Unlocking Full Economic Potential of Agriculture Sector in Punjab: Policy Options

In order to unlock the full economic potential of agriculture sector in Punjab, there is need to identify, map and prioritize the challenges and constraints faced by agriculture. The key challenges and constraints in the agricultural value chain from production to consumption include productivity, financing and regulatory. The policy initiatives are called to boost agricultural productivity, reduce post-harvest losses and expand market access. There is need for private investment in agribusiness value chain to lower cost of financing and increased agro-financing measured in terms of cost of capital (%) paid, number of loans and credit provision, private capital formation and number of participants. Private investment is essential for storage, processing, marketing and trade, and infrastructure. It is essential to develop and launch agro-entrepreneurship platforms for youth and women to enter agribusiness economy by facilitating investment support, training, and capacity building. The database for rural infrastructure planning is required to be revitalized for robust agriculture policy and planning. Climate smart agriculture calls for developing technical, policy and investment conditions to achieve sustainable agricultural development by sustainably increasing agricultural productivity and incomes, adapting and building resilience to climate change and reducing and/or removing greenhouse gases emissions

Editorial, Volume 5 (2019)

On behalf of the Editorial Board, it is with great pride and sincere privilege that I am writing this message to present the volume 5 (2019) of the SOCIALSCI JOURNAL. The issue comes from a long process, and we took all the necessary steps to make it a high-caliber scientific publication. We are relying on the collaboration of all our Editors, reviewers, and contributors to make it a contemporary, lively, and relevant publication

Annual Reviewer Acknowledgement

The Editorial team of the journal would like to thank the following reviewers for their work in refereeing manuscripts during 201

Adoption of water harvesting technologies among agro-pastoralists in semi-arid rangelands of South Eastern Kenya

The arid and semi-arid lands experience inherently unpredictable rainfall and frequent droughts, which are exacerbated by climate change. This consequently leads to deterioration of land resources, and eventually forage and water shortages that negatively impact livestock productivity. In Kenya, development and government agencies have been supporting on-farm adaptation strategies such as water harvesting conservation structures to cope with climate hazards that affect agricultural production and food security in agro-pastoral and pastoral systems. The various water harvesting structures that have been promoted include Zai pits for growing crops and trees, water pans and shallow wells for livestock and domestic use, as well as for irrigation. However, the impact of such interventions with regard to improvement of range productivity and therefore welfare of agro-pastoral and pastoral communities has not been felt owing to low adoption rate by households