The agriculture scenario has witnessed a tremendous change after the independence of the Indian s... more The agriculture scenario has witnessed a tremendous change after the independence of the Indian subcontinent. It had undergone number of reforms to protect both supply and demand side interests. The food security was ensured by increasing its production and the country has emerged as one of the top producers of number of commodities. The commercialization of agriculture shifted Original Research Article
In this study, a water resource management model that facilitates indicator-based decisions, with... more In this study, a water resource management model that facilitates indicator-based decisions, with respect to environmental, social and economic dimensions in a multiple criteria perspective, is developed for the Gediz River Basin in Turkey. The basic input of the proposed model is the quantity of surface water that is mainly allocated to irrigation purposes. The model has been applied under 3 different hydro-meteorological scenarios that reflect baseline as well as better and worse conditions of water supply and demand, not only to reach a comprehensive assessment of the water budget in the Gediz Basin, but also to evaluate the impacts of proposed management alternatives under different conditions. The Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) software is used as a simulation and evaluation tool to assess the performance of possible management alternatives; performance is measured by 9 indicators representing economic, social and environmental sustainability. The study has delineated the best management alternative on the basis of 3 different multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) methods, including simple additive weighting (SAW), compromise programming (CP) and technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS). Each method is also applied with 7 different sets of criteria weights that represent objective judgements as well as subjective preferences of decision makers. The results of the study indicate that the decision on the best alternative is basically independent of the MCDM method used, but slightly sensitive to the weights assigned to the criteria as well as the data used in the analyses.
Indian journal of agricultural economics, Apr 6, 2023
Ecosystem services refer to the benefits that humans receive from natural ecosystems including fo... more Ecosystem services refer to the benefits that humans receive from natural ecosystems including forests, water bodies, wetlands, grasslands and other natural landscapes. These benefits include things like air/water purification, climate regulation, soil fertility, pollination and biodiversity conservation. These services can be broadly categorised into provisionary services, regulatory services, supporting services and cultural services. Although these services are highly essential for human well-being, but they are often undervalued and threatened by anthropogenic activities. The preservation and restoration of ecosystems are critical to ensure continued provision of its services. The absence of markets for ecosystem services or the market failures in pricing the services flowing out of an ecosystem very often led to the exclusion of these services among the economic performance indicators. The market failure associated with under-pricing or non-pricing of environmental services is considered the major reason for natural ecosystem deterioration. Valuation of ecosystem services is crucial for promoting sustainable development and ensuring the continued provision of essential benefits to human well-being. Institutions can make policy decisions based upon costs and benefits of different actions. For example, valuing the carbon sequestration benefits of forests can help determine the economic benefits of forest conservation compared to other land-uses. It guides us in the prioritization of conservation efforts and resource allocation. Valuation creates an economic incentive for conservation and facilitate negotiations between stakeholders with conflicting interests, e.g., it may resolve conflict between developers and conservationists of wetlands for flood control and water purifications. Policy makers have recognised the importance of ecosystem services and their valuation in developmental processes only recently.
Around 25% of walnut kernels are damaged during the extraction of kernel from the shell. This res... more Around 25% of walnut kernels are damaged during the extraction of kernel from the shell. This results in the production of a large quantity of broken walnut kernels which is estimated to be around 0.4 lakh tonnes out of 1.56 lakh tonnes of walnut kernels produced in Jammu and Kashmir annually. This results in huge losses to the producers as broken walnut kernels sell at a much lesser price and therefore, it necessitates adoption of measures to reduce these losses. Value addition of broken walnut kernels by the development of walnut butter with nutraceutical properties is a promising approach to boost the economy. In the present study, roasted broken walnut kernels were used for the development of walnut butter. Natural emulsifier was added into the product to improve the stability of the emulsion. If all of the broken walnut kernels are processed into butter, it is expected to produce 36,800 MT of walnut butter annually which will generate a total revenue of INR 3680 crore. The B:C ratio of this venture is 1.62 which is undeniably profitable.
