Constraint Perceived by Osmanabadi Goat Keepers in Latur Region of Maharashtra State

A present ex-post-facto study was conducted to identify the perceived constraints of Osmanabadi goat keepers in the Latur region. A total of 120 goat keepers were equally selected across Latur and Osmanabad districts using the multistage random sampling technique. The data was collected by personal interview method using a pre-tested semi-structured interview schedule. The study revealed that kid mortality, lack of financial support, and nonavailability of insurance facilities were the major perceived constraints of overall Osmanabadi goat-keeping households. Among small goat keepers, kid mortality and lack of breeding bucks were significantly greater perceived constraints than medium goat keepers. Higher labor wages and non-availability of grazing land were severely perceived limitations of medium goat keepers, whereas fodder scarcity to large goat keepers. Small, medium, and large Osmanabadi goat keepers of the Latur region need constraints-specific interventions through veterinary institutes or relevant extension agencies to examine and address varied perceived constraints.

Participatory Development of Demand-Driven Curriculum for Career-Ready E-Extension Services in Nigeria

This paper described and contextualized participatory development of demand-driven curriculum for career-ready e-extension services in Nigeria as introduced by the Sasakawa Africa Fund for Extension Education. The stages of participatory development were participatory need assessment, participatory stakeholders’ workshop and validation among 124 stakeholders selected as key informants in relation to agricultural extension training, delivery, end users and policy makers. The stakeholders were grouped as follows: community leaders and policy makers; extension agencies / organisations / institutions / employers; farmers; input suppliers / marketers / agro-based traders / other value actors; and potential candidate groups. Stakeholder meetings were held separately with different groups three times, and then a combined meeting took place. The aggregated major decisions/consensus were subjected to content analysis using ATLAS.ti. The validation process included reading of each agreed decision to all participants, then participants indicated their agreement or otherwise, which led to either rejection or acceptance of the decision. This paper concludes that participatory curriculum development has enhanced the stakeholders to identify areas of demand-driven training in response to community needs. The stakeholders preferred more online than face-to-face training. The major perceived advantages of e-extension were reduced risk, time and cost effectiveness while infrastructural and human challenges were the perceived challenges that could possibly hinder the smooth running of e extension.

Profile of Beneficiary Farmers of Jalyukt Shivar Campaign

In Maharashtra state, nearly 82 per cent area of the state falls in rainfed sector and 52 per cent area is drought prone. To mitigate drought in Maharashtra, state government specially launched Jalyukt Shivar Campaign in December, 2014. In Vidarbha, drought is the major challenge hence the research objective was formulated to study profile of beneficiary farmers of Jalyukt Shivar Campaign in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra state. An ex-post facto research design of social research was used for present investigation. The study was conducted in Nagpur and Yavatmal district in month of October and November, 2020, with 320 beneficiary farmers of Jalyukt Shivar Campaign. The findings revealed that, more than half of the respondents (54.69%) were belonged to middle age i.e. between 36 to 50 years. Majority of the respondents (70.00%) were engaged in agriculture as their main occupation for earning. Slightly more than two fifth of the respondents (40.63%) had annual income in the range of Rs. 2,36,001/- to 4,02,000/-. Nearly two fifth of the respondents (39.06%) from study area belonged to small land holding 1.01 to 2.00 ha. Majority of the respondents (70.63%) were belonged to medium category of social participation. Majority of the respondents (72.19%) were belonged to medium level of extension participation. Over three fifth of the respondents (62.50%) were using medium sources of information. Majority of the respondents (66.88%) belonged to medium innovativeness. Majority of the respondents (66.88%) belonged to medium risk preference and medium economic motivation (65.63%). It is suggested that, efforts should be made by government to involve young farmers in agricultural development programmes like Jalyukt Shivar Campaign as well as in performing farming as main occupation. For success of this campaign, extension agencies must increase participation of farmers in local social institutions, extension activities and contact with information sources outside beneficiaries social systems.

