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Pratap Birthal

NCAP, NCAp, Faculty Member

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Papers by Pratap Birthal

Review on Raising Livestock Productivity in Crop-Livestock Systems in India: Challenges and Implications For Research

Indian Journal of Animal Sciences, Oct 5, 2005

The kvorld's livestock production systems are divided into 3 broad categories, based on the degre... more The kvorld's livestock production systems are divided into 3 broad categories, based on the degree of integration with crops and land-grazing systems, mixed crop-livestock hrming systenls (MCLS) and industrial systems or landless systems (Sere and Stienfield 1996). Historically, at low population densities and land abundant scenario, crop and animal production are extensive/specialized and hence, croplivestock interaction is weak. However, as population density incrr:~ses, there is increasing pressure on cropland, with fallow and pastureland increasingly brought under cultivation. This, in turn, raises farmers' dependence on cropresidues. den~ar~d for manure and animal traction. There is thus n ~~~o v c to\vards crop-livestock interaction, where crops and animals are integrated on the same farms (McIntire er 111. 1992).

Pesticide use in rainfed cotton: Frequency, intensity and determinants

Agricultural Economics Research Review, 2000

Cotton is the single largest pesticide-using crop in India accounting for about half of the total... more Cotton is the single largest pesticide-using crop in India accounting for about half of the total pesticides used in agriculture, though its share in gross cropped area is only 4.5 per cent. This paper examines pest management practices in rainfed cotton using farm level cross-section data from Nanded district of Maharashtra. Average pesticide usage is estimated at 3.2 kg active ingredient per hectare of cotton area. Besides, farmers also use a number of physical and cultural methods directly or indirectly to limit the crop loss. Farmers vary in their attitude towards Insect pest risk and accordingly use pesticides. Risk averse farmers use pesticides excessively and indiscriminately. Findings suggest that improving farmers' existing stock of knowledge of pests and their management practices can help reduce pesticide use substantially.

Small holder dairying in India: experiences and development prospects - a review

Indian Journal of Animal Sciences, Aug 5, 2005

Review of Animal Health Services in India

Indian Journal of Animal Sciences, 1998

Thei'e has been substantial growth in animal health services in India. The number of veterinary l... more Thei'e has been substantial growth in animal health services in India. The number of veterinary livestock units per veterinary institution has declined from 9451 in 1984-85 to 7325 in 1992-93. During the periods the number of veterinary hospitals. polyclinics and dispensaries increased by 26% and the number of veterinary aid centres increased by 23%, Similarly. there has be0.n a substantial increase in rmmpower engaged in animal health services. The number of veterinary Ii ws\ock units per veterinarian declined t)'om 23935 in 1971 to 9359 in 1993, An overwhelming majol'ity of veterinarians is engaged in government sector. However, the number of private practitioners has increased manifolds recently, The incidence and mortality rates due to various diseases have declined significantly and there has been substantial impr~lVemenl in the productivity of livestock. Though animal health sector nas expanded in terms of infraStnlolure and technical expertise. many of the veterinary institutions do not have adequate supplies of preventive and curative inputs because l)fsilol1agc offunds, Ad,;:quate attention needs to be given since a rnaJority of livestock Qwtiers in (ncjia are poor and cm)J1()t atTord high cost of prevention and control of diseases. The future strategy should empha~'ize on aqeqluate supplies ofinplils for prevention and control cif disea$es along with improvement in nutrition and management, as to realize the full prbdll\:tive potential of livestock,

Investigating rainfall trend over India using the wavelet technique

Journal of Water and Climate Change, Nov 4, 2015

In this paper, using the wavelet technique we analysed rainfall behaviour in the country across d... more In this paper, using the wavelet technique we analysed rainfall behaviour in the country across different agro-climatic zones over a century. Findings indicate that at the national level there is no significant trend in rainfall in the long run, but there are pockets of change in the rainfall pattern. There was a significant increase in the rainfall in the arid zone, whereas in the humid, semi-arid tropics and semi-arid temperate zones the trend was downward but insignificant. The behaviour of rainfall was different during this period. Except in the arid zone, we find a similar trend in other zones increasing initially, tapering off in the middle and then declining but with some difference in time intervals. In the arid zone, the behaviour of rainfall had been erratic. In the short run, the direction of change in trend remains the same as in the long run but the change is statistically significant.

