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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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20191
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Subject: Extension Education × Author: Chetri, Trilochan Karki × Type: Thesis × Thesis Type: M.Sc ×
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    A STUDY ON VULNERABILITY AND ADAPTABILITY OF FARMERS TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN NORTH BANK PLAINS ZONE OF ASSAM
    (AAU, Jorhat, 2019-07) Chetri, Trilochan Karki; Das), P. K.
    The study entitled as ‘A study on vulnerability and adaptability of farmers to climate change in North Bank Plains Zone of Assam’ was conducted with the following objectives: 1. To assess the vulnerability of farmers to climate change 2. To assess the adaptation pattern regarding agricultural management practices followed by farmers due to climate change 3. To identify the factors influencing farmers’ vulnerability and adaptability to climate change 4. To know the perception of farmers about the effects of climate change on agriculture The study was conducted in North Bank Plains Zone of Assam. The zone consists of 6 districts, out of which 2 districts, namely, Sonitpur and Udalguri were selected randomly for the present study. Random sampling design was followed for selection of districts, sub-divisions, ADO circles, AEA Elekas and villages for the study. A proportionate-cum-random sampling (probability proportionate to size) technique was followed for selection of 120 respondents which constituted the sample for the study. The head of each farm household was the respondent of the study. The primary data for the study were collected by using a pretested structured schedule with the help of personal interview method. The primary data for the study were collected during the period from February to March, 2019.The statistical techniques and tests used in the study for analysis and interpretation of the data were frequency, percentage, arithmetic mean, standard deviation, co-efficient of variation, multiple correlations, multiple regression and t-test. Findings revealed that majority of the respondents (45.00%) were middle aged with single family type (69.17%), big family size (64.17%), small size of land holding (40.00%) and ‘farming alone’ as occupation (75.00%). Majority of them were with medium farming experience (69.17%) and medium gross annual income (69.17). Majority of them (41.67) had no membership with any organization and an equal proportion of them (41.67%) were member of one organization. Majority of them (49.17%) had medium credit seeking behaviour, medium degree of information exposure (65.00%), medium level of farm mechanization (64.17%), medium level of scientific orientation (65.00%), medium level of risk orientation (63.33%), medium ii level of economic motivation (77.50) and low innovativeness (45.00%). Most of them were illiterate (23.33%) followed by 19.17% with middle school level of formal education. Findings revealed that majority of the respondents (69.17%) belonged to medium vulnerability category followed by 16.67 per cent in high vulnerability category and remaining 14.17 per cent in low vulnerability category. Findings revealed that adaptation index was highest in use of organic manure (62.08%) followed by summer deep ploughing (58.33%) and conservation tillage (50.83%). Adaptation Index was 50.00 per cent in use of bunds followed by change in variety (45.42%), diversified farming (45.42%), changing planting dates (40.83%), use of mulching (40.42%) and contingency crop planning (37.50%). Adaptation Index was 36.25 per cent in change in crop followed by water harvesting (34.17%), use of ITK (32.50%), bird perched (23.33%), intercropping (19.17%) and protected cultivation (8.75%). Findings revealed that majority of the respondents (67.67%) belonged to medium adaptability category followed by 19.17 per cent of respondents in low adaptability category and 14.17 per cent respondents in high adaptability category. Findings of correlation analysis indicated that out of the 16 selected independent variables, 11 independent variables were significantly correlated with the vulnerability of farmers to climate change. All the 11 variables, viz., educational level, size of operational land holding, gross annual income, farm mechanization, credit seeking behaviour, degree of information exposure, scientific orientation, risk orientation, economic motivation, innovativeness and adaptability showed significant and negative relationship with the vulnerability of farmers to climate change at 0.01 level of probability. Findings revealed that 11 independent variables were significantly correlated with the adaptability of farmers to climate change. Among the 11 independent variables, 10 variables, viz., family type, family size, size of operational land holding, gross annual income, social participation, farm mechanization, credit seeking behaviour, degree of information exposure, scientific orientation and innovativeness showed significant and positive relationship with the adaptability of farmers to climate change at 0.01 level of probability. Only one variable, farmer’s vulnerability to climate change showed iii significant and negative relationship with the adaptability of farmers to climate change at 0.01 level of probability. The variables which were found to have significant correlation with the vulnerability and adaptability of farmers to climate change were further selected for multiple linear regression analysis with a view to determining the relative influence of those variables in predicting the variation in the vulnerability and adaptability of farmers to climate change. Findings revealed that out of 11 independent variables which were found to have significant correlation with the vulnerability, only 5 variables, viz. education level, degree of information exposure, scientific orientation, economic motivation and innovativeness were found to contribute significantly towards the variation in the vulnerability of farmers to climate change. The value of R2 (0.778) indicated that 11 independent variables fitted in the linear regression analysis could predict 77.80 per cent of the variation in vulnerability of farmers to climate change. Out of 11 independent variables which were found to have significant correlation with adaptability, only 4 variables, viz. farm mechanization, scientific orientation, innovativeness and vulnerability to climate change were found to contribute significantly towards the variation in the adaptability of farmers to climate change. The value of R2 (0.813) indicated that 11 independent variables fitted in the linear regression analysis could predict 81.30 per cent of the variation in adaptability of farmers to climate change. Findings revealed that most of the respondents (95.83%) agreed that due to climate change conditions were getting favourable to flourish different crop diseases followed by 87.50 per cent respondents who agreed that insect infestation in crops had increased in recent years, 87.67 per cent respondent agreed that cropping pattern had changed, 85.00 per cent respondents agreed that investment in agriculture had increased and 80.83 per cent respondents agreed traditional irrigation sources like field ponds had reduced. Findings implied that farmers perceived that climate change had significant effects on various aspects of agriculture.