Assessment of Miller’s Preferences on Procurement of Rice Varieties in Tamil Nadu

Rice is the primary stable food crop and serves for more than three billion people in the globe. Thirty rice millers were selected purposively in the study area, to obtain their view on procurement parameters, opinion and preferences on procurement of CO 51. The fineness of rice and keeping quality were the major deciding parameters for procurement by rice millers with a Garrett’s score of 31.38. Fineness of rice fetches a premium price in the consumer market besides the keeping quality facilitates the miller to stock the produce for a long time till getting highest price in the market. The preference of the variety CO 51 is due to high milling (68.00 per cent), fineness, resistance to blast and BPH when compared to other varieties. The share of CO 51 was relatively higher in both the districts when compared to other varieties. This would enable the stake holders, University, extension agencies, seed companies and millers to design suitable strategies to motivate and influence the farmers towards desired direction. This message may be taken to farmers to decide the variety for getting premium price. This helps the policy makers in planning the policies related to procurement for the traders.

ANALISIS SISTEM AGRIBISNIS USAHA TERNAK KAMBING SABURAI PADA KOPERASI PRODUSEN PETERNAK (KPP) SABURAI MANDIRI DI KECAMATAN GISTING KABUPATEN TANGGAMUS

This research aims were to determine the procurement system saburai goat livestock business production facilities, saburai goat livestock business income, saburai goat production cost, saburai goat marketing channel, saburai goat agribusiness system supporting services and the role of Saburai Mandiri Producer Livestock Cooperative (KPP) in the saburai goat agribusiness system. The research was taken a case study at KPP Saburai Mandiri located in Gisting Sub-District Tanggamus District. The procurement of saburai goat livestock business production facilities has been right with an accuracy level of 83,96 percent. Saburai goat livestock business average income was Rp22.563.979,21 per year. Saburai goat production cost was Rp31.248,68 per kg. Saburai goat marketing channel was divided into two types product which each has four marketing channels. Saburai goat agribusiness system supporting services were financial institutions (banks), extension agencies, government policies, farmer/livestock groups, transportation facilities, information and communication technology and markets. The role of KPP Saburai Mandiri in saburai goat livestock agribusiness system was already good enough. Key words: Agribusiness, cooperative, livestock business, saburai goat.

PERAN AGROFORESTRI KARET TERHADAP PENDAPATAN PETANI KARET DI DESA MABURAI PROVINSI KALIMANTAN SELATAN

The research location is in Maburai Village, Murung Pudak District, Tabalong Regency, South Kalimantan Province, rubber land that uses the rubber agroforestry system as the object of research. The purpose of this study was to analyze the role of rubber agroforestry in order to increase the income of rubber farmers. The method used in this study to find respondents is by using the Accidental Sampling method. Based on the results of the research that has been carried out, the role of rubber agroforestry is divided into 2 parts, namely, rubber plants for sale, and intercrops play a role for sale, self-consumption, and taken by land owners. The contribution from intercropping was only 4 people who sold the intercrops in the form of fruit, the largest income from the intercropping was Rp. 12,000,000 with a percentage of 19% of the total income of Rp. 63,200,000. There are two factors that affect the agroforestry system, namely internal factors based on farmers' experience, motivation to carry out the rubber agroforestry system, land area, number of plants other than rubber, and types of plants other than rubber, while external factors are the absence of support by rubber agro-forestry extension agencies in Maburai Village, and community leaders.

The Economic Influences of Loss of Production and Marketing of Yellow Corn Crop in Iraq (Babil Province; a Case Study)

"The agricultural sector in Iraq suffers from the phenomenon of increasing losses in the main cereal crops, including yellow corn, and the low percentage of the Industrialized from them, due to a set of internal and external factors surrounding these crops during the chain of production and marketing processes that these crops go through, among these factors are what can be controlled others can not be controlled, making the crop at the pity of all these factors combined. This is a waste of the resources that were used in their production, in addition to the losses incurred by producers of these crops. The research aimed to estimate the economic effects of the loss of the yellow corn crop in Babil province by selecting a random sample of farmers and marketers of the crop and designing a special questionnaire form for each type of these producers. The results showed that the total lost quantities of the maize crop at the province level amounted to about 34 thousand tons, resulting in total financial losses of about 10 billion Iraqi dinars, as it was possible to benefit from them at the province level generally in establishing complementary or competitive projects meet the growing needs of consumers and benefit producers in the province. The lost areas as a result of the production loss amounted to about 6504 dunums, which could have been used to grow other crops or to expand the cultivation of the existing crop. Accordingly, the research recommended the necessity for agricultural extension agencies to take their role in holding educational seminars for farmers, which feed into the services needed by the crop and introduce them to the different types of loss and ways to reduce it and reduce waste in scarce productive resources, which has the effect of increasing production rates.."