This study was conducted to examine various disadvantages associated with livelihood of nomadic t... more This study was conducted to examine various disadvantages associated with livelihood of nomadic tribes and role of animal rearing in their upliftment in Jammu and Kashmir. It was found that majority of nomadic families belonged to very small flock size category and the number declined towards large flock size category. The results revealed that nomadic families took up one of the combinations of economic activities available to them, though animal domestication has been their dominant livelihood option. The estimates of linear function indicated land holding size, literacy, income from other sources and mortality as the significant determinants of livestock possession. The nomadic tribes experienced various kinds of disadvantages and among them mortality of animals was more severe and was observed maximum in large flock size category. The government spending under sub-tribal plans for the development of this section of society has received a setback in recent years. The findings of ...
ABSTRACT Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, one of the leading producers of temperate fruits i... more ABSTRACT Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, one of the leading producers of temperate fruits in India, is in the process of adopting high-density apple cultivation. Establishment of high-density apple orchard involves a very high cost which gets compensated by higher productivity during its productive life. Considering the profitability of cultivating high-density apple a need was felt to examine its quality and yield potential that could guide the Government to formulate a roadmap for its dissemination in its domain area. High-density apple (variety-Super Chief Sandidge) was recently introduced from Italy. It is reported to be very productive and quality wise, retains a high score of consumer acceptability, accordingly efforts are being made to extend its adoption in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. To formulate a policy for its adoption, ex-ante evaluation was carried out by employing economic surplus model on the experimental data collected from the technical expert group of scientists involved in its cultivation, assessment, evaluation and dissemination. The results reveal that productivity of apple has increased by 53.6 mt/ha and labor employment has increased by 676 man days/ha due to the adoption of high-density apple technology. The results further revealed that with an expected expansion of high-density apple orchards over 30% of the target area NPV, IRR and BC ratio would amount to 16.43 Billion US $, 62% and 98.60.
India, provide habitation to vast area of forests which interacts with number of biotic and a bio... more India, provide habitation to vast area of forests which interacts with number of biotic and a biotic component which provides goods and services. In consideration of the fact that forests with woodlands and huge biodiversity contribute significantly towards development of economy of Jammu and Kashmir, a northern state of India, an attempt has been made in this study to investigate the forest sector in Jammu and Kashmir and to check its structural changes and determinants of growth. The study confirms that, recently forestry sector (FNDP) has contributed about 10 per cent to the agricultural net domestic product and 2 per cent of state net domestic product. FNDP has increased significantly over the years and the estimates of compound growth rates indicated that the area exploited for extraction has decelerated at 6.33 per cent per annum, while the quantity extracted for it by 3.81 per cent. Consistent with declining extraction, the totals out-turn has been consistently declined over the years and has reached to just 73.92 (000m 3) in recent years. The government has invested 408 lakh rupees in forest and logging sector during 2013-14 though it has declined drastically since 2005-06 that led to the decline of investment intensities to this sector over the years. Estimates of Forest Growth Model revealed that rural literacy, public investment in forestry, plantation and export value has contributed positively in forest development while proportion of urban population, rural poverty has negative impact on it. Based upon various findings, the study put forth few policy options for sustenance of forests and provide spectrum of ecosystem goods and services towards the human recreational activities.
Besides supplier of provisional services, agricultures role as source of ecosystem services to th... more Besides supplier of provisional services, agricultures role as source of ecosystem services to the ecology is being increasingly recognized. The two way relationship between agricultural production and ecosystem services made it imperative to examine farmers perception of importance of and their ability to manage various ecosystem services from and to the agriculture. This study, motivated by limited availability of literature, is an attempt to fill this research gap through focusing on farmers' perceptions of four different attributes towards 17 ecosystem services and 15 dis-services in Kashmir, a mountainous region in India. Results revealed that farmers attributed high rating to the importance of all ecosystem services, professed severity of dis-services to and from agriculture and perceived their inability to fully manage them. The farmers revealed concerns about vulnerability of agriculture to any threat causing deterioration in ecosystem services though their concerns vary...
