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Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur
The history of agricultural education in Kerala can be traced back to the year 1896 when a scheme was evolved in the erstwhile Travancore State to train a few young men in scientific agriculture at the Demonstration Farm, Karamana, Thiruvananthapuram, presently, the Cropping Systems Research Centre under Kerala Agricultural University. Agriculture was introduced as an optional subject in the middle school classes in the State in 1922 when an Agricultural Middle School was started at Aluva, Ernakulam District. The popularity and usefulness of this school led to the starting of similar institutions at Kottarakkara and Konni in 1928 and 1931 respectively.
Agriculture was later introduced as an optional subject for Intermediate Course in 1953. In 1955, the erstwhile Government of Travancore-Cochin started the Agricultural College and Research Institute at Vellayani, Thiruvananthapuram and the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at Mannuthy, Thrissur for imparting higher education in agricultural and veterinary sciences, respectively. These institutions were brought under the direct administrative control of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Animal Husbandry, respectively. With the formation of Kerala State in 1956, these two colleges were affiliated to the University of Kerala. The post-graduate programmes leading to M.Sc. (Ag), M.V.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees were started in 1961, 1962 and 1965 respectively.
On the recommendation of the Second National Education Commission (1964-66) headed by Dr. D.S. Kothari, the then Chairman of the University Grants Commission, one Agricultural University in each State was established. The State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) were established in India as an integral part of the National Agricultural Research System to give the much needed impetus to Agriculture Education and Research in the Country. As a result the Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) was established on 24th February 1971 by virtue of the Act 33 of 1971 and started functioning on 1st February 1972. The Kerala Agricultural University is the 15th in the series of the SAUs.
In accordance with the provisions of KAU Act of 1971, the Agricultural College and Research Institute at Vellayani, and the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, were brought under the Kerala Agricultural University. In addition, twenty one agricultural and animal husbandry research stations were also transferred to the KAU for taking up research and extension programmes on various crops, animals, birds, etc.
During 2011, Kerala Agricultural University was trifurcated into Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (KVASU), Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) and Kerala Agricultural University (KAU).
Now the University has seven colleges (four Agriculture, one Agricultural Engineering, one Forestry, one Co-operation Banking & Management), six RARSs, seven KVKs, 15 Research Stations and 16 Research and Extension Units under the faculties of Agriculture, Agricultural Engineering and Forestry. In addition, one Academy on Climate Change Adaptation and one Institute of Agricultural Technology offering M.Sc. (Integrated) Climate Change Adaptation and Diploma in Agricultural Sciences respectively are also functioning in Kerala Agricultural University.
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ThesisItem Open Access User centered design, development, and end-user assessment of an M-tool for vegetable cultivation in polyhouse(Department of Agricultural Extension, College of Agriculture,Vellanikkara, 2022-05-20) Poornima C P; KAU; A Sakeer HusainHi-tech farming is gaining grip in Indian farming system. Polyhouse farming which is a subset of hi-tech farming is an alternate new system of crop production which reduces dependency on climatic factors along with economic use of water, fertilisers and other inputs necessarily needed for farming. In a state like Kerala where per capita availability of land is less and density of population is increasing, the polyhouse can be a boon to the farmers. With advancing technologies, proper information delivery system must be there to make f armers get updated with the progress in agriculture. As Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools are acquiring its foothold even among the rural communities, proper utilisation of suitable tools can help farmers to get more insight of the advances and in turn aid in efficient decision making.ThesisItem Open Access Performance analysis of farmer producer companies (FPCs) in Kerala(Department of Agricultural Extension, College of Agriculture, Vellanikkara, 2022-05-28) Akhil Ajith; KAU; Bonny,Binoo PFarmer Producer Companies (FPCs) are institutional innovations that hold tremendous potential in influencing the agricultural value chains by creating economic profit and social value. As such, the standard measures of financial analysis alone cannot provide an overall indication of the performance of these organisations.Therefore, an attempt to use integrated dimensions of socio-economic parameters were pursued in the present study to delineate the factors affecting the performance of FPCs and in the development of a performance index to grade the FPCs. The results of thestudy also helped in evolving policy recommendations that could improve the performance of FPCs in a sustainable way. The study followed ex-post facto research design conducted among 30 FPCs selected randomly from the 14 districts of Kerala. Proportionate random sampling was employed to ascertain the number of FPCs selected from each district and to