Determinants of Farmers’ Level of Interaction with Agricultural Extension Agencies in Northwest Ethiopia

This research identifies critical determinants for interactions between farmers and extension agencies. Cross-sectional farm household-level data from three hundred household heads were collected between September 2019 and March 2020 and triangulated with data from workshops with farmers and extension agents. The data were analyzed using Spearman’s correlation coefficient, Kruskal–Wallis analysis of variance and the ordered probit model. Farmers’ socio-economic characteristics significantly affect their degree of interaction with extension agencies. Recognition of the determinants of the level of farmers’ interactions can inform policymakers about how to formulate and improve the effectiveness of extension programs, enhance information and knowledge dissemination and facilitate development in collaboration with local communities by focusing on a better interaction between farmers and extension agencies. The level of a farmer’s interactions is based on a systematic decision-making process. Although personal and demographic characteristics are important, farmers’ interaction levels require conducive institutional and household assets, groups/social capital and access to extension agents’ contexts. These contexts will differ by household, country and region. Therefore, extension agencies should create and design contextually appropriate strategies for substantial interactions with farmers for the dissemination of farm information. This research is original and valuable in identifying the factors associated with the level of farmers’ interactions with extension agencies in the Amhara region, Ethiopia. It also provides a new pathway for operationalizing farmer-oriented agricultural extension policies and strategies and to help agricultural policymakers formulate extension service programs.

Perceived Effects of Professionalization of Extension Services by Public and Private Agents in South West Nigeria

This study analysed the perceived effects of professionalization of extension services by extension agents in South West Nigeria. A structured questionnaire was used to elicit data from three hundred and one (301) public agents and fifty-five (55) private agents that were selected through a stratified random sampling procedure. The public and private agents had basic knowledge about the concept of professionalization and exhibited a favourable attitude towards professionalizing extension services. There were significant differences in the years of experience (t = 5.35, P ≤ 0.01), farmers group covered (t = -14.09, P ≤ 0.01) and distance to clients travelled (t = - 7.65, P ≤ 0.01) by the public and private agents. Extension agents in both organizations had a positive perception of the effects of professionalization of extension services in enhancing and improving delivery. Extension agents’ knowledge (t = 5.303), attitude (t = 12.733), years of experience (t = 2.758), educational qualification (t = 2.037) and rural-urban background (t = 2.061) were significant determinants of their perceived effects of professionalization on service delivery. Extension agencies should support continuous professional development of extension agents through trainings and acquisition of relevant higher degrees that will help to enhance their knowledge thus upgrading their professionalization-readiness status. Keywords: Extension agents, extension service, perceived effects, professionalization.

ANALISIS USAHATANI DAN KETAHANAN PANGAN RUMAH TANGGA PETANI KUBIS DI KECAMATAN SUMBEREJO KABUPATEN TANGGAMUS

This study aims to analyze the farming income, household income, farming constraints, contribution of farming income, household food security level, correlation between household food security level and farming production as well as cabbage farmers’ income. This research has been carried out in the village of Dadapan and Simpang Kanan, Sumberejo Sub District, Tanggamus Regency. This research is a survey involving 56 cabbage farmers selected using simple random sampling. Data were collected in July-August 2019. The research data were analyzed using qualitative descriptive and quantitative methods. The results of this research shows that cabbage farming income is IDR15,643,452.38 per area of 0,36 hectare annually which contributed to 64.54 percent of IDR28,017,440.48 household income per year. Constraints faced by cabbage farmers are the handling of leaf worms, armyworms, leaf spots, club roots, out model equipment, delayed distribution of fertilizer from farmer groups, decreased cabbage price that is fluctuated every season, and lack of attention from extension agencies. Food security status of cabbage farmer households is 50.00 percent in food secure, 26.79 percent in less secure, 14.8 percent in food vulnerable, and 8.93 percent in food insecure. There is a significant correlation between household food security level and farming production as well as cabbage farmers’ income.Key words: cabbage farming, food security, household income