PATTERNS AND INTENSITY OF ADOPTION OF THE HYVs OF BORO RICE IN BANGLADESH

This paper reports on an investigation concerning patterns and intensity of adoption of the high yielding varieties HYVs) of boro (winter) rice among the opinion leaders and the farmers in a progressive village and in a less progressive village of Bangladesh. In case of the less progressive village, the intensity of adoption of the HYVs of boro rice increased with the increase in the size of the irrigated area. However, for the farmers of the progressive village an opposite pattern of decreased intensity of adoption of the HYVs of boro in relation to the size of the irrigated area was observed. For all the farmers increase in the intensity of adoption of the HYVs of boro rice could be perfectly attributed to the percentage of the irrigated area showing the decisive importance of water in the cultivation of winter rice. The results of stepwise regression combining both the economic and non-economic factors and the economic factors as a set re-established the above finding. However, as a set, the non-economic factors contributed to a various but generally low extent to the explanation of the variance of intensity of adoption of the HYVs of Boro rice

Characterisation of Calcareous Soils in Mahboobnagar and Nalgonda District of Telangana State

A survey was conducted in the year 2019-20 in old Mahboobnagar and Nalgonda district of Telangana state to study the characters of calcareous soils, based on effervescence with dilute.HCL the samples were collected and were analysed for its characters. Majority of soils collected were medium to high in CaCO3 status. All the soils collected were alkaline to highly alkaline in reaction. Soils were low to medium in available nitrogen and phosphorus content. The average pH, N, P2O5, K2O value recorded in these soils were 8.49, 77.19 kg ha-1, 6.215 kg ha-1, 72.88 kg ha-1 respectively.  The main objective of the study is to know the properties of Calcareous soil and also to study the effect of calcium carbonate on the different properties of soil and therefore acorrelation study was conducted which reported that there is significant positive relationship is seen between CaCO3 content and pH and significant negative relationship is seen between CaCO3 content and available N and P2O5 in soil. No significant relationship is seen between CaCO3 content and EC and OC values

Microfinance challenges: empowerment or disempowerment of the poor?

Microfinance is often presented, not only as an efficient tool to fight against poverty, but also as a means of promoting the empowerment of the most marginalized sections of the population, especially women. However, reality has shown that the causal relation between microfinance and empowerment is neither linear, nor unequivocal and that it is even less systematic. This book is an attempt to nourish the debate, on the one hand, by combining theoretical reflections and case studies, and on the other hand, by engaging practitioners and researchers from various backgrounds (mainly economists, sociologists and anthropologists). First of all, we consider the question of definitions. Even if everyone agrees that the concept of ‘empowerment' refers to notions of choice, of power and of change, the diversity of definitions suggested here confirms that under no circumstances does a universal conception of it exist. The second part insists on the central role of the environment. The link between microfinance and empowerment is all the more subtle, and sometimes unforeseeable, as microfinance projects take place within an economic, socio-cultural and political context that is itself complex, evolutionary and which partially conditions the results obtained. Microfinance projects - as any development projects - should therefore be understood and analyzed as endogenous processes. Finally, a third part relates to the crucial question of evaluation. Here still, the diversity of the results is striking: certain experiments are very positive while elsewhere the results are very mixed and sometimes even worrying. One does not speak any more of empowerment, but of “disempowerment” or even “overempowerment”. This heterogeneity of results is due as much to the diversity of the projects, their methods of action, the target population, and the context of intervention as to the methodologies of evaluation. The conclusion leads us to go beyond a certain number of contradictions evoked throughout the book while proposing to think of empowerment using the French concept of “solidarity-based economy”. This concept of solidarity-based economy, which is theoretical as well as normative, is a framework for analysis and action, which, according to us, must make it possible to guard against the risks of failures and perverse effects mentioned throughout the book.La relation de causalité entre microfinance et empowerment n’est ni linéaire, ni univoque et encore moins systématique. Cet ouvrage propose d’alimenter le débat, d’une part en combinant réflexions théoriques et études de cas, d’autre part en confrontant praticiens et chercheurs de diverses disciplines. Une première partie propose de définir le concept d’empowerment. Une seconde partie insiste sur le rôle central de l’environnement. Le lien entre microfinance et empowerment est d’autant plus subtil, parfois imprévisible, que les projets de microfinance prennent place dans un contexte économique, social, culturel et politique qui est lui-même complexe, évolutif et qui conditionne partiellement les résultats obtenus. Une troisième partie porte sur la question cruciale de l’évaluation