Livestock Marketing and Supply Chain Management of Livestock Products

Indian journal of agricultural economics, 2014

Operationalizing the pro-poor potential of livestock: Issues and strategies

Indian Journal of Animal Sciences, 2012

Livestock comprise an important source of income for the poor. The sector contributes about one-f... more Livestock comprise an important source of income for the poor. The sector contributes about one-fourth to the agricultural gross domestic product and has been growing faster than the agricultural sector as a whole. Livestock resources are more equally distributed than land, and are increasingly becoming concentrated among small landholders. These trends imply that growth in livestock sector has a larger potential for poverty reduction. The fast-growing demand for animal food products is an opportunity to harness this pro-poor potential. The productivity of livestock, however, is low, and growth therein has decelerated in recent years. Reversing this would require a technological breakthrough in genetic enhancement, animal health, and feed and nutrition and strengthening of livestock infrastructure, institutions and service delivery system.

Application of Frontier Technologies for Agricultural Development

Indian journal of agricultural economics, 2013

Livestock in different farming systems in India

Environmental value of dung in mixed crop-livestock systems

Indian Journal of Animal Sciences, 2010

Dung is an important byproduct of livestock. It is used as manure, or is converted into dung cake... more Dung is an important byproduct of livestock. It is used as manure, or is converted into dung cakes for use as fuel or mixed with clay for flooring and plastering of mud houses. Apart from these important uses of dung, it also has a great environmental value. Its contributions to environment could be positive as well as negative. From the negative side, methane emission from manure management is a negative environmental externality. The positive externality is the use of dung cake as domestic fuel, which can be seen as a substitution or replacement of the equivalent amount of thermal energy from fuel-wood or fossil-fuel. It is a great saving on fuel-wood by cutting down of standing forests and trees, and another is the saving of land that is required to produce replacement amount of fuel-wood for dung cake. In the present paper we have estimated the quantity of fuel-wood that would be required to replace dung-cake as domestic fuel, and the land area that would be required to produce or supply that amount of fuel-wood. At current feeding rates, India produces over 83 million tonnes of dry dung-cake, which is used annually by the rural households as domestic fuel for cooking and warming. If this amount of dung cake was to be replaced by fuel wood, the country will require producing an additional amount of 23.5 million tonnes of fuel-wood, and the additional land requirement for fuel-wood plantation will be about 2.35 million ha. From the perspective of food production, supposing that under traditional rainfed agriculture food grains yield ranges from 1.5 to 2 tonnes/ha, the land saved would produce 3.5 to 5 million tonnes of foodgrains.

Technology options for sustainable livestock production in India : proceedings of the workshop on documentation, adoption, and impact of livestock technologies in India, ICRISAT-Patancheru, India, 18-19 January 2001

Livestock are an integral part of agriculture in India, and are likely to be the instruments of f... more Livestock are an integral part of agriculture in India, and are likely to be the instruments of future growth and development of the agricultural sector. They generate employment, provide draft power and manure, and earn foreign exchange through exports. Although the per capita consumption of foods of animal origin is low in India, demand has been rising due to the growing human population, sustained growth in per capita incomes, and increasing urbanization. This demanddriven growth, besides improving food and nutritional security, can benefit millions of landless and small landholders who constitute more than 60% of the total rural population and possess about three-fourths of the country's livestock wealth. The issue that needs addressing is how current output trends of 4-5% per annum can be sustained without disturbing the equilibrium between crops and livestock. Improving food supply from animals through higher livestock numbers (as in the past) is now severely constrained due to the feed-fodder deficit and declining per capita land availability. Technological and management options are the only alternatives to accelerate the growth in productivity, which is currently low. A number of livestock technologies are available for field application, but they are yet to gain wide acceptance. This poses several questions for researchers, research administrators, and policy-makers: Is the technology economically feasible and tested on-farm in different farming systems? To what extent have farmers' perceptions and needs been taken into consideration in the design of the technology? Have proper pathways been followed to transfer the technology? The National Centre for Agricultural Economics and Policy Research (NCAP) of ICAR, and ICRISAT's Socioeconomics and Policy Program (SEPP) jointly organized a multidisciplinary workshop (Documentation, Adoption, and Impact of Livestock Technologies) on 18-19 January 2001 to deliberate on such issues, and identify technological, institutional, and policy interventions to improve livestock productivity.