The present study is conducted in dry uplands of Kashmir region to assess the potential of three ... more The present study is conducted in dry uplands of Kashmir region to assess the potential of three location-specific maize composites, C6, KG1 and C8 respectively in the Central, South and North regions of Kashmir valley for enhancing the economic returns and sustenance of livelihood of rural masses under the dry land conditions. The study forms part of NAIP project, "Visioning Policy Analysis and Gender (VPAGe)" undertaken at SKUAST-K, Shalimar during 2009-11 and is based on the cross sectional survey data collected from 240 farm households cultivating maize under dry land conditions in the upper belts of Kashmir valley. The adoption of dry land maize composites and its determinants were examined by employing regression function. Economic surplus model and economic feasibility tests were employed to assess the economic gains from research and extension investment involved in the development of maize composites under the study. The bi-variate Probit model was fitted to ident...
The paper has estimated the extent of adoption of an improved rice seed technology in the Kashmir... more The paper has estimated the extent of adoption of an improved rice seed technology in the Kashmir valley and has studied its impact on the economic and the livelihood security of adopters of this technology. The determinants inducing farmers towards adoption of new technology have been identified and technological gaps in its adoption have been estimated. For presenting a comparative picture, 130 adopters and 122 non-adopters of improved technology were identified from six districts , two each from the three regions of Kashmir valley. The study has revealed, based on data collected for the agricultural year 2010- 11 that by adoption of improved technology, both gross returns and net returns have increased considerably, while the cost of production has decreased. The study has clearly brought out that adoption of new technology has provided better economic and livelihood security at the household level in the study area. The age, education and land size have been identified as the ma...
This study has looked into the existing pesticide delivery system in the apple growing region of ... more This study has looked into the existing pesticide delivery system in the apple growing region of Kashmir valley. Marketing system of pesticides in the valley is largely unregulated, characterized by the existence of a network of pesticide companies, viz., multinationals (MNCs) and nationals (NCs), authorized distributors/dealers, unlicensed traders and rampant availability of sub-standard/spurious pesticides. The value of all pesticides consumed in the state has been estimated at ` 361 million, of which 52.3 per cent is of NCs and 33.6 per cent is of MNCs and rest being of other companies. Of the total pesticides used in the state, 86 per cent are applied on apple. There are multiple channels of pesticide delivery in the valley. However, this study has discussed marketing channels of important fungicides, insecticides and acaricides. It has been observed that farmers pay a higher price for pesticides became of the presence of a number of intermediaries in the channel. The marketing efficiency has been relatively low in the channel where farmers purchase pesticides from the traders. The results have further revealed that farmers apply pesticides indiscriminately in violation of the scientific recommendations. About one-third of the pesticides available in the market are reported to be either substandard or spurious. The existence of unlicensed dealers/ traders has further accentuated the magnitude of malpractices in the pesticide delivery system. Based on findings, the study has emphasized upon an effective regulation of pesticide trade through strict legislations so as to prevent marketing of spurious/sub-standard agro-chemicals.
