eChapters

Scientific leadership is a cornerstone of progress in agricultural sciences, playing a pivotal role in driving innovation, fostering collaboration, and addressing global challenges such as food security, climate change, and sustainable resource management. Effective scientific leadership ensures that research efforts are strategically aligned with pressing societal needs and that knowledge generated in laboratories and fields translates into tangible benefits for farmers, policymakers, and communities. This chapter delves into the qualities of effective leaders in agricultural sciences, the challenges they face, and strategies to nurture and support scientific leadership in this critical domain. The G20 Chief Science Advisers Roundtable (G20-CSAR), initiated under India’s G20 Presidency, is a flagship program aimed at fostering collaboration and enhancing access to scholarly scientific knowledge. This effort emphasizes the synergy of scientific expertise, ensuring that innovations and advancements are not only accessible but also utilized effectively to address pressing global concerns, such as climate change, public health, sustainable development, and digital transformation. Through this platform, India seeks to promote open science, equitable knowledge-sharing, and stronger international cooperation in research and development.
7.1. Qualities of Effective Leaders in Agricultural Sciences
To excel in agricultural sciences, leaders must embody a diverse range of qualities that enable them to inspire teams, foster innovation, and drive impactful research. These qualities include:
7.1.1. Strong Communication Skills
Effective leaders in agricultural sciences must be adept at communicating complex scientific concepts to diverse audiences. Whether engaging with fellow researchers, policymakers, farmers, or the general public, they must tailor their messages to ensure clarity and relevance. Strong communication skills are also essential for securing research funding, building partnerships, and advocating for science-based policies.

ABSTRACT

Over the last three decades, SAC has been engaged in the development and dissemination of remote sensing and GIS technologies for national development. These developments have originated from various initiatives related to national projects, sensor related research and in-house research and development on applications. A large multidisciplinary team of scientists develop technologies in various fields of applications like agriculture, coastal zone management, urban planning, forest and environment, etc. In addition, significant efforts are directed towards technology development for generic applications like photogrammetry and applications involving synergistic usage of remote sensing, GIS, GPS and satellite communication. Some specific examples of recent technological developments pertain to simulation modeling of crop yields, horticultural crop management, site selections for aquaculture, location of cold storage plants, large area crop production forecasting, base map creation, telegeoprocessing, mobile satellite services for fleet management, automated procedures for linear infrastructure planning, urban land use allocation planning.

An overview of these technologies and the modalities for their effective utilization by government, industries and users are summarized. Dissemination of these technologies for public bodies and private sector has been taken in the form of promotion of consultancy services in different application areas. Some major areas where these sectors have benefited through consultancies are estimation of cash and other field crops, city development planning, site selection for industry, land use change detection studies for environmental impact assessment, coastal regulation zone compliances and land use scenario, forestry related applications like catchment area treatment, forest fires monitoring, etc. Examples of consultancy services for private sector are included.

Keywords : Technology dissemination, technology development, remote sensing applications.

ABSTRACT

Mandarin Orange (Citrus reticulata Blanco.), known as ‘Suntala’ to the local populace, is a major cash crop and was once a pride of Darjeeling hills. It is grown in approximately 930 ha with an annual production of 148.224 metric tones and annual turnover of Rs. 25 crores approximately. Since early 1970s, orange orchards in the Darjeeling hills started to be unproductive inflicting huge economic loss showing severe citrus decline. Gradually the malady assumed alarming proportions and threatening the cultivation of the crop. The major causes for the bottleneck of the citrus industry in Darjeeling hills  is  the heavy incidence of insect pests, diseases and nutritional deficiencies.

4.1 Introduction

The objective of this chapter is to design a mobile app for agricultural field automation with Blynk app. Mobile app is designed to control the water management in field as per requirement. The complete system comprises of two sections sensor node and mobile app. Sensor node comprises of Node MCU, Power supply, LCD, Relay board, soil sensor and Ultrasonic sensor. The system is designed to establish control and communication with specific agricultural field to take sensory data from soil and ultrasonic level sensor and control the PUMP IN motor and PUMP OUT motor with the help of mobile app.Fig.4.1 shows a block diagram for a system to control specific agricultural field with mobile app and IoT modem.