Crop diversification and resilience of agriculture to climatic shocks: Evidence from India

Agricultural Systems, Jul 1, 2019

Indian agriculture is highly vulnerable to climate shocks, such as floods, droughts and heat-stre... more Indian agriculture is highly vulnerable to climate shocks, such as floods, droughts and heat-stress. In this paper, using a dynamic panel-data approach we have assessed the impact of rainfall-deficit and heat-stress on agricultural productivity, and subsequently evaluated effectiveness of crop diversification in mitigating their adverse effects. The findings show that both rainfall-deficit and heat-stress damage agricultural productivity, and the damage increases with increase in their severity. Nevertheless, we find crop diversification as an important ex ante adaptation measure to climatic shocks and its adaptation benefits are more apparent against severe shocks and in the long-run. Our findings reinforce the dynamic role of crop diversification in improving resilience of agricultural production systems to climatic shocks.

Changes in Agriculture of the Green Revolution States: Implications for Agricultural Development

Agricultural Economics Research Review, 1992

This paper examines the changes in the agriculture of green revolution states. The results reveal... more This paper examines the changes in the agriculture of green revolution states. The results revealed that a decrease in the share of agriculture in state domestic product was not accompanied by appropriate fall in the workers in agriculture. Consequently, man-land ratio increased over time, markedly in West U.P. The share of purchased and energy based inputs has increased over the years and formed about 50 per cent of the operational cost. The share of capital in gross value added was substantially higher than that of human labour in the production of wheat, whereas the share of capital and human labour was almost equal in the case of paddy. A sharp decline in the returns to management in the production of wheat calls for developing cost saving technology and reappraisal of price policy.

The prices of perishable food commodities in India: the impact of the lockdown

Agricultural Economics Research Review, 2021

Onions, potatoes, and tomatoes constitute an important component of the Indian diet. The COVID-19... more Onions, potatoes, and tomatoes constitute an important component of the Indian diet. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 forced the government to impose a lockdown from 25 March to 31 May. This paper uses granular data to assess the impact of the lockdown on the daily arrivals and wholesale prices of these commodities at three metropolitan markets. The impact was significant and negative on the quantity traded, and positive on prices, but the heterogeneity across commodities and markets was considerable.

From food security to farmers' prosperity: challenges, prospects and way forward

Indian journal of agricultural economics, 2019

Review on emerging trends in India's livestock economy: Implications for development policy

Indian Journal of Animal Sciences, Oct 5, 2005

Increasing livestock productivity in mi\etl crop-livestock systems in South Asia. lnternatio~~al ... more Increasing livestock productivity in mi\etl crop-livestock systems in South Asia. lnternatio~~al Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics. Patanchrru. India. Ravallion M and Datt G. 1996. How important to lndia'spoor is ihe sectornl domposifiot~ of ecor~omicgro~vth? World Bank Ecor~omi~. Review 10(1).

Structural Breaks in Mean Temperature over Agroclimatic Zones in India

The Scientific World Journal, 2014

Amongst Asian countries India is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change. During t... more Amongst Asian countries India is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change. During the past century, surface temperature in India has shown a significant increasing trend. In this paper, we have investigated behavior of mean monthly temperature during the period 1901-2001 over four agroclimatic zones of India and also tried to detect structural change in the temperature series. A structural break in the series has been observed at the national as well regional levels between 1970 and 1980. An analysis of trends before and after the structural break shows a significant increase in July temperature in the arid zone since 1972.

