Tribal farmers' perceived constraints in the adoption of good dairy farming practices in the northern hills zone of Chhattisgarh, India

This study was carried out during the year 2014-15 to explore the perceived constraints encountered by the tribal dairy farmers in the successful adoption of Good Dairy Farming Practices (GDFPs). Out of 27 districts in Chhattisgarh, three tribal populated districts were selected for this study from northern hills zone of the state and totally 300 respondents were selected for constraints analysis. The study revealed that 55.33 % of the tribal farmers realised that insufficient knowledge and awareness towards good dairy farming practices is the major constraints in the adoption process, majority (70.00 %) of the tribal farmers perceived that lack of progeny tested superior bulls for AI and natural service are the main constraint in the adoption of good breeding practices, about (75.70 %) of the tribal farmers expressed the higher cost of concentrates, mineral mixtures and vitamin supplements are the main constraints in the adoption of good feeding practices, majority (70.70 %) of the tribal farmers responded that less number of veterinary hospitals in their locality is the main constraints and its ranks first in the healthcare constraints list, little less than three-fourths (67.67 %) of the tribal farmers articulated that lack of advanced farm machineries (portable milking unit) for small dairy holders is the main constraints in the adoption of good management practices and about three-fourths (75.30 %) of the tribal farmers conveyed that the lack of insurance for longer period is the main constraints and tops in the socio-economic constraints. This constraints study will be highly useful to policy makers and the scientific community to assess the dairy production technologies for refinement and appropriate strategies can be formulated to promote tribal dairying from subsistence level to intensive in order to increase the income from dairy sector

Eco-friendly fishing methods and techniques practiced in the northern hills zone of Chhattisgarh state, India

Indian forests have the potential to safeguard the livelihood of forest dwelling people, particularly tribal people, who are among the most disadvantaged groups in our society. Tribal people generally depend on forests for their cultural, spiritual, and to varying degree of economic needs. Fishing is one of the important livelihood activities of the tribal community since the time immortal. Fishing provides the source of livelihood as well as nutritional security to the tribal family significantly. An explorative study was conducted in participatory mode to explore the eco-friendly fishing methods. Totally, 300 respondents were selected for this study. The data was documented with the help of participatory observation, focused group discussions with triangulation procedures. In the paper, eco-friendly fishing methods such as Kumani, Pahata, Mora, Donga, Pelna, Choppa, Mora, Gulel, Bhawarjal, Ditori, Beetaah, Chiwaar, Baahla and Jholna and their working procedures are discussed. Jholna used to catch small and medium sized fishes upto 5-7 kg/day. The production cost of this choppa is less than Rs. 250 and it is used to catch small sized fishes up to 1.5-2.5kg/day. Kumani is used to catch small sized fishes and crabs upto 1-2 kg/day. The making cost of Pelna is around Rs. 650 and it is used to catch fishes upto 6-7 kg/day. The construction cost of Pahata gear is around Rs. 2000 and It is used to catch medium to big sized fishes upto 8-10kg/day

An exploratory study on cultural and health significance of traditional tattooing practices among tribal community in Chhattisgarh state, India

This explorative study carried out from four districts of Chhattisgarh state namely Surajpur, Surguja, Balrampur and Jashpur. From each district, four villages were selected and from each village 25 tribal respondents were selected thus 300 respondents were selected for this study. About 65.33 percent of the tribal were between 36and 50 years of age group, more than one fourth (34.67%) of the farmers were educated up to primary school level, about half (49.00 %) of the respondents were at the income range of Rs. 25,001 to Rs. 75,000 and about 80% of the population of the state is rural and the main livelihood of the villagers is agriculture and agriculture-based small industry. Tattooing is one of the livelihood option for the tribal community in the study area. Tattooing has been practiced across the world since at least Neolithic times (7000 BCE), as confirmed by mummified preserved skin, prehistoric art, literatures, poetry, proverbs and the archaeological records. In Southern India, permanent tattoos are called pachakutharathu. In northern India, permanent tattoos are called Godna. Tattoos have been used as cultural symbols among many tribal populations, as well as the caste-based Hindu population of India. These tattoos have also been used as integral part of the tribal’s lifestyle Chhattisgarh state of India

Studies on feasibility of sustainable quality seed potato production technology and development of supply chain for the benefit of small and marginal potato growers of Karnataka

