Sujeet Kumar Jha

Assessment of social vulnerability to climate change in the eastern coast of India

This study highlighted the social vulnerability to climate change of 29 eastern coastal districts across 4 eastern coastal states of India by using the ‘Integrated vulnerability assessment approach’ and IPCC’s definition of vulnerability. The assessment was based on secondary data, like socio-economic and bio-physical indicators, collected from several authenticated sources; and weightage of these indicators were assigned by using Principal Component Analysis. Vulnerability was calculated as the net affect of exposure and sensitivity on the adaptive capacity. Pudukottai district of Tamil Nadu was found to be the most vulnerable district, while East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh was the least vulnerable. The net effect was found to be negative in 10 districts: South 24-Parganas of West Bengal; Bhadrak of Odisha; Prakasam of Andhra Pradesh; Thiruvallur, Villipuram, Thanjavur, Thoothukkudi, Pudukottai, Ramanathapuram and Cuddalore of Tamil Nadu. This net negative effect may be considered as an indicator of alarming situation.

Measuring Attitude of Rural Youth towards Dairying as an Occupation: A Likert Scale

There are two important ways of thinking on the issue of rural youth vis-a-vis farming: Farming as the saviour of rural youth, or rural youth as the saviour of farming. Whatever may be the situation, one thing is quite evident that rural youth and farming are interrelated with each other. According to the latest Census of India (2011), the total population of India is 1.21 billion and 66 per cent of population is up to 35 years of age. Even if 18 to 35 years of age category is considered, 36 per cent population would be covered in it. Demographical distribution of India is very much skewed towards lower age. According to the latest survey of National Sample Survey Organization (2013), 64.1 per cent of rural people are engaged in the agricultural sector. In rural areas, especially among marginal and small farmers, dairying provides a supplementary income opportunity, and many a time, it may be only livelihood option for landless peasants. Livestock sector specifically dairying provides livelihood security. But migratory intention of rural youth towards urban area, had made the basic tenet of studying attitude International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 6 Number 12 (2017) pp. 3173-3181 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com

Opinion of Dairy Farmers towards Lay Inseminators and the Reasons behind Dependency on Them

The present study was conducted in Karnal district of Haryana to obtain the opinion of dairy farmers towards the services provided by lay inseminators (LIs) and the reasons behind dependency on them. LIs were educated unemployed youth who provide basic animal health services particularly artificial insemination after receiving training or learnt this practice from experts. The data were collected randomly from 30 LIs, 150 beneficiaries (5 beneficiaries/LIs) and 30 professionals of Karnal in Haryana with semi-structured interview schedule. After analysis and interpretation, favourable opinion of dairy farmers towards LIs was found. Dairy farmers were found to agree that LIs arrive on time for providing services (51.33%), deliver effective services (56%), offer reasonable charges (48%), are sensitive towards dairy farmers’ problem (50.68%) and are available round the clock (55.53%). The most important reason behind dependency of dairy farmers towards LIs was found to be doorstep services provided by LIs.

Impact of “Integrated Murrah Development Scheme” (IMDS) on dairy farmers of Haryana state of India

The present study was taken up to measure the impact “Integrated Murrah Development Schemes (IMDS) on socio-economic status of the beneficiaries as well as on productive and reproductive performance of the Murrah buffaloes of the beneficiaries. ‘Z’ test analysis indicated that there was significant difference in socio-economic status of the beneficiaries and non beneficiaries viz; milk consumption, milk sale at 5 % level of probability, while; herd size, type of animal shed, material possession, milk production, annual income from dairying, annual gross income of the respondents at 1 % level of probability. Similarly, there was significant difference in productive and reproductive performance of Murrah buffaloes of the beneficiaries and non beneficiaries viz; age at first calving, calving interval, at 5 % level of probability; while, number of AIs required per conception, lactation length, dry period, average lactation milk yield, average daily milk yield and peak yield at 1 % level of probability. Most of the beneficiaries (73.75%) had medium level overall impact of IMDS on socio-economic status of the beneficiaries followed by high (17.50%) and low (8.75%). Whereas, medium level overall impact of IMDS was found on the productive and reproductive performance of Murrah buffaloes of the majority beneficiaries (89.38%) followed by high impact on few (10.63%). Such development programmes should be promoted for the improvement of socio economic status of farmers as well as improvement of milk productivity of the animals.