Linking Smallholder Livestock Producers to Markets: Issues and Approaches*

Indian journal of agricultural economics, 2008

Sustained economic and income growth, a fast-growing urban population, and the increasing integra... more Sustained economic and income growth, a fast-growing urban population, and the increasing integration of global agri-food markets are fuelling rapid growth in demand for animal food products in India. This implies tremendous potential for future growth of livestock sector and significant income opportunities for livestock owners, especially smallholders. Nearly two-thirds of farm households in India are associated with livestock production, and 80 per cent of them are small landholders (≤ 2 ha). Hence, it is argued that growth in livestock sector has more potential to reduce poverty compared to a similar growth in crop sector (Mellor, 2004; Birthal and Taneja, 2006). Smallholders' potential to capitalise from expanding demand for livestock products is, however, ambiguous. Their inability to access markets is one of the major limitations to capture the emerging opportunities. Livestock products are perishable and their marketing requirements are different from non-perishable products. These need to be sold immediately or converted into less perishable forms to avoid post-harvest losses. Individually, a small-scale producer has tiny marketable surplus, and on the other hand local markets are thin and trading in distant urban markets is uneconomical due to high costs of marketing (Birthal et al., 2005; Pingali et al., 2005). Thus, lack of access to markets reduces incentives to participate in markets and results in subsistence rather than market-oriented production systems (Holloway and Ehui, 2002). The increasing dietary diversification and concerns for food safety and quality are causing significant changes in food marketing systems (Jagannathan, 2007; Pingali, 2007). Traditional marketing systems, dominated by ad hoc transactions and intermediaries, are being replaced by coordinated systems, like cooperatives , producers' associations and contract farming. Further, the corporate sector is entering into the food retailing business in a big way, accelerating the process of

SUBJECT III IMPLICATIONS OF CORPORATE ENTRY INTO AGRICULTURAL INPUT AND OUTPUT MARKETS AND ITS IMPACT ON SMALL PRODUCERS AND CONSUMERS Farm-Level Impacts of Vertical Coordination of the Food Supply Chain: Evidence from Contract Farming of Milk in India

Buffer Stock Norms for Foodgrains during Twelfth Five Year Plan

Review on Raising Livestock Productivity in Crop-Livestock Systems in India: Challenges and Implications For Research

Indian Journal of Animal Sciences, Oct 5, 2005

The kvorld's livestock production systems are divided into 3 broad categories, based on the degre... more The kvorld's livestock production systems are divided into 3 broad categories, based on the degree of integration with crops and land-grazing systems, mixed crop-livestock hrming systenls (MCLS) and industrial systems or landless systems (Sere and Stienfield 1996). Historically, at low population densities and land abundant scenario, crop and animal production are extensive/specialized and hence, croplivestock interaction is weak. However, as population density incrr:~ses, there is increasing pressure on cropland, with fallow and pastureland increasingly brought under cultivation. This, in turn, raises farmers' dependence on cropresidues. den~ar~d for manure and animal traction. There is thus n ~~~o v c to\vards crop-livestock interaction, where crops and animals are integrated on the same farms (McIntire er 111. 1992).

Pesticide use in rainfed cotton: Frequency, intensity and determinants

Agricultural Economics Research Review, 2000

Cotton is the single largest pesticide-using crop in India accounting for about half of the total... more Cotton is the single largest pesticide-using crop in India accounting for about half of the total pesticides used in agriculture, though its share in gross cropped area is only 4.5 per cent. This paper examines pest management practices in rainfed cotton using farm level cross-section data from Nanded district of Maharashtra. Average pesticide usage is estimated at 3.2 kg active ingredient per hectare of cotton area. Besides, farmers also use a number of physical and cultural methods directly or indirectly to limit the crop loss. Farmers vary in their attitude towards Insect pest risk and accordingly use pesticides. Risk averse farmers use pesticides excessively and indiscriminately. Findings suggest that improving farmers' existing stock of knowledge of pests and their management practices can help reduce pesticide use substantially.

