricultural research in today’s Assam were sown in the dawn of the twentieth century with the establishment of two Rice Experimental Stations, one at Karimganj in Barak valley in 1913 and the other at Titabor in Brahmaputra valley in 1923. Subsequent to these research stations, a number of research stations were established to conduct research on important crops, more specifically, jute, pulses, oilseeds etc. The Assam Agricultural University was established on April 1, 1969 under The Assam Agricultural University Act, 1968’ with the mandate of imparting farm education, conduct research in agriculture and allied sciences and to effectively disseminate technologies so generated. Before establishment of the University, there were altogether 17 research schemes/projects in the state under the Department of Agriculture. By July 1973, all the research projects and 10 experimental farms were transferred by the Government of Assam to the AAU which already inherited the College of Agriculture and its farm at Barbheta, Jorhat and College of Veterinary Sciences at Khanapara, Guwahati. Subsequently, College of Community Science at Jorhat (1969), College of Fisheries at Raha (1988), Biswanath College of Agriculture at Biswanath Chariali (1988) and Lakhimpur College of Veterinary Science at Joyhing, North Lakhimpur (1988) were established. Presently, the University has three more colleges under its jurisdiction, viz., Sarat Chandra Singha College of Agriculture, Chapar, College of Horticulture, Nalbari & College of Sericulture, Titabar. Similarly, few more regional research stations at Shillongani, Diphu, Gossaigaon, Lakhimpur; and commodity research stations at Kahikuchi, Buralikson, Tinsukia, Kharua, Burnihat and Mandira were added to generate location and crop specific agricultural production packages.

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Subject: Agricultural Economics × End date: 2014 × Thesis Type: Ph.D ×
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    An Economic Analysis of Crop Production Risks and Measures Adopted by Farmers of Riverine Area in the Upper Brahmaputra Valley Zone of Assam
    (AAU, Jorhat, 2014) Boruah, Luhit Kumar; Barman, R.N.
    The present study was designed to assess the factors influencing crop production risks along withanalyzing the quantum of crop production risks and measures adopted by the farmers of riverine areas in the Upper Brahmaputra Valley (UBV) zone of Assam. The study also attempted to suggest feasible risk minimized optimal crop production plans to the farmers of the riverine areas. The important objectives in the study were (i) To study the factors influencing risks associated with crop production in the riverine areas of Upper Brahmaputra Valley zone (ii) To measure the quantum of risks and various risk minimization strategies adopted by the farmers (iii) To suggest appropriate risk minimization crop production plans for the farmers of the study area. A multistage stratified random sampling technique was used to select the ultimate sample unit. The farmers were categorized into three size groups that is small (less than 2 ha), medium (2-less than 4 ha) and large (4 ha and above 4 ha). Rice (31.08%) is the major crop in the study area, followed by summer vegetables (24.44%), rabivegetables (15.81%), pulses (13.01%), potato (5.23%), sugarcane (4.65%), oilseeds (3.40%) and chilli (2.38%). The riverine areas, because of its critical locations are always subjected to high risks of crop loss. The most important risk factor for the three groups of farmers in the study area was the flood and excessive rainfall (49.43%),followed by other factors like soil erosion (12.29%), insufficient rainfall/drought & drought like situation (9.17%), pest and diseases (5.41%), government and agricultural policy (4.24%), input costs (3.42%), insufficient and non availability of farm machinery in time (2.53%), insufficient family labour and difficulties in finding labour(3.40%), lack of contract growing (2.05%),interest rates and debt situation (1.47%), economic condition (1.24%), health problem (1.10%), climatic conditions (1.11%), lack of keeping farm record (0.97%),theft (1.49%),crop prices (0.41%) and crop yields (0.27%). Altogether 18 risk management strategies were listed out of which 17 strategies were followed by the farmers of the study areas. Some of these risk management strategies were ex-ante and some were ex-post. The most effective risk management strategy for the three groups of farmers in the study area was the growing more than one crop (10.11%) followed by strategies like bunding (9.43%), manure and fertilizer application (8.42%), spraying and drenching of pesticides (8.30%), irrigation (8.30%), drainage (8.30%), Intercultural operation including mulching (8.29%), growing more than one variety and adjusting sowing time (7.81%), use of plant growth regulator (4.54%), planning expenditure (4.37%), doing off farm works (4.33%), avoiding high risk farm land (3.40%), ITK (3.18%), arranging resource use (3.12%), reducing debt burden (2.92%) keeping/maintaining farm records (2.74%) and contract growing (2.44%). The MOTAD model was used to suggest appropriate optimal crop production plans by minimizing risks for all size groups of farms of the study area. Ten optimal crop production plans viz., plan-1 through plan-10 were suggested for the three groups of farmers of the study area for adoption. Plan- 1 is a risk minimum plan with lowest expected income while Plan- 10 is high risk plan with highest expected income. Increases in cropping intensities have been observed in the suggested optimal plans as compared to the existing plans. The highest cropping intensity was observed in case of small farms in the maximum expected income plan -10 as compared to medium and large farms.