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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: Others × End date: 2019 × Type: Thesis × Thesis Type: M.Sc ×
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    SCOPE OF AUGMENTING FARMERS’ INCOME IN SMALL TEA PLANTATIONS - A CASE STUDY IN BOKAKHAT SUBDIVISION OF GOLAGHAT DISTRICT
    (AAU, Jorhat, 2019-07) Bezbaruah, Angshuman; Bhuyan, R. P.
    The rise of small tea growers significant movement in the plantation history of Assam. This highly unorganized sector, over the years, has emerged as the major contributing force in changing the socio-economic sphere of the state, providing average daily employment to more than 6.86 lakh persons. An area of 82119.98 hectares is under the small tea growers with the majority of the area comes under the districts of Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Sivasagar and Golaghat. The study entitled “Scope of Augmenting Farmers’ Income in Small Tea Plantations- A case study in Bokakhat Sub Division of Golaghat district” was undertaken with the objectives to study the socio-economic status of these small tea growers, to examine the existing farming systems and resource utilization pattern and to identify the constraints and suggesting measures for augmenting the farm income. The present study was conducted in Bokakhat Sub Division of Golaghat district, which is the home for the small tea growers’ movement in Assam. The sample selection was done using simple random sampling technique, for which information was collected from primary sources and secondary sources. Appropriate tools were used to analyse the data. The socio economic status study of the small tea growers revealed that the maximum population of the small tea growers was in the age group 15-60 years, which constituted the main working force and across all the farming systems, the male outnumbered the female members. The overall male to female ratio was found to be 1.53 to 1. The literacy percentage was found to be very high, ranging from 92.33 to 96.02 per cent. About 30.91 per cent of the total sample population was found to be engaged in small tea farms, of which 37.61 per cent engaged full-time basis. The full time working force comprised of 76.66 per cent male members while the part-time working force comprised of 75.86 per cent male members. From the study identification of five types of farming systems was seen amongst the sampled growers viz. FS I (Tea + Field and Horticultural Crops + Other Plantation Crops), FS II (Tea + Field and Horticultural Crops + Fishery), FS III (Tea + Other Plantation Crops), FS IV (Tea + Field and Horticultural Crops) and FS V (Tea + Field and Horticultural Crops + Other Plantation Crops + Fishery). The distribution of the small tea growers was found highest in FS I (Tea + Field and Horticultural Crops + Other Plantation Crops) with 30.83 per cent of the total sample size and lowest in FS V (Tea + Field and Horticultural Crops + Other Plantation Crops + Fishery) with 13.35 per cent of the total sampled small tea growers. The land utilization was found highest in case of tea plantation i.e. 72.84 per cent of the total land holding area being utilized for tea cultivation followed by 19.62 per cent under field and horticultural crops. The utilization pattern of material inputs and labour inputs in tea was found to be higher compared to the utilization pattern in the other components of the farm. On average, the utilization of total human labour in tea was found out to be 477.60 mandays per farm, of which 71.49 per cent was hired labour and 28.51 per cent was family labour. Comparative analysis of the economics of all the existing farming systems in the study area showed that FS V was observed to be the most remunerative farming system for the farmers with a benefit-cost ratio of 2.08. The farmers in FS V gave equal importance to the performance of all its components which significantly contributed to the high overall returns from that farming system. Lack of labour availability in the peak plucking season, difficulties in settlement of land documents in Government offices, procurement of quality planting materials like clones and biclonal seed stocks, erratic climatic conditions, low price realization of green leaves, problem of pest infestation and threat to the plantations by animals like monkey and elephants were some of the major problems identified in the study zone. Suggestions based upon the findings of the study were also suggested to overcome the constraints of the farmers’ at small tea plantations, thereby widening their scope to increase their farm income.