identify 120 shareholders. Random and exhaustive sampling was followed respectively in the selection of 60 director board members and 30 CEOs to make the total sample size of 210.ThesisItem Open Access Tribal labour migration of Wayanad district: an impact analysis(Department of Agricultural Extension, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2021) Mano Sandesh, V V; KAU; Anilkumar, AThe study entitled “tribal labour migration of Wayanad district: an impact analysis” was undertaken during 2016-2020at College of Agriculture, Vellayani, with the major objectives of studying the impact of tribal labour migration on the livelihood of tribespeople and the agricultural situation of Wayanad district. Factors influencing the tribal labour migration and their migration proneness were also studied. The study was conducted in all the four blocks of Wayanad district viz., Mananthavady, Sulthan Bathery, Kalpetta and Panamaram. From each block 30 tribal migrants, 10 tribal non migrants and 10 non tribal significant other respondents were selected randomly making a total of 200 respondents. The data collected were statistically analysed using arithmetic mean, percentage, correlation analysis and non parametric test. The study revealed that half of the respondents had medium level of livelihood capital index before migration. Most of the tribal migrants possessed medium level of human capital, social capital, natural capital and financial capital before migration. A lion share (61.66%) of the respondents had low level of physical capital before migration. The analysis of livelihood after migration revealed that more than half (60.83%) of the tribal migrants had high livelihood capital index after migration. Immense increase (30.6%) in physical capital of tribespeople due to migration was obvious from study results and it was remarkable for tribes belonging to Kattunaikan and Paniya communities. This caused a temptation for migration among tribal non migrants. A substantial number (85.83%) of tribal migrants had medium social capital and 73.33 per cent had medium of human capital after migration. There was a decrease in the social capital of tribespeople due to migration and this was an indication that tribal migrants were not actively involving in the social activities. After migration 83.33 per cent of tribal migrants had only low natural capital. This tremendous decrease in natural capital indicate poor use of natural resources by tribespeople. Majority (70.83%) of the tribal migrants had a high financial capital after migration. The increase in the financial capital and physical capital was highly significant in uplifting the livelihood capital index of tribal migrants. Sixty five per cent of the tribal non migrants had high livelihood capital index. Globalisation has also affected the life style, food habits and education of tribespeople. Cultural changes were observed among the young tribespeople and many of them have turned to non agricultural labour activities. This also helped them to achieve higher financial capital and there by increased livelihood capital index. Analysis of the relationship between the dependent variable livelihood capital index and profile characteristics of tribespeople revealed that, viz. age, annual income, education, land holding, experience in agriculture, level of aspiration and economic motivation correlated significantly. Marital status and wage per day correlated significantly to livelihood capital index before migration while they were not significant after migration. Most of the tribal migrants had medium migration proneness. Young tribespeople were found to be more prone to migration than middle or old aged tribespeople. Majority of the tribal non migrants had lower migration proneness and they assumed that for a sustainable livelihood, migration is not a necessary factor. On correlation analysis it was found that education, wage per day, political orientation, type of house, level of aspiration and risk preference positively and significantly correlated with migration proneness whereas age, marital status, debt and experience in agriculture correlated negatively with migration proneness. Regarding the nature of migration of tribal migrants, majority of the migrants were daily and seasonal migrants and none of them migrated permanently. A higher percentage of tribal migration was interstate. They migrated mostly to Coorg area via Kutta region of Thirunelli Panchayath and Karnataka via Mysore road to work as agricultural labourers mainly for ginger cultivation. The entire tribal migrants moved in groups and the decision to migrate was induced rather than self chosen. Majority of tribal migrants went for agriculture labour work and were non registered migrants. Unemployment or loss of employment was the main push factor for migration. Low wages, poverty, malnutrition, small holding, landlessness, decline of natural resources, frustration, alienation from community and indebtedness were other major push factors of migration. Superior opportunity for employment was the main pull factor for migration. Better job security, superior opportunity to earn higher income, opportunity to obtain desired specialization, education, skill or training and better food were other major pull factors of migration. Scarcity of agricultural labourers was the major consequence of tribal labour migration, which in turn caused a decrease in agricultural land area. Change in the cropping pattern of Wayanad district, use of agricultural land for non agricultural purposes and immigration of agricultural labourers from other states to Wayanad were found to be other consequences of tribal labour migration. Shortage of skilled labourers, significant change in wage structure and decline of indigenous knowledge were