Small holder dairying in India: experiences and development prospects - a review

Indian Journal of Animal Sciences, Aug 5, 2005

Review of Animal Health Services in India

Indian Journal of Animal Sciences, 1998

Thei'e has been substantial growth in animal health services in India. The number of veterinary l... more Thei'e has been substantial growth in animal health services in India. The number of veterinary livestock units per veterinary institution has declined from 9451 in 1984-85 to 7325 in 1992-93. During the periods the number of veterinary hospitals. polyclinics and dispensaries increased by 26% and the number of veterinary aid centres increased by 23%, Similarly. there has be0.n a substantial increase in rmmpower engaged in animal health services. The number of veterinary Ii ws\ock units per veterinarian declined t)'om 23935 in 1971 to 9359 in 1993, An overwhelming majol'ity of veterinarians is engaged in government sector. However, the number of private practitioners has increased manifolds recently, The incidence and mortality rates due to various diseases have declined significantly and there has been substantial impr~lVemenl in the productivity of livestock. Though animal health sector nas expanded in terms of infraStnlolure and technical expertise. many of the veterinary institutions do not have adequate supplies of preventive and curative inputs because l)fsilol1agc offunds, Ad,;:quate attention needs to be given since a rnaJority of livestock Qwtiers in (ncjia are poor and cm)J1()t atTord high cost of prevention and control of diseases. The future strategy should empha~'ize on aqeqluate supplies ofinplils for prevention and control cif disea$es along with improvement in nutrition and management, as to realize the full prbdll\:tive potential of livestock,

Investigating rainfall trend over India using the wavelet technique

Journal of Water and Climate Change, Nov 4, 2015

In this paper, using the wavelet technique we analysed rainfall behaviour in the country across d... more In this paper, using the wavelet technique we analysed rainfall behaviour in the country across different agro-climatic zones over a century. Findings indicate that at the national level there is no significant trend in rainfall in the long run, but there are pockets of change in the rainfall pattern. There was a significant increase in the rainfall in the arid zone, whereas in the humid, semi-arid tropics and semi-arid temperate zones the trend was downward but insignificant. The behaviour of rainfall was different during this period. Except in the arid zone, we find a similar trend in other zones increasing initially, tapering off in the middle and then declining but with some difference in time intervals. In the arid zone, the behaviour of rainfall had been erratic. In the short run, the direction of change in trend remains the same as in the long run but the change is statistically significant.

Livestock Marketing and Supply Chain Management of Livestock Products

Indian journal of agricultural economics, 2014

Operationalizing the pro-poor potential of livestock: Issues and strategies

Indian Journal of Animal Sciences, 2012

Livestock comprise an important source of income for the poor. The sector contributes about one-f... more Livestock comprise an important source of income for the poor. The sector contributes about one-fourth to the agricultural gross domestic product and has been growing faster than the agricultural sector as a whole. Livestock resources are more equally distributed than land, and are increasingly becoming concentrated among small landholders. These trends imply that growth in livestock sector has a larger potential for poverty reduction. The fast-growing demand for animal food products is an opportunity to harness this pro-poor potential. The productivity of livestock, however, is low, and growth therein has decelerated in recent years. Reversing this would require a technological breakthrough in genetic enhancement, animal health, and feed and nutrition and strengthening of livestock infrastructure, institutions and service delivery system.