ABSTRACT

Future is the era of ICT (Information Communication Technology) which is equally applicable in the field of Agriculture. Farmers database will be an important part of ICT which is required for smooth functioning of various agricultural activities like Farmer’s Trainings, Demonstrations, Crop monitoring, Support to farmers, implementation of various government schemes etc.  This software records farmers Name, Phone number, Sex, Category (SC/ST/Gen),  Number of dependents, Annual agricultural income, whether fully or partially dependent, Land holding size,  Major crops, Village, Block, Sub-division, Land situation (Plains/ Low Hills/ Mid Hills/ High Hills), Soil Reaction, Soil type, (Highly Acidic/Moderately /acidic/Neutral/Alkaline/Highly Alkaline), NPK status, Irrigation facility and information regarding Cattle. From the above record various reports can be generated according to the needs of the scientific personnel. For example soil scientist will have record of soil pH & NPK status of different farmers across the district. Scientist can filter the database to get farmers of a particular soil type to conduct training;

1. Introduction

Fish forms an integral component of the Indian food basket and it is more so for the population living in the eastern and north eastern States of India. The eastern states of India include States such as West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha. As per a current estimate of 2023 (https://www.indiacensus.net), approximately a population of 31.66 crore, i.e. 22.15% of the country’s total, live in these four States. Due to the suitable geographical terrain, these states have been bestowed upon a large number of riverine stretches, a large number of natural reservoirs of varied sizes, beels and floodplain wetlands, and a huge plain terrain supporting ponds and tank resources. Due to the very nature of the land and the popularity of fish among the populace, these eastern Indian states have also served as the main stage for the development of fisheries and aquaculture during the last centuries in the country. Further, many of the epoch making technologies for the development of fisheries in the inland waters as well as aquaculture in the ponds have originated from this region.

5.1 Introduction

The chapter describes the development of local web server on the laptop, to control the actuator from the server. Web server is used as remote control for the system. The system is designed to control water pump with respect to the soil sensor values. It comprises of NodeMCU, soil sensor, LCD, two relay boards for pump in and out the water from field.

8.1 Introduction to Dictionary in Python

A dictionary is a collection which is unordered changeable and index. In python dictionaries are written within curly brackets, and they have keys and values. Means the dictionary contains two things first is the key and the second is the value.

8.1.1 Create and Print a Dictionary

Example

dict1={‘brand’:‘Suzuki’,‘model’:‘dzire’,‘year’:2020}

print(dict1)

Accessing items: you can access the items of a dictionary by referring to its key name, inside square brackets.

Example

Accessing items: there is also a method called get() for the same task.

dict1={‘brand’:‘Suzuki’,‘model’:‘dzire’,‘year’:2020}

print(dict1)

y=dict1.get(?model”)

print(y)

Introduction

In India, per capita cereal consumption has been declining since the early seventies, despite a significant increase in per capita cereal production (Radhakrishna and Ravi, 1992 and Rao, 2000). Cereal consumption per capita per month fell from 15.35 kgs in 1970-71 to 12.70 kgs in 1999-2000 in rural area and from 11.40 kgs to 10.40 kgs in urban area during same period. It might be due to shifting of consumers’ choice from food to non-food items; from cereals to non-cereals within the food group and from course to fine cereals within the cereal group. The decline in cereal consumption has been higher in the rural area due to development of rural infrastructure and availability of job opportunities which ultimately helped in improving their level of income (Rao, 2000). Despite spectacular growth in food production during last 30 years the problem of malnutrition still persists across different regions in India because increase in food grain supply alone cannot conquer hunger and malnutrition.

The consumption pattern and nutritional status have also experienced a significant change during last two decades in Bihar. Cereal consumption per capita per month has declined from 476 gms in 1983 to 455 gms in 19992000. The situation is more alarming in poor households who constitute about half of rural population in north Bihar. There is lack of research on consumption pattern, nutrient intake and nutritional status based on household data, particularly in context of Bihar. In view of the above observations the present study is undertaken to analyze the consumption pattern and nutritional status of poor households in north Bihar.

Advertising is a crucial component of marketing, designed to promote products