also the results of tribal labour migration. In the light of the study some of the important policy prescriptions for the consideration of the government are (i) create better local job opportunities in the agriculture sector (ii) strengthen police patrolling in the tribal colonies to control illegal marketing of alcohol (iii) implement stringent registration procedures for tribal who are migrating (iv) evaluate the livelihood of tribal migrants periodically (v) formulate new programs and activities to conserve the traditional life style of tribespeople (vi) open and maintain rehabilitation centers in tribal areas to reduce alcohol addiction among tribal migrants (vii) initiate counseling and guidance centers for tribal migrants (viii) conduct regular inspections at migratory places to discourage exploitation of tribespeople (ix) ensure decent and indiscriminating wage structure for tribespeople in their native places.ThesisItem Open Access Exploratory study for resilient wheat farming in Nigeria(Department of Agricultural Extension, College of Agriculture, Vellanikkara, 2022) Salisu, Ahmad Dambazau; KAU; Jayasree Krishnankutty, MWheat growing has been the most difficult aspect of Nigerian agriculture for decades. Certain issues remain unresolved, posing a threat to the country's goal of diversifying revenue and lowering its growing reliance on imported wheat. Low wheat production, insecurity in Nigeria's wheat region, a lack of mechanized and updated farming techniques, and uncompetitive pricing are among the issues. This study for resilient wheat farming in Nigeria was conducted with the specific objectives of exploring the sociopolitical situation affecting wheat farming, studying the perceived effects of climate change on production of wheat and livelihoods of wheat farmers, analysing the government policies and schemes on wheat production, examining the marketing behaviour of wheat farmers, and arriving at policy options for resilient wheat farming in Nigeria. In view of the key research objectives, an ex-post facto research design was employed. A multi-stage sampling technique was adopted where three states (Jigawa, Kano and Yobe) and six local government areas (Ajingi, Bade, Garun Malan, Kafin Hausa, Nguru and Ringim), two from each state, were selected for the study. Furthermore, forty respondents were randomly selected from each local government area, making the total sample size of 240. Personal interviews and focus group discussions were used to collect primary data. A pre-test was also conducted to ensure the validity of the instruments. Secondary data was gathered from policy documents, relevant literature, government reports, newspapers, and so on. The elicited data was tabulated, analyzed, and interpreted by the use of descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, likert scale of summated rating, content analysis techniques (MAXQDA 2022 statistical software), price spread analysis, compound growth rate analysis, Kruskal-Wallis test, discriminant function analysis, and the Kendell coefficient of concordance test. The study revealed that the farmers were within their active age, married, and living below the poverty line, have low levels of education, mostly explored additional sources of income, and have enough years of experience in wheat farming. The farmers have marginal land size and acquired it through one method, using mostly certified and non-certified seeds and sourcing it mostly from two places while in contact with an extension agent most of the time. The respondents also participated in other activities for livelihood earning and have a larger number of household members, mostly with one earning member. The study revealed that the most common biotic, abiotic, social and political stress affecting wheat crops and farmers differ with regard to location. The major stresses affecting wheat farmers in Nigeria were pests and diseases, wild birds, marketing of their produce, rodents and domestic animal attacks. The social and political situations affecting wheat production were identified as internal social factors, external social factors, and political factors. Lack of good cultivation practices and the knowledge level of the farmers were the major internal social factors. These, among others, prevented the farmer from fully adopting the recommended agronomic practices. While the major external social factors were consumer food habits, consumer demand for convenience, lower produce prices, and high input costs, The political factors identified were social security issues, inconsistent government policies, intricacies in implementation, the role of the media in publication, role-playing by the milling industries, international trade interests, and lack of political will. No doubt, wheat millers imported more than required in 1986. It may have been a means for them to sabotage AWPP's success. The present approach employed by the milling industry, if sustained, will surely boost the wheat crop production in the country. Further findings indicated that the overall growth rate during the study period was -1% for production and only a minimal growth rate of 2% for harvested area, while a 5% positive growth rate was recorded in imports. It was a clear indication of the low yield of the wheat crop in Nigeria. The findings affirmed that the respondents were aware of climate change, with the majority of them having a medium perception of its effects on wheat production in Nigeria. There was a significant difference among the respondents with regard to the climate change perception which was influenced by their age, educational level, secondary occupation, years of experience, contact with extension agents, and household size. Additionally, Nigeria’s climate has no or little effect on wheat