An Economic Analysis of Modern Rice Production Technology and its Adoption Behaviour in Tamil Nadu

Rice is the staple food in Tamil Nadu and is grown in an area of 2.6 Mha with a production of 8.19 Mt and productivity of 3.2 t/ha. In the context of high water demand by rice farmers, any strategy that would produce higher rice yield with less water is the need of the day. One such system is “System of Rice Intensification†(SRI), which was developed by Fr. Henri de Laulanie in Madagascar in 1980. The general objective of the study is to find the economics and the farmer’s adoption behaviour of the system of rice intensification. The study has revealed that the per hectare cost of cultivation is about 10 per cent lower in SRI than the conventional method. The logit framework has indicated that age, farm size, income of the farm, number of earners in the family and number of contacts with extension agencies are positive and highly influence the adoption behaviour of the farmers. Lack of skilled labour, awareness, training on new technology and experience have been opined as the main problems in adoption of this technology by the farmers. To sum-up, farmers have been vastly benefited by SRI technology and it has helped them in their socio-economic upliftment. The adoption of SRI technique has helped increase the rice production without increasing the area under its cultivation and has proved to serve as an alternative method for rice cultivation.Agricultural and Food Policy,

An Economic Analysis of Modern Rice Production Technology and its Adoption Behaviour in Tamil Nadu

Rice is the staple food in Tamil Nadu and is grown in an area of 2.6 Mha with a production of 8.19 Mt and productivity of 3.2 t/ha. In the context of high water demand by rice farmers, any strategy that would produce higher rice yield with less water is the need of the day. One such system is “System of Rice Intensification” (SRI), which was developed by Fr. Henri de Laulanie in Madagascar in 1980. The general objective of the study is to find the economics and the farmer’s adoption behaviour of the system of rice intensification. The study has revealed that the per hectare cost of cultivation is about 10 per cent lower in SRI than the conventional method. The logit framework has indicated that age, farm size, income of the farm, number of earners in the family and number of contacts with extension agencies are positive and highly influence the adoption behaviour of the farmers. Lack of skilled labour, awareness, training on new technology and experience have been opined as the main problems in adoption of this technology by the farmers. To sum-up, farmers have been vastly benefited by SRI technology and it has helped them in their socio-economic upliftment. The adoption of SRI technique has helped increase the rice production without increasing the area under its cultivation and has proved to serve as an alternative method for rice cultivation

Bayesian inference and forecasts with full range autoregressive time series models

EnThis paper describes the Bayesian inference and forecasting as applied to the full range autoregressive (FRAR) model. The FRAR model provides an acceptable alternative to the existing methodology. The main advantage associated with the new method is that one is completely avoiding the problem of order determination of the model as in the existing methods

Bayesian inference and forecasts with full range autoregressive time series models.

This paper describes the Bayesian inference and forecasting as applied to the full range autoregressive (FRAR) model. The FRAR model provides an acceptable alternative to the existing methodology. The main advantage associated with the new method is that one is completely avoiding the problem of order determination of the model as in the existing methods

Labour Scarcity – Its Immensity and Impact on Agriculture

The labour scarcity being felt as a major impediment in agriculture, this study has probed into its magnitude, impacts, causes and possible solutions in the Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu. The study has revealed that prevalence of acute labour scarcity in the district has affected the productivity levels of almost all crops and is even leading towards the permanent changes in the cropping pattern. The important reasons identified for the labour scarcity include higher wages in other locally-available jobs, seasonal nature of agricultural jobs and presumption of an agricultural job to be of low esteem. The level of adoption of labour-saving implements and technologies by the farmers is very low for the reasons of higher cost, lack of skill and smaller size of holdings. The study has suggested that agricultural extension system of the district / state / country should be geared-up, to bring out farmers from the conventional methods of cultivation and to educate them on adoption of labour-saving implements and technologies. Also, a community level approach should be encouraged among farmers for adopting / availing highly expensive labour-saving technologies and implements cooperatively. In addition, agricultural jobs should be made more remunerative by increasing the wages at least at par with other jobs available locally

Bacteriological profile and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of pyoderma in a tertiary care hospital

Background: Pyoderma is a common dermatological disorder mainly affecting children but can also affect adults. Its prevalence,causative organism, and antibiotic sensitivity pattern may vary from place to place. Therefore, clinical and bacteriological profileof pyoderma in tertiary care hospital of North India was studied. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted from pussamples obtained in the microbiology department over 1 year from patients attending the dermatology outpatient department/inpatient department seeking treatment for pyoderma. Pus swabs were cultured and organisms were identified, and their sensitivitywas tested according to the standard laboratory methods. Results: Out of 100 cases diagnosed with pyoderma, males (61%)outnumbered females (39%). 72% of the cases were diagnosed with primary pyoderma while 28% with secondary pyoderma. 54%of the total samples received were infected with Staphylococcus aureus. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus was isolated in 7.4% ofthe all S. aureus isolates obtained. Gram-negative bacilli were detected in 16% of total samples with predominance of Klebsiellapneumoniae (6%). 8% of the samples yielded sterile culture. None of the isolates were ESBL producers. Conclusion: The studygives an indication of changing trends of antibiotic susceptibility patterns in the pathogenic isolates obtained from pyodermaswhich in turn prevents the development of multidrug resistance