The changing profile of livestock sector in relation with its sustainability has been studied in ... more The changing profile of livestock sector in relation with its sustainability has been studied in the state of Jammu & Kashmir. The share of each region in major livestock has shown a significant change during the decade of 1992-2003, though variation in concentration of different livestock species across different regions is clearly visible. Increase in proportion of some species and decrease in others in the state seem to have influenced the speed of intensification across different regions. The livestock intensity has either exhibited an increasing trend, as in the Jammu Region or has remained static as in the Ladakh Region or has declined as in the Kashmir Region, from 1992 to 2003. The estimates of coefficient of variation in the adoption of cross-bred animals/birds have indicated the scope for improving animal productivity through increase in adoption of cross-bred/improved animals. The study has suggested a need to increase meat production, especially of mutton and white meat in view of their rising demand. The coefficients of correlation have revealed higher dependence of livestock, especially small ruminants on the geographical area (excluding net area sown) and this interaction may have serious ecological implications if not addressed properly. Besides, the available common property resources (CPRs) in the state being meagre to sustain its whole livestock population, concerted efforts have to be made to arrest their deterioration through legal, social and institutional means. Considering sustainability and food security issues, the study has emphasized on an appropriate livestock mix and increasing animal productivity through scientific management for the overall social benefits from this sector. In addition, budgetary allocations to research in this sector should be enhanced to evolve innovative production technologies leading to improved animal production efficiency.
Forests in the Kashmir valley attract hundreds of thousands of tourists annually. This study uses... more Forests in the Kashmir valley attract hundreds of thousands of tourists annually. This study uses a trip generation function to analyse the perceptions of a random sample of 200 visitors to four famous forest sites: Dodhpathri, Thajiwas, Pahalgam, and Gulmarg. Forest-specific attributes and ecological/scenic concerns attract tourists, mostly from Kashmir and also from elsewhere in India and abroad. Most tourists are highly educated, well off businesspeople or professionals in the 50-60 age group who consider that forest sites are a national treasure that should be preserved sustainably.
Background/Objectives: Climate change has profound impacts on Himalayas, non availability of both... more Background/Objectives: Climate change has profound impacts on Himalayas, non availability of both data and models to estimate its impacts was a major problem. Therefore, apart from key climate variables, farmer's perceptions in mitigating the climate change formed the major source of information and objective of the current study. Methods/Statistical analysis: The study is based on both primary and secondary data collected from 270 respondents during 2013-14 and 2014-15 spread over north, central and south Kashmir which was further classified into low to mid (L-M) and mid to high (M-H) altitudes. Group discussions/interactions in each selected village between the farmers, scientists and experts from concerned departments formed an important part of the survey. Averages and percentages were worked out to analyse the data. Results: The rise in temperature was prominent in first and last quarters of the year. This trend seemed to help the temperate mountain farming scenario owing t...
This paper investigates the pattern and magnitude of private capital formation in relation with i... more This paper investigates the pattern and magnitude of private capital formation in relation with institutional credit at farms in different agro-climatic zones in Jammu & Kashmir state. The study help us in establishing that borrowers of institutional credit are better positioned to invest more on farm capital. Additionally, the growth of capital stock in the reference year remains higher for borrowers than non-borrowers. This implies that credit has a crucial role to generate farm capital. The regression estimates confirm that institutional credit significantly contributes to improve the capital stock on farm. These results suggest that government should play an active role to increase credit to the farmers directly. Furthermore, the location specific loan schemes are to be encouraged for specific production environments. Finally, supervised agricultural credit schemes are required to prevent the mis-utilization of institutional credit and its timely repayment.
Background/Objectives: Resource poor conditions, marginalization of holdings and gradual commerci... more Background/Objectives: Resource poor conditions, marginalization of holdings and gradual commercialization of farming needs assessment of D-S scenario, utilization and impact of institutional credit on farm returns under agro-climatic diversities of Jammu and Kashmir. Methods/Statistical analysis: A multi-stage stratified random sampling technique was used to draw a sample of 400 (200 borrowers+200 non-borrowers) respondents, representing each agro-climatic zone to collect primary data to estimate the short term credit requirements and capture the impact of agricultural credit on overall gross farm returns by employing regression analysis technique. Secondary data was also used to supplement the findings. Results: Various institutional agencies involved in advancing agricultural credit have differential role across agro-climatic zones. Financial institutions advanced only 7.61 per cent of total credit requirement in the state which varied across zones. The productive credit utilizat...