crop production. However, it may be that wheat production in Nigeria has been affected largely by human action rather than climatic and environmental factors. The findings inferred that the wheat production policies were domiciled in Kano state and that there was no equal distribution and allocation of resources among the states. The Anchor Borrower Program (ABP) is the only program having participants across the study areas. This may be because there is advancement in policy handling among the implementing agencies. The ABP failed to capture sustainability in production as well as rural infrastructural development in the program statement. The Agricultural Promotion Policy (APP) document left no stone unturned, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is driving the implementation of the policy. The policy document gives priority to stakeholders’ roles and responsibilities and is more concerned about sustainability in the production of the priority crops as well as reliability in the marketing channels. The document considers modern day agricultural approaches through the involvement of private sectors in all areas of the agricultural commodity value chain. For the improvement of rural livelihoods, the policy considered the development of the farming communities’ infrastructure. However, the respondents have a medium perception of government policy and scheme on wheat production in Nigeria which influenced by their age, educational level, secondary occupation, years of experience, contact with extension agent, farm size, household size and monthly income, and there was no significant difference in their perception. The majority of the respondents sell their produce immediately after harvest if the price is favourable due to financial urgency for both wholesalers and retailers in the case of Jigawa and Yobe, and consumers in the case of Kano. The majority sell in the local market due to proximity and using trucks as their main transportation facility. The study also inferred that the majority of the respondents relied on informal sources of market information and utilized them regularly. This revealed the kind of trust the respondents gave to those sources and affirmed the weakness of the extension system in the study areas, especially in Yobe state. There were four marketing channels in Jigawa and Kano, while three were identified in Yobe. The producers received the highest percent of the marketing share in channel I (producer –consumer) and a higher amount in channel II (producer–retailer–consumer). The marketing margin was higher in channel III (producer–wholesaler–retailer–consumer) and the producers received a lower amount when compared with channels I and II. This indicates that the more the actors, the less the producers share. There was no additional information obtained from channel IV as it involved industrial processes. Moreover, the study shows that there was significant variation between the states with regard to the variables under study among the respondents between the states. The variable marketing behaviour had the most prominent effect in predicting membership in the group between Kano and other states, while farm size was the most prominent effect between Jigawa and Yobe. The variability in net income of a wheat farmer in Nigeria could be predicted with 99.3% accuracy using age, total output, selling price, straw price, quantity of pesticide used, frequency of irrigation, and total cost of production. The study confirmed that the major constraints affecting wheat farmers in Nigeria were a lack of government intervention, a weak extension system, high input and pest and disease costs, a low output price, insufficient credit facilities, a lack of high-yielding varieties, poor yield, and a lack of a regular market. There was strong agreement on the most important constraints among the respondents of different states. For Nigeria to achieve the desired outcome, focused commitments and the adoption of a multi-dimensional approach are required. Political factors were the major concerns surrounding the wheat production sector and would be overcome through a yearly stakeholders' round table meeting to review the situation. External social factor issues would be addressed by raising awareness and establishing a commodity board to ensure remunerative prices for farmers and reasonable prices for consumers, as well as a consistent supply of raw materials to milling industries. Extension should be intensified to enhance the knowledge level of the farmer for better understanding and increased adoption of new varieties. This could help to overcome internal social issues. More young people need to be persuaded to work in wheat farming in order to increase production and sustainability. Resilient wheat farming in Nigeria could be achieved through focused commitments across the stakeholders’ line. Legislation should be enacted to deal with saboteurs, and the adoption of a multi-dimensional approach toward solving any unforeseen circumstances, should be resorted to.ThesisItem Open Access Tribal labour migration of Wayanad district: an impact analysis(Department of Agricultural Extension, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2021) Mano Sandesh, V V; KAU; Anilkumar, AThe study entitled “tribal labour migration of Wayanad district: an impact analysis” was undertaken during 2016-2020at College of Agriculture, Vellayani, with the major objectives of studying the impact of tribal labour migration on the livelihood of tribespeople and the agricultural situation of Wayanad district. Factors influencing the tribal labour migration and their migration proneness were also studied. The study was conducted in all the four blocks of Wayanad district viz., Mananthavady, Sulthan Bathery, Kalpetta and