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Not AvailableIncreased edible oil demand in the country propel to probe the production constraints in oilseeds cultivation. Andhra Pradesh is one of the major states in India in terms of area and production of important oilseed crops. Present study investigates the production constraints faced by the farmers in groundnut, sesame and sunflower cultivation in the state. Stratified multistage random sampling technique was adopted for the sample design encompassing the sample size of 440 oilseed farmers. Sampled farmers were personally interviewed with the help of pre-tested schedules. Garrett’s ranking technique was used to rank the intensity indicated by the respondents among different constraints. To conclude, factors viz., the lower spread of suitable high yielding varieties/hybrids, moisture stress, high costs of production; untimely availability of inputs; low and fluctuating prices were found to be some of the key production constraints confronted at the farm level for the cultivation of all the three important oilseed crops in the state.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableThe present paper explores the performance of total oilseeds in India, using times series data, collected from 1949-50 to 2014-15. Nine annual oilseeds, which include seven edible oilseeds, viz., groundnut, rapeseed-mustard, soybean, sunflower, sesame, safflower and niger along with two non-edible crops, viz., castor and linseed are grown in the country, constitutes total oilseeds in the study. The total period from 1949-50 to 2014-15 was divided into four sub-periods i.e. period I, II, III and IV. An attempt was made to analyze the trends, Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR), decomposition analysis, instability analysis in the area, production, yield of total oilseeds. After analysis of the performance of oilseeds, it was concluded that there was a noteworthy performance in yield aspect of total oilseeds at the national level. Though there was an upward and significant growth in terms of the area, production and yield of total oilseeds over the study period, it was sluggish. There exists a gap between domestic demand and supply of oilseeds, which obligates us to import edible oils. The government has to implicate technological breakthroughs and enhance the productivity of oilseeds to offset the gap between production and consumption of oilseeds.Not Availabl

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Ecological and socio-economic functions across tropical land use systems after rainforest conversion

Tropical lowland rainforests are increasingly threatened by the expansion of agriculture and the extraction of natural resources. In Jambi Province, Indonesia, the interdisciplinary EFForTS project focuses on the ecological and socio-economic dimensions of rainforest conversion to jungle rubber agroforests and monoculture plantations of rubber and oil palm. Our data confirm that rainforest transformation and land use intensification lead to substantial losses in biodiversity and related ecosystem functions, such as decreased above-and below-ground carbon stocks. Owing to rapid step-wise transformation from forests to agroforests to monoculture plantations and renewal of each plantation type every few decades, the converted land use systems are continuously dynamic, thus hampering the adaptation of animal and plant communities. On the other hand, agricultural rainforest transformation systems provide increased income and access to education, especially for migrant smallholders. Jungle rubber and rubber monocultures are associated with higher financial land productivity but lower financial labour productivity compared to oil palm, which influences crop choice: smallholders that are labour-scarce would prefer oil palm while land-scarce smallholders would prefer rubber. Collecting long-term data in an interdisciplinary context enables us to provide decision-makers and stakeholders with scientific insights to facilitate the reconciliation between economic interests and ecological sustainability in tropical agricultural landscapes.8 page(s

Land-use choices follow profitability at the expense of ecological functions in Indonesian smallholder landscapes

Smallholder-dominated agricultural mosaic landscapes are highlighted as model production systems that deliver both economic and ecological goods in tropical agricultural landscapes, but trade-offs underlying current land-use dynamics are poorly known. Here, using the most comprehensive quantification of land-use change and associated bundles of ecosystem functions, services and economic benefits to date, we show that Indonesian smallholders predominantly choose farm portfolios with high economic productivity but low ecological value. The more profitable oil palm and rubber monocultures replace forests and agroforests critical for maintaining above- and below-ground ecological functions and the diversity of most taxa. Between the monocultures, the higher economic performance of oil palm over rubber comes with the reliance on fertilizer inputs and with increased nutrient leaching losses. Strategies to achieve an ecological-economic balance and a sustainable management of tropical smallholder landscapes must be prioritized to avoid further environmental degradation.12 page(s