The agriculture scenario has witnessed a tremendous change after the independence of the Indian s... more The agriculture scenario has witnessed a tremendous change after the independence of the Indian subcontinent. It had undergone number of reforms to protect both supply and demand side interests. The food security was ensured by increasing its production and the country has emerged as one of the top producers of number of commodities. The commercialization of agriculture shifted Original Research Article
In this study, a water resource management model that facilitates indicator-based decisions, with... more In this study, a water resource management model that facilitates indicator-based decisions, with respect to environmental, social and economic dimensions in a multiple criteria perspective, is developed for the Gediz River Basin in Turkey. The basic input of the proposed model is the quantity of surface water that is mainly allocated to irrigation purposes. The model has been applied under 3 different hydro-meteorological scenarios that reflect baseline as well as better and worse conditions of water supply and demand, not only to reach a comprehensive assessment of the water budget in the Gediz Basin, but also to evaluate the impacts of proposed management alternatives under different conditions. The Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) software is used as a simulation and evaluation tool to assess the performance of possible management alternatives; performance is measured by 9 indicators representing economic, social and environmental sustainability. The study has delineated the best management alternative on the basis of 3 different multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) methods, including simple additive weighting (SAW), compromise programming (CP) and technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS). Each method is also applied with 7 different sets of criteria weights that represent objective judgements as well as subjective preferences of decision makers. The results of the study indicate that the decision on the best alternative is basically independent of the MCDM method used, but slightly sensitive to the weights assigned to the criteria as well as the data used in the analyses.
Indian journal of agricultural economics, Apr 6, 2023
Ecosystem services refer to the benefits that humans receive from natural ecosystems including fo... more Ecosystem services refer to the benefits that humans receive from natural ecosystems including forests, water bodies, wetlands, grasslands and other natural landscapes. These benefits include things like air/water purification, climate regulation, soil fertility, pollination and biodiversity conservation. These services can be broadly categorised into provisionary services, regulatory services, supporting services and cultural services. Although these services are highly essential for human well-being, but they are often undervalued and threatened by anthropogenic activities. The preservation and restoration of ecosystems are critical to ensure continued provision of its services. The absence of markets for ecosystem services or the market failures in pricing the services flowing out of an ecosystem very often led to the exclusion of these services among the economic performance indicators. The market failure associated with under-pricing or non-pricing of environmental services is considered the major reason for natural ecosystem deterioration. Valuation of ecosystem services is crucial for promoting sustainable development and ensuring the continued provision of essential benefits to human well-being. Institutions can make policy decisions based upon costs and benefits of different actions. For example, valuing the carbon sequestration benefits of forests can help determine the economic benefits of forest conservation compared to other land-uses. It guides us in the prioritization of conservation efforts and resource allocation. Valuation creates an economic incentive for conservation and facilitate negotiations between stakeholders with conflicting interests, e.g., it may resolve conflict between developers and conservationists of wetlands for flood control and water purifications. Policy makers have recognised the importance of ecosystem services and their valuation in developmental processes only recently.
Around 25% of walnut kernels are damaged during the extraction of kernel from the shell. This res... more Around 25% of walnut kernels are damaged during the extraction of kernel from the shell. This results in the production of a large quantity of broken walnut kernels which is estimated to be around 0.4 lakh tonnes out of 1.56 lakh tonnes of walnut kernels produced in Jammu and Kashmir annually. This results in huge losses to the producers as broken walnut kernels sell at a much lesser price and therefore, it necessitates adoption of measures to reduce these losses. Value addition of broken walnut kernels by the development of walnut butter with nutraceutical properties is a promising approach to boost the economy. In the present study, roasted broken walnut kernels were used for the development of walnut butter. Natural emulsifier was added into the product to improve the stability of the emulsion. If all of the broken walnut kernels are processed into butter, it is expected to produce 36,800 MT of walnut butter annually which will generate a total revenue of INR 3680 crore. The B:C ratio of this venture is 1.62 which is undeniably profitable.