Panamaram. From each block 30 tribal migrants, 10 tribal non migrants and 10 non tribal significant other respondents were selected randomly making a total of 200 respondents. The data collected were statistically analysed using arithmetic mean, percentage, correlation analysis and non parametric test. The study revealed that half of the respondents had medium level of livelihood capital index before migration. Most of the tribal migrants possessed medium level of human capital, social capital, natural capital and financial capital before migration. A lion share (61.66%) of the respondents had low level of physical capital before migration. The analysis of livelihood after migration revealed that more than half (60.83%) of the tribal migrants had high livelihood capital index after migration. Immense increase (30.6%) in physical capital of tribespeople due to migration was obvious from study results and it was remarkable for tribes belonging to Kattunaikan and Paniya communities. This caused a temptation for migration among tribal non migrants. A substantial number (85.83%) of tribal migrants had medium social capital and 73.33 per cent had medium of human capital after migration. There was a decrease in the social capital of tribespeople due to migration and this was an indication that tribal migrants were not actively involving in the social activities. After migration 83.33 per cent of tribal migrants had only low natural capital. This tremendous decrease in natural capital indicate poor use of natural resources by tribespeople. Majority (70.83%) of the tribal migrants had a high financial capital after migration. The increase in the financial capital and physical capital was highly significant in uplifting the livelihood capital index of tribal migrants. Sixty five per cent of the tribal non migrants had high livelihood capital index. Globalisation has also affected the life style, food habits and education of tribespeople. Cultural changes were observed among the young tribespeople and many of them have turned to non agricultural labour activities. This also helped them to achieve higher financial capital and there by increased livelihood capital index. Analysis of the relationship between the dependent variable livelihood capital index and profile characteristics of tribespeople revealed that, viz. age, annual income, education, land holding, experience in agriculture, level of aspiration and economic motivation correlated significantly. Marital status and wage per day correlated significantly to livelihood capital index before migration while they were not significant after migration. Most of the tribal migrants had medium migration proneness. Young tribespeople were found to be more prone to migration than middle or old aged tribespeople. Majority of the tribal non migrants had lower migration proneness and they assumed that for a sustainable livelihood, migration is not a necessary factor. On correlation analysis it was found that education, wage per day, political orientation, type of house, level of aspiration and risk preference positively and significantly correlated with migration proneness whereas age, marital status, debt and experience in agriculture correlated negatively with migration proneness. Regarding the nature of migration of tribal migrants, majority of the migrants were daily and seasonal migrants and none of them migrated permanently. A higher percentage of tribal migration was interstate. They migrated mostly to Coorg area via Kutta region of Thirunelli Panchayath and Karnataka via Mysore road to work as agricultural labourers mainly for ginger cultivation. The entire tribal migrants moved in groups and the decision to migrate was induced rather than self chosen. Majority of tribal migrants went for agriculture labour work and were non registered migrants. Unemployment or loss of employment was the main push factor for migration. Low wages, poverty, malnutrition, small holding, landlessness, decline of natural resources, frustration, alienation from community and indebtedness were other major push factors of migration. Superior opportunity for employment was the main pull factor for migration. Better job security, superior opportunity to earn higher income, opportunity to obtain desired specialization, education, skill or training and better food were other major pull factors of migration. Scarcity of agricultural labourers was the major consequence of tribal labour migration, which in turn caused a decrease in agricultural land area. Change in the cropping pattern of Wayanad district, use of agricultural land for non agricultural purposes and immigration of agricultural labourers from other states to Wayanad were found to be other consequences of tribal labour migration. Shortage of skilled labourers, significant change in wage structure and decline of indigenous knowledge were also the results of tribal labour migration. In the light of the study some of the important policy prescriptions for the consideration of the government are (i) create better local job opportunities in the agriculture sector (ii) strengthen police patrolling in the tribal colonies to control illegal marketing of alcohol (iii) implement stringent registration procedures for tribal who are migrating (iv) evaluate the livelihood of tribal migrants periodically (v) formulate new programs and activities to conserve the traditional life style of tribespeople (vi) open and maintain rehabilitation centers in tribal areas to reduce alcohol addiction among tribal migrants (vii) initiate counseling and guidance centers for tribal migrants (viii) conduct regular inspections at migratory places to discourage exploitation of tribespeople (ix) ensure decent and indiscriminating wage structure for tribespeople in their native places.