Scaling Success: Lessons from Adaptation Pilots in the Rainfed Regions of India

"Scaling Success" examines how agricultural communities are adapting to the challenges posed by climate change through the lens of India's rainfed agriculture regions. Rainfed agriculture currently occupies 58 percent of India's cultivated land and accounts for up to 40 percent of its total food production. However, these regions face potential production losses of more than $200 billion USD in rice, wheat, and maize by 2050 due to the effects of climate change. Unless action is taken soon at a large scale, farmers will see sharp decreases in revenue and yields.Rainfed regions across the globe have been an important focus for the first generation of adaptation projects, but to date, few have achieved a scale that can be truly transformational. Drawing on lessons learnt from 21 case studies of rainfed agriculture interventions, the report provides guidance on how to design, fund and support adaptation projects that can achieve scale

COMPARATIVE TREND ANALYSIS IN COST OF PADDY CULTIVATION AND PROFITABILITY ACROSS THREE STATES OF INDIA

Agriculture has seen tremendous changes in the past century, with agricultural research investments paving the way for productivity gains leading to reduction in production costs and capacity to carter larger population. The contribution of agriculture to the GDP is on the decline and so does profitability. Farmer suicides were not a common phenomenon in India before 1990, but more than two lakh farmers committed suicides between 1990 and 2010. The underlying causes for failure in agriculture could be many including climate change, reduction in profitability and fragmentation of land. This article explores the trends in the cost of cultivation of paddy and its profitability in three Indian states of Kerala, Odisha and Tamil Nadu during the period 1999-2011. It is observed that the factors like hired machine and human labor, fertilizer, are all growing in varying proportions leading to an increase in the cost of cultivation. In the years showing profits, Profitability seemed to be averaging around ten percent and while in most of the years loss was reported. Over the years, the increase in cost of cultivation seems to be stable in contrast with the increase in value of paddy produced by farmers. The APM project has appropriately addressed issues of increasing cost of manures through introduction of vermicomposting. Other appropriate techniques and technologies have also been demonstrated for increased profitability. Efforts need to be taken to create an enabling environment to ensure a commensurate income to farmers for a dignified life

Cortical auditory evoked potentials and hemispheric specialization of speech in individuals with learning disability and healthy controls: A preliminary study [version 1; peer review: 1 approved, 2 approved with reservations]

Background: Dichotic listening (DL) technique is a behavioral non-invasive tool which is used in studying hemispheric lateralization. Previous studies using behavioral DL have hypothesized that individuals with learning disabilities (LD) exhibit a lack of cortical specialization for processing speech stimulus. However, there is no event related potential (ERP) evidence, hence the main objective of the study is to explore hemispheric asymmetry using cortical auditory evoked potential (CAEPs) in normal hearing adults and also to compare the same in children with LD and healthy controls. Methods: CAEPs were recorded in 16 normal hearing young adults, eight right-handed children with LD and their age matched controls. Two stop constants (/Pa/ – voiceless, bilabial, stop: /Ta/ - voiceless, alveolar, stop) were chosen for this experiment and presented in each ear and dichotically in two different orders (/pa-ta/, /ta-pa/). ERPs were processed using a standard pipeline, and electrodes readings over the left and right hemispheres were averaged to create left and right regions of interest (ROI). The CAEPs were analyzed for mean amplitude and peak latency of P1-N1-P2 components. Results: The current study results suggest no statistically significant difference between the two stimulus in monaural condition and absence of order effect in dichotic condition. In healthy controls the CAEP latencies were shorter over the left hemisphere in both monaural and dichotic conditions in adults and control children. However, it was very evident that such a difference was lacking in children with LD. Conclusions: Hemispheric asymmetry can be detected using CAEPs for speech stimulus. The measures are consistent and void of stimulus or order effect. Taken together, the findings of current study, both monaural and dichotic condition illustrates the hemispheric differences in processing speech stimuli in normal hearers. Absence of latency differences between hemispheres in children with LD indicate a lack of hemispheric asymmetry

ASSESSMENT OF FOOD AND NUTRIENT INTAKE OF COMMUNITIES ACROSS THREE AGRO-BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOTS IN INDIA