Application of Frontier Technologies for Agricultural Development

Indian journal of agricultural economics, 2013

Livestock in different farming systems in India

Environmental value of dung in mixed crop-livestock systems

Indian Journal of Animal Sciences, 2010

Dung is an important byproduct of livestock. It is used as manure, or is converted into dung cake... more Dung is an important byproduct of livestock. It is used as manure, or is converted into dung cakes for use as fuel or mixed with clay for flooring and plastering of mud houses. Apart from these important uses of dung, it also has a great environmental value. Its contributions to environment could be positive as well as negative. From the negative side, methane emission from manure management is a negative environmental externality. The positive externality is the use of dung cake as domestic fuel, which can be seen as a substitution or replacement of the equivalent amount of thermal energy from fuel-wood or fossil-fuel. It is a great saving on fuel-wood by cutting down of standing forests and trees, and another is the saving of land that is required to produce replacement amount of fuel-wood for dung cake. In the present paper we have estimated the quantity of fuel-wood that would be required to replace dung-cake as domestic fuel, and the land area that would be required to produce or supply that amount of fuel-wood. At current feeding rates, India produces over 83 million tonnes of dry dung-cake, which is used annually by the rural households as domestic fuel for cooking and warming. If this amount of dung cake was to be replaced by fuel wood, the country will require producing an additional amount of 23.5 million tonnes of fuel-wood, and the additional land requirement for fuel-wood plantation will be about 2.35 million ha. From the perspective of food production, supposing that under traditional rainfed agriculture food grains yield ranges from 1.5 to 2 tonnes/ha, the land saved would produce 3.5 to 5 million tonnes of foodgrains.

Technology options for sustainable livestock production in India : proceedings of the workshop on documentation, adoption, and impact of livestock technologies in India, ICRISAT-Patancheru, India, 18-19 January 2001

Livestock are an integral part of agriculture in India, and are likely to be the instruments of f... more Livestock are an integral part of agriculture in India, and are likely to be the instruments of future growth and development of the agricultural sector. They generate employment, provide draft power and manure, and earn foreign exchange through exports. Although the per capita consumption of foods of animal origin is low in India, demand has been rising due to the growing human population, sustained growth in per capita incomes, and increasing urbanization. This demanddriven growth, besides improving food and nutritional security, can benefit millions of landless and small landholders who constitute more than 60% of the total rural population and possess about three-fourths of the country's livestock wealth. The issue that needs addressing is how current output trends of 4-5% per annum can be sustained without disturbing the equilibrium between crops and livestock. Improving food supply from animals through higher livestock numbers (as in the past) is now severely constrained due to the feed-fodder deficit and declining per capita land availability. Technological and management options are the only alternatives to accelerate the growth in productivity, which is currently low. A number of livestock technologies are available for field application, but they are yet to gain wide acceptance. This poses several questions for researchers, research administrators, and policy-makers: Is the technology economically feasible and tested on-farm in different farming systems? To what extent have farmers' perceptions and needs been taken into consideration in the design of the technology? Have proper pathways been followed to transfer the technology? The National Centre for Agricultural Economics and Policy Research (NCAP) of ICAR, and ICRISAT's Socioeconomics and Policy Program (SEPP) jointly organized a multidisciplinary workshop (Documentation, Adoption, and Impact of Livestock Technologies) on 18-19 January 2001 to deliberate on such issues, and identify technological, institutional, and policy interventions to improve livestock productivity.

Crop diversification and resilience of agriculture to climatic shocks: Evidence from India

Agricultural Systems, Jul 1, 2019

Indian agriculture is highly vulnerable to climate shocks, such as floods, droughts and heat-stre... more Indian agriculture is highly vulnerable to climate shocks, such as floods, droughts and heat-stress. In this paper, using a dynamic panel-data approach we have assessed the impact of rainfall-deficit and heat-stress on agricultural productivity, and subsequently evaluated effectiveness of crop diversification in mitigating their adverse effects. The findings show that both rainfall-deficit and heat-stress damage agricultural productivity, and the damage increases with increase in their severity. Nevertheless, we find crop diversification as an important ex ante adaptation measure to climatic shocks and its adaptation benefits are more apparent against severe shocks and in the long-run. Our findings reinforce the dynamic role of crop diversification in improving resilience of agricultural production systems to climatic shocks.

Changes in Agriculture of the Green Revolution States: Implications for Agricultural Development

Agricultural Economics Research Review, 1992

This paper examines the changes in the agriculture of green revolution states. The results reveal... more This paper examines the changes in the agriculture of green revolution states. The results revealed that a decrease in the share of agriculture in state domestic product was not accompanied by appropriate fall in the workers in agriculture. Consequently, man-land ratio increased over time, markedly in West U.P. The share of purchased and energy based inputs has increased over the years and formed about 50 per cent of the operational cost. The share of capital in gross value added was substantially higher than that of human labour in the production of wheat, whereas the share of capital and human labour was almost equal in the case of paddy. A sharp decline in the returns to management in the production of wheat calls for developing cost saving technology and reappraisal of price policy.