This study was conducted to examine various disadvantages associated with livelihood of nomadic t... more This study was conducted to examine various disadvantages associated with livelihood of nomadic tribes and role of animal rearing in their upliftment in Jammu and Kashmir. It was found that majority of nomadic families belonged to very small flock size category and the number declined towards large flock size category. The results revealed that nomadic families took up one of the combinations of economic activities available to them, though animal domestication has been their dominant livelihood option. The estimates of linear function indicated land holding size, literacy, income from other sources and mortality as the significant determinants of livestock possession. The nomadic tribes experienced various kinds of disadvantages and among them mortality of animals was more severe and was observed maximum in large flock size category. The government spending under sub-tribal plans for the development of this section of society has received a setback in recent years. The findings of ...
ABSTRACT Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, one of the leading producers of temperate fruits i... more ABSTRACT Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, one of the leading producers of temperate fruits in India, is in the process of adopting high-density apple cultivation. Establishment of high-density apple orchard involves a very high cost which gets compensated by higher productivity during its productive life. Considering the profitability of cultivating high-density apple a need was felt to examine its quality and yield potential that could guide the Government to formulate a roadmap for its dissemination in its domain area. High-density apple (variety-Super Chief Sandidge) was recently introduced from Italy. It is reported to be very productive and quality wise, retains a high score of consumer acceptability, accordingly efforts are being made to extend its adoption in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. To formulate a policy for its adoption, ex-ante evaluation was carried out by employing economic surplus model on the experimental data collected from the technical expert group of scientists involved in its cultivation, assessment, evaluation and dissemination. The results reveal that productivity of apple has increased by 53.6 mt/ha and labor employment has increased by 676 man days/ha due to the adoption of high-density apple technology. The results further revealed that with an expected expansion of high-density apple orchards over 30% of the target area NPV, IRR and BC ratio would amount to 16.43 Billion US $, 62% and 98.60.
India, provide habitation to vast area of forests which interacts with number of biotic and a bio... more India, provide habitation to vast area of forests which interacts with number of biotic and a biotic component which provides goods and services. In consideration of the fact that forests with woodlands and huge biodiversity contribute significantly towards development of economy of Jammu and Kashmir, a northern state of India, an attempt has been made in this study to investigate the forest sector in Jammu and Kashmir and to check its structural changes and determinants of growth. The study confirms that, recently forestry sector (FNDP) has contributed about 10 per cent to the agricultural net domestic product and 2 per cent of state net domestic product. FNDP has increased significantly over the years and the estimates of compound growth rates indicated that the area exploited for extraction has decelerated at 6.33 per cent per annum, while the quantity extracted for it by 3.81 per cent. Consistent with declining extraction, the totals out-turn has been consistently declined over the years and has reached to just 73.92 (000m 3) in recent years. The government has invested 408 lakh rupees in forest and logging sector during 2013-14 though it has declined drastically since 2005-06 that led to the decline of investment intensities to this sector over the years. Estimates of Forest Growth Model revealed that rural literacy, public investment in forestry, plantation and export value has contributed positively in forest development while proportion of urban population, rural poverty has negative impact on it. Based upon various findings, the study put forth few policy options for sustenance of forests and provide spectrum of ecosystem goods and services towards the human recreational activities.
Besides supplier of provisional services, agricultures role as source of ecosystem services to th... more Besides supplier of provisional services, agricultures role as source of ecosystem services to the ecology is being increasingly recognized. The two way relationship between agricultural production and ecosystem services made it imperative to examine farmers perception of importance of and their ability to manage various ecosystem services from and to the agriculture. This study, motivated by limited availability of literature, is an attempt to fill this research gap through focusing on farmers' perceptions of four different attributes towards 17 ecosystem services and 15 dis-services in Kashmir, a mountainous region in India. Results revealed that farmers attributed high rating to the importance of all ecosystem services, professed severity of dis-services to and from agriculture and perceived their inability to fully manage them. The farmers revealed concerns about vulnerability of agriculture to any threat causing deterioration in ecosystem services though their concerns vary...