Balanced and adequate nutrition is important in improving the health of the community in general and of vulnerable groups in particular. Assessment of the nutritional status of a community is important for development of implementation strategies and suitable policies. Dietary assessment indicates whether intake of macro and micro nutrient are adequate. Anthropometric measurements and comparisons of nutrient intakes with reference values are easy and non-invasive, economical and sufficiently reliable methods for the determination of nutritional status. The present study uses micro-level data drawn from 24 hours recall diet survey to calculate the mean food and nutrient intake by communities in three agro-biodiversity hotspots. The 24 hours recall diet survey was carried out among households in three study locations during June to November 2013 among the project intervention and non-intervention groups. Information on age, sex, physiological status, physical activity of the household members who took meals during the previous 24 hours was collected for computing consumption unit. The result shows that cereals are the chief source of energy in the study locations contributing 70-80% of the daily energy intake. Mean intake of green leafy vegetable are negligible in the study locations. The intake of sugar and jaggery among the intervention group of Meenangadi is 48% higher than recommended dietary intake, while in the non-intervention group it is 28% higher; and 20% higher among the nonintervention group in the Kolli Hills. The intake of vitamin A is the lowest among other nutrients across the internvention and non-intervention groups in the study locations

Assessment of Food and Nutrient Intake of Communities across Three Agro-biodiversity Hotspots in India

Balanced and adequate nutrition is important in improving the health of the community in general and of vulnerable groups in particular. Assessment of the nutritional status of a community is important for development of implementation strategies and suitable policies. Dietary assessment indicates whether intake of macro and micro nutrient are adequate. Anthropometric measurements and comparisons of nutrient intakes with reference values are easy and non-invasive, economical and sufficiently reliable methods for the determination of nutritional status. The present study uses micro-level data drawn from 24 hours recall diet survey to calculate the mean food and nutrient intake by communities in three agro-biodiversity hotspots. The 24 hours recall diet survey was carried out among households in three study locations during June to November 2013 among the project intervention and non-intervention groups. Information on age, sex, physiological status,physical activity of the household members who took meals during the previous 24 hours was collected for computing consumption unit. The result shows that cereals are the chief source of energy in the study locations contributing 70-80% of the daily energy intake. Mean intake of green leafy vegetable are negligible in the study locations. The intake of sugar and jaggery among the intervention group of Meenangadi is 48% higher than recommended dietary intake, while in the non-intervention group it is 28% higher; and 20% higher among the non-intervention group in the Kolli Hills. The intake of vitamin A is the lowest among other nutrients across the internvention and non-intervention groups in the study locations

Assessment of Food and Nutrient Intake of Communities across Three Agro-biodiversity Hotspots in India

Balanced and adequate nutrition is important in improving the health of the community in general and of vulnerable groups in particular. Assessment of the nutritional status of a community is important for development of implementation strategies and suitable policies. Dietary assessment indicates whether intake of macro and micro nutrient are adequate. Anthropometric measurements and comparisons of nutrient intakes with reference values are easy and non-invasive, economical and sufficiently reliable methods for the determination of nutritional status. The present study uses micro-level data drawn from 24 hours recall diet survey to calculate the mean food and nutrient intake by communities in three agro-biodiversity hotspots. The 24 hours recall diet survey was carried out among households in three study locations during June to November 2013 among the project intervention and non-intervention groups. Information on age, sex, physiological status,physical activity of the household members who took meals during the previous 24 hours was collected for computing consumption unit. The result shows that cereals are the chief source of energy in the study locations contributing 70-80% of the daily energy intake. Mean intake of green leafy vegetable are negligible in the study locations. The intake of sugar and jaggery among the intervention group of Meenangadi is 48% higher than recommended dietary intake, while in the non-intervention group it is 28% higher; and 20% higher among the non-intervention group in the Kolli Hills. The intake of vitamin A is the lowest among other nutrients across the internvention and non-intervention groups in the study locations

Modulatory and regenerative potential of transplanted bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells on rifampicin-induced kidney toxicity

Anti-tuberculosis agent rifampicin is extensively used for its effectiveness. Possible complications of tuberculosis and prolonged rifampicin treatment include kidney damage; these conditions can lead to reduced efficiency of the affected kidney and consequently to other diseases. Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) can be used in conjunction with rifampicin to avert kidney damage; because of its regenerative and differentiating potentials into kidney cells. This research was designed to assess the modulatory and regenerative potentials of MSCs in averting kidney damage due to rifampicin-induced kidney toxicity in Wistar rats and their progenies. BMMSCs used in this research were characterized according to the guidelines of International Society for Cellular Therapy