The prices of perishable food commodities in India: the impact of the lockdown

Agricultural Economics Research Review, 2021

Onions, potatoes, and tomatoes constitute an important component of the Indian diet. The COVID-19... more Onions, potatoes, and tomatoes constitute an important component of the Indian diet. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 forced the government to impose a lockdown from 25 March to 31 May. This paper uses granular data to assess the impact of the lockdown on the daily arrivals and wholesale prices of these commodities at three metropolitan markets. The impact was significant and negative on the quantity traded, and positive on prices, but the heterogeneity across commodities and markets was considerable.

From food security to farmers' prosperity: challenges, prospects and way forward

Indian journal of agricultural economics, 2019

Review on emerging trends in India's livestock economy: Implications for development policy

Indian Journal of Animal Sciences, Oct 5, 2005

Increasing livestock productivity in mi\etl crop-livestock systems in South Asia. lnternatio~~al ... more Increasing livestock productivity in mi\etl crop-livestock systems in South Asia. lnternatio~~al Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics. Patanchrru. India. Ravallion M and Datt G. 1996. How important to lndia'spoor is ihe sectornl domposifiot~ of ecor~omicgro~vth? World Bank Ecor~omi~. Review 10(1).

Structural Breaks in Mean Temperature over Agroclimatic Zones in India

The Scientific World Journal, 2014

Amongst Asian countries India is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change. During t... more Amongst Asian countries India is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change. During the past century, surface temperature in India has shown a significant increasing trend. In this paper, we have investigated behavior of mean monthly temperature during the period 1901-2001 over four agroclimatic zones of India and also tried to detect structural change in the temperature series. A structural break in the series has been observed at the national as well regional levels between 1970 and 1980. An analysis of trends before and after the structural break shows a significant increase in July temperature in the arid zone since 1972.

Linking Smallholder Livestock Producers to Markets: Issues and Approaches*

Indian journal of agricultural economics, 2008

Sustained economic and income growth, a fast-growing urban population, and the increasing integra... more Sustained economic and income growth, a fast-growing urban population, and the increasing integration of global agri-food markets are fuelling rapid growth in demand for animal food products in India. This implies tremendous potential for future growth of livestock sector and significant income opportunities for livestock owners, especially smallholders. Nearly two-thirds of farm households in India are associated with livestock production, and 80 per cent of them are small landholders (≤ 2 ha). Hence, it is argued that growth in livestock sector has more potential to reduce poverty compared to a similar growth in crop sector (Mellor, 2004; Birthal and Taneja, 2006). Smallholders' potential to capitalise from expanding demand for livestock products is, however, ambiguous. Their inability to access markets is one of the major limitations to capture the emerging opportunities. Livestock products are perishable and their marketing requirements are different from non-perishable products. These need to be sold immediately or converted into less perishable forms to avoid post-harvest losses. Individually, a small-scale producer has tiny marketable surplus, and on the other hand local markets are thin and trading in distant urban markets is uneconomical due to high costs of marketing (Birthal et al., 2005; Pingali et al., 2005). Thus, lack of access to markets reduces incentives to participate in markets and results in subsistence rather than market-oriented production systems (Holloway and Ehui, 2002). The increasing dietary diversification and concerns for food safety and quality are causing significant changes in food marketing systems (Jagannathan, 2007; Pingali, 2007). Traditional marketing systems, dominated by ad hoc transactions and intermediaries, are being replaced by coordinated systems, like cooperatives , producers' associations and contract farming. Further, the corporate sector is entering into the food retailing business in a big way, accelerating the process of

SUBJECT III IMPLICATIONS OF CORPORATE ENTRY INTO AGRICULTURAL INPUT AND OUTPUT MARKETS AND ITS IMPACT ON SMALL PRODUCERS AND CONSUMERS Farm-Level Impacts of Vertical Coordination of the Food Supply Chain: Evidence from Contract Farming of Milk in India

Buffer Stock Norms for Foodgrains during Twelfth Five Year Plan