Management of aphid vectors in potato is important for the production of quality seed potato. Aphids are the major vectors of many potato viruses which transmit viral diseases limiting the seed potato production. To explore the area with aphid free/low population a weekly aphid observation was made in major potato growing areas of Chikkaballapur and Chickmagalur districts during rabiand kharif seasons to assess the build-up trends on the standing crop using aphid-leaf count and catches of yellow water pan and yellow sticky traps. Aphid population was below threshold level in the areas surveyed, however in Chickmagalur aphid build-up was erratic due to heavy rain fall followed by dry spells. Harvested potato in Chikkaballapur was treated and stored in cold storage for three months. During June, 50 per cent of the seed stock was transported to Chickmagalur area for planting in kharif season and remaining seed was used for planting in Chikkaballapur area during rabi season. In Chickmagalur, the harvested and treated seed was stored in low cost country potato store for three months and 50 per cent seed from warehouse was transported to Chikkaballapur for rabi planting and remaining seed was planted in Chickmagalur area during November thereby saving nearly 40 per cent of seed cost. Thus, the feasibility supply chain has been established making the local potato growers self-sustainable in quality seed potato production resulting in 30-40 percent seed requirement met locally produced quality seed and non-traditional areas will be brought under potato cultivation. The breeder seed was multiplied under low cost insect proof net houses during rabi season in Chikkaballapur area, harvested seed was stored in cold storage thereafter distributed among the local potato growers for planting during kharif season in Chickmagalur area

Socio-Economic Profiling of Tribal Dairy Farmers in Northern Hills Zone of Chhattisgarh

Chhattisgarh is traditionally known as the Rice Bowl of Central India. Chhattisgarh state has one of highest shares of Scheduled Tribe (ST) population within a state, accounting for about 10 per cent of the STs in India. Scheduled Castes and STs together constitute more than 50 per cent of the state’s population. Agriculture is counted as the chief economic occupation of the state. About 80% of the population of the state is rural and the main livelihood of the villagers is agriculture and agriculture-based small industry. This exploratory study was conducted in the tribal populated districts of Chhattisgarh state. In this paper, socio-economic profile of tribal farmers are discussed in detail. About 65.33 percent of the tribal farmers were between 36 and 50 years of age group, more than one fourth (34.67%) of the farmers were educated up to primary school level, less than half  (39.00%) of the respondents had subsistence dairy farming + Minor forest products collection + labour as their sole occupations, nearly half (43.67%) of the respondents were marginal farmers, more than half (62.00 %) of the farmers were found with medium level of farming experience, about half (49.00 %) of the respondents were at the income range of Rs. 25,001 to Rs. 75,000, about half (44.67 %) of the respondents falling under the category of medium herd size followed by 35.67 percent in small and 19.66 percent in large herd size, more than half (56.33%) of the tribal dairy farmers falling under the category of subsistence level of dairy production system

Low cost potato warehouse facility for Karnataka: A success story

Karnataka is one of the important potato growing states in peninsular India. Potato is mainly cultivated in Hassan, Belgaum, Chikkaballapur, Chickmagalur, Kolar, Bangalore Rural and Dharwad districts. It is grown as rain-fed kharif crop in Hassan, Belgaum, Chickmagalur and Dharwad districts and as rabi crop in Chickmagalur, Chikkaballapur, Kolar and Bangalore Rural districts under protective irrigation. Due to non-availability of quality planting material to Karnataka farmers, potato productivity is limited. Seed imported from North India (Punjab) is very expensive and incur about 50% of total production cost and small and marginal farmers cannot afford to procure quality seed every year as no certified seed is being produced locally. International Potato Center (CIP) has recommended an innovative low cost ware house facility as a model during 2014 and 2016 to retain farmers’ seed for subsequent planting seasons saving their seed input cost by 40%

Subclinical Atherosclerosis in Young, Socioeconomically Vulnerable Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Black Adults.

BACKGROUND Non-Hispanic Black persons are at greater risk of cardiovascular (CV) events than other racial/ethnic groups; however, their differential vulnerability to early subclinical atherosclerosis is poorly understood. OBJECTIVES This work aims to study the impact of race/ethnicity on early subclinical atherosclerosis in young socioeconomically disadvantaged adults. METHODS Bilateral carotid and femoral 3-dimensional vascular ultrasound examinations were performed on 436 adults (parents/caregivers and staff) with a mean age of 38.0 ± 11.1 years, 82.3% female, 66% self-reported as Hispanic, 34% self-reported as non-Hispanic Black, and no history of CV disease recruited in the FAMILIA (Family-Based Approach in a Minority Community Integrating Systems-Biology for Promotion of Health) trial from 15 Head Start preschools in Harlem (neighborhood in New York, New York, USA). The 10-year Framingham CV risk score was calculated, and the relationship between race/ethnicity and the presence and extent of subclinical atherosclerosis was analyzed with multivariable logistic and linear regression models. RESULTS The mean 10-year Framingham CV risk was 4.0%, with no differences by racial/ethnic category. The overall prevalence of subclinical atherosclerosis was significantly higher in the non-Hispanic Black (12.9%) than in the Hispanic subpopulation (6.6%). After adjusting for 10-year Framingham CV risk score, body mass index, fruit and vegetable consumption, physical activity, and employment status, non-Hispanic Black individuals were more likely than Hispanic individuals to have subclinical atherosclerosis (OR: 3.45; 95% CI: 1.44-8.29; P = 0.006) and multiterritorial disease (P = 0.026). CONCLUSIONS After adjustment for classic CV risk, lifestyle, and socioeconomic factors, non-Hispanic Black younger adults seem more vulnerable to early subclinical atherosclerosis than their Hispanic peers, suggesting that the existence of emerging or undiscovered CV factors underlying the residual excess risk (Family-Based Approach in a Minority Community Integrating Systems-Biology for Promotion of Health [FAMILIA (Project 2)]; NCT02481401).This study was funded by the American Heart Association under grant No 14SFRN20490315 and the Stephen Gellman Children’s Outreach Program. Dr Fernandez-Jimenez is recipient of grant PI19/01704 funded by the Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria- Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) and co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund/European Social Fund "A way to make Europe"/"Investing in your future." Dr Santos-Beneit is recipient of grant LCF/PR/MS19/ 12220001 funded by “la Caixa” Foundation (ID 100010434). The CNIC is supported by the ISCIII, the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MCIN) and the Pro CNIC Foundation, and is a Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence (grant CEX2020-001041-S funded by MICIN/AEI/10.13039/ 501100011033). All other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose.S