Knowledge priorities on climate change and water in the Upper Indus Basin: a horizon scanning exercise to identify the top 100 research questions in social and natural sciences

River systems originating from the Upper Indus Basin (UIB) are dominated by runoff from snow and glacier melt and summer monsoonal rainfall. These water resources are highly stressed as huge populations of people living in this region depend on them, including for agriculture, domestic use, and energy production. Projections suggest that the UIB region will be affected by considerable (yet poorly quantified) changes to the seasonality and composition of runoff in the future, which are likely to have considerable impacts on these supplies. Given how directly and indirectly communities and ecosystems are dependent on these resources and the growing pressure on them due to ever-increasing demands, the impacts of climate change pose considerable adaptation challenges. The strong linkages between hydroclimate, cryosphere, water resources, and human activities within the UIB suggest that a multi- and inter-disciplinary research approach integrating the social and natural/environmental sciences is critical for successful adaptation to ongoing and future hydrological and climate change. Here we use a horizon scanning technique to identify the Top 100 questions related to the most pressing knowledge gaps and research priorities in social and natural sciences on climate change and water in the UIB. These questions are on the margins of current thinking and investigation and are clustered into 14 themes, covering three overarching topics of “governance, policy, and sustainable solutions”, “socioeconomic processes and livelihoods”, and “integrated Earth System processes”. Raising awareness of these cutting-edge knowledge gaps and opportunities will hopefully encourage researchers, funding bodies, practitioners, and policy makers to address them

Strengthening of traditional paddy seed selection practices of tribal farm families with improved knowledge and skills in Koraput district, Odisha

461-470<span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family: " times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-bidi-font-family:="" mangal;mso-ansi-language:en-gb;mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:="" hi"="" lang="EN-GB">Koraput is known to be a centre of origin and diversity of Asian cultivated rice (Oryza sativa L.) and recently recognized as one of the agro-biodiversity hot spots in India. Tribal and rural farm families in Koraput raise food crops using local seeds and have a repository of traditional seed selection practices. While farmers have valuable traditional knowledge, there is a lack of support mechanisms and relevant training to enhance their skills in the seed selection process. This paper examines the impact of training on the knowledge and skill of farmers’ with a specific focus on seed selection practices and its management. The study brings out the significance of capacity building of farm families through Training of Trainers (TOT) programme. The impact of training reveals enhanced knowledge, skill and decision making among farmers with regard to seed selection. Pure and quality seeds helped to improve agricultural productivity and ensured household food security. Purified seeds of landraces cultivated in different land categories fetched 30-50 % higher prices. Designation of such farmers as Primary Trainers provides them recognition and a distinct identity in their community and their services made use by the KKRGC and Village Knowledge Centre (VKC). To make the practice sustainable, there is a need for supportive Government policies to maintain and develop traditional seeds in situ and on farm.</span

Foraged, Trapped and Hunted Foods in Valappur Nadu of Kolli Hills, Tamil Nadu

Wild foods found in and around farms, fallows and forests supplement foods and incomes of rural households and have co-evolved with other wild biodiversity. The present study was carried out using a structured questionnaire during February and March 2013 in two villages of Valappur Nadu in the Kolli Hills, Tamil Nadu, southern India, lying between 900 and 1100 m above mean sea level, covering a total sample of 40 tribal households. The diversity of wild food species across different food groups – greens, fruits, mushrooms, roots, tubers, birds, bats, rats and their seasonal availability and household consumption pattern were recorded. Greens are available predominantly during the rainy season and fruits mostly during the dry season. Women are mostly involved in foraging greens, mushrooms, vegetables, fruits, while men contribute to the food basket through trapping, fishing and hunting, and children are involved in both. Some of the surveyed households reported that they strongly believe that wild foods are nutritious and contribute to overall health and well-being apart from supplementing food security. The article concludes by viewing wild foods through the lens of food security in its four dimensions – access, availability, absorption and stability – and briefly touches upon some sociological aspects related to wild foods