The present study is conducted in dry uplands of Kashmir region to assess the potential of three ... more The present study is conducted in dry uplands of Kashmir region to assess the potential of three location-specific maize composites, C6, KG1 and C8 respectively in the Central, South and North regions of Kashmir valley for enhancing the economic returns and sustenance of livelihood of rural masses under the dry land conditions. The study forms part of NAIP project, "Visioning Policy Analysis and Gender (VPAGe)" undertaken at SKUAST-K, Shalimar during 2009-11 and is based on the cross sectional survey data collected from 240 farm households cultivating maize under dry land conditions in the upper belts of Kashmir valley. The adoption of dry land maize composites and its determinants were examined by employing regression function. Economic surplus model and economic feasibility tests were employed to assess the economic gains from research and extension investment involved in the development of maize composites under the study. The bi-variate Probit model was fitted to ident...
The paper has estimated the extent of adoption of an improved rice seed technology in the Kashmir... more The paper has estimated the extent of adoption of an improved rice seed technology in the Kashmir valley and has studied its impact on the economic and the livelihood security of adopters of this technology. The determinants inducing farmers towards adoption of new technology have been identified and technological gaps in its adoption have been estimated. For presenting a comparative picture, 130 adopters and 122 non-adopters of improved technology were identified from six districts , two each from the three regions of Kashmir valley. The study has revealed, based on data collected for the agricultural year 2010- 11 that by adoption of improved technology, both gross returns and net returns have increased considerably, while the cost of production has decreased. The study has clearly brought out that adoption of new technology has provided better economic and livelihood security at the household level in the study area. The age, education and land size have been identified as the ma...
This study has looked into the existing pesticide delivery system in the apple growing region of ... more This study has looked into the existing pesticide delivery system in the apple growing region of Kashmir valley. Marketing system of pesticides in the valley is largely unregulated, characterized by the existence of a network of pesticide companies, viz., multinationals (MNCs) and nationals (NCs), authorized distributors/dealers, unlicensed traders and rampant availability of sub-standard/spurious pesticides. The value of all pesticides consumed in the state has been estimated at ` 361 million, of which 52.3 per cent is of NCs and 33.6 per cent is of MNCs and rest being of other companies. Of the total pesticides used in the state, 86 per cent are applied on apple. There are multiple channels of pesticide delivery in the valley. However, this study has discussed marketing channels of important fungicides, insecticides and acaricides. It has been observed that farmers pay a higher price for pesticides became of the presence of a number of intermediaries in the channel. The marketing efficiency has been relatively low in the channel where farmers purchase pesticides from the traders. The results have further revealed that farmers apply pesticides indiscriminately in violation of the scientific recommendations. About one-third of the pesticides available in the market are reported to be either substandard or spurious. The existence of unlicensed dealers/ traders has further accentuated the magnitude of malpractices in the pesticide delivery system. Based on findings, the study has emphasized upon an effective regulation of pesticide trade through strict legislations so as to prevent marketing of spurious/sub-standard agro-chemicals.
The changing profile of livestock sector in relation with its sustainability has been studied in ... more The changing profile of livestock sector in relation with its sustainability has been studied in the state of Jammu & Kashmir. The share of each region in major livestock has shown a significant change during the decade of 1992-2003, though variation in concentration of different livestock species across different regions is clearly visible. Increase in proportion of some species and decrease in others in the state seem to have influenced the speed of intensification across different regions. The livestock intensity has either exhibited an increasing trend, as in the Jammu Region or has remained static as in the Ladakh Region or has declined as in the Kashmir Region, from 1992 to 2003. The estimates of coefficient of variation in the adoption of cross-bred animals/birds have indicated the scope for improving animal productivity through increase in adoption of cross-bred/improved animals. The study has suggested a need to increase meat production, especially of mutton and white meat in view of their rising demand. The coefficients of correlation have revealed higher dependence of livestock, especially small ruminants on the geographical area (excluding net area sown) and this interaction may have serious ecological implications if not addressed properly. Besides, the available common property resources (CPRs) in the state being meagre to sustain its whole livestock population, concerted efforts have to be made to arrest their deterioration through legal, social and institutional means. Considering sustainability and food security issues, the study has emphasized on an appropriate livestock mix and increasing animal productivity through scientific management for the overall social benefits from this sector. In addition, budgetary allocations to research in this sector should be enhanced to evolve innovative production technologies leading to improved animal production efficiency.
Forests in the Kashmir valley attract hundreds of thousands of tourists annually. This study uses... more Forests in the Kashmir valley attract hundreds of thousands of tourists annually. This study uses a trip generation function to analyse the perceptions of a random sample of 200 visitors to four famous forest sites: Dodhpathri, Thajiwas, Pahalgam, and Gulmarg. Forest-specific attributes and ecological/scenic concerns attract tourists, mostly from Kashmir and also from elsewhere in India and abroad. Most tourists are highly educated, well off businesspeople or professionals in the 50-60 age group who consider that forest sites are a national treasure that should be preserved sustainably.
Background/Objectives: Climate change has profound impacts on Himalayas, non availability of both... more Background/Objectives: Climate change has profound impacts on Himalayas, non availability of both data and models to estimate its impacts was a major problem. Therefore, apart from key climate variables, farmer's perceptions in mitigating the climate change formed the major source of information and objective of the current study. Methods/Statistical analysis: The study is based on both primary and secondary data collected from 270 respondents during 2013-14 and 2014-15 spread over north, central and south Kashmir which was further classified into low to mid (L-M) and mid to high (M-H) altitudes. Group discussions/interactions in each selected village between the farmers, scientists and experts from concerned departments formed an important part of the survey. Averages and percentages were worked out to analyse the data. Results: The rise in temperature was prominent in first and last quarters of the year. This trend seemed to help the temperate mountain farming scenario owing t...
This paper investigates the pattern and magnitude of private capital formation in relation with i... more This paper investigates the pattern and magnitude of private capital formation in relation with institutional credit at farms in different agro-climatic zones in Jammu & Kashmir state. The study help us in establishing that borrowers of institutional credit are better positioned to invest more on farm capital. Additionally, the growth of capital stock in the reference year remains higher for borrowers than non-borrowers. This implies that credit has a crucial role to generate farm capital. The regression estimates confirm that institutional credit significantly contributes to improve the capital stock on farm. These results suggest that government should play an active role to increase credit to the farmers directly. Furthermore, the location specific loan schemes are to be encouraged for specific production environments. Finally, supervised agricultural credit schemes are required to prevent the mis-utilization of institutional credit and its timely repayment.
Background/Objectives: Resource poor conditions, marginalization of holdings and gradual commerci... more Background/Objectives: Resource poor conditions, marginalization of holdings and gradual commercialization of farming needs assessment of D-S scenario, utilization and impact of institutional credit on farm returns under agro-climatic diversities of Jammu and Kashmir. Methods/Statistical analysis: A multi-stage stratified random sampling technique was used to draw a sample of 400 (200 borrowers+200 non-borrowers) respondents, representing each agro-climatic zone to collect primary data to estimate the short term credit requirements and capture the impact of agricultural credit on overall gross farm returns by employing regression analysis technique. Secondary data was also used to supplement the findings. Results: Various institutional agencies involved in advancing agricultural credit have differential role across agro-climatic zones. Financial institutions advanced only 7.61 per cent of total credit requirement in the state which varied across zones. The productive credit utilizat...
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