Qualitative model of potato seed systems: A proposal to converge seed-related biophysical and socioeconomic factors.

One of the most important constraints to potato production in developing countries is the lack of quality planting material to be used by farmers, either coming from the formal or from farmer-based seed systems. A number of projects have been implemented to improve farmers' access to quality planting material in different countries. However, these experiences have not been documented in a comparative or parallel way in order to understand the factors that influence success or failure and to extract lessons and guidelines that can support decision-making for future investments. This paper presents a proposal for modeling potato seed systems by identifying the key factors that influence the use of quality seed by farmers, which includes three main types of factors, namely 1) the biophysical factors related to seed degeneration and seed availability, both influenced by the presence of biotic (viruses, bacterial wilt, and other diseases, or pest such as potato tuber moth), and abiotic constraints (frosts or draughts that represent shocks that could threaten seed availability); 2) management factors, including farmers' own seed management practices and also the seed multiplication technologies used by the private or public sector in charge of seed supply, this influenced in turn by the existing regulatory frameworks; 3) demand and market related factors, which includes farmers' willingness to pay for quality seed, influenced by their perception about the added value of seed quality, the market demand for specific varieties, and the profitability of potato cultivation as a business. The proposed seed model aims at highlighting key factors that should be documented, analyzed and taken into account when planning seed potato intervention

Genome-wide association meta-analysis of spontaneous coronary artery dissection identifies risk variants and genes related to artery integrity and tissue-mediated coagulation

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is an understudied cause of myocardial infarction primarily affecting women. It is not known to what extent SCAD is genetically distinct from other cardiovascular diseases, including atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (CAD). Here we present a genome-wide association meta-analysis (1,917 cases and 9,292 controls) identifying 16 risk loci for SCAD. Integrative functional annotations prioritized genes that are likely to be regulated in vascular smooth muscle cells and artery fibroblasts and implicated in extracellular matrix biology. One locus containing the tissue factor gene F3, which is involved in blood coagulation cascade initiation, appears to be specific for SCAD risk. Several associated variants have diametrically opposite associations with CAD, suggesting that shared biological processes contribute to both diseases, but through different mechanisms. We also infer a causal role for high blood pressure in SCAD. Our findings provide novel pathophysiological insights involving arterial integrity and tissue-mediated coagulation in SCAD and set the stage for future specific therapeutics and preventions

Association of the PHACTR1/EDN1 genetic locus with spontaneous coronary artery dissection

Background: Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is an increasingly recognized cause of acute coronary syndromes (ACS) afflicting predominantly younger to middle-aged women. Observational studies have reported a high prevalence of extracoronary vascular anomalies, especially fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) and a low prevalence of coincidental cases of atherosclerosis. PHACTR1/EDN1 is a genetic risk locus for several vascular diseases, including FMD and coronary artery disease, with the putative causal noncoding variant at the rs9349379 locus acting as a potential enhancer for the endothelin-1 (EDN1) gene. Objectives: This study sought to test the association between the rs9349379 genotype and SCAD. Methods: Results from case control studies from France, United Kingdom, United States, and Australia were analyzed to test the association with SCAD risk, including age at first event, pregnancy-associated SCAD (P-SCAD), and recurrent SCAD. Results: The previously reported risk allele for FMD (rs9349379-A) was associated with a higher risk of SCAD in all studies. In a meta-analysis of 1,055 SCAD patients and 7,190 controls, the odds ratio (OR) was 1.67 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.50 to 1.86) per copy of rs9349379-A. In a subset of 491 SCAD patients, the OR estimate was found to be higher for the association with SCAD in patients without FMD (OR: 1.89; 95% CI: 1.53 to 2.33) than in SCAD cases with FMD (OR: 1.60; 95% CI: 1.28 to 1.99). There was no effect of genotype on age at first event, P-SCAD, or recurrence. Conclusions: The first genetic risk factor for SCAD was identified in the largest study conducted to date for this condition. This genetic link may contribute to the clinical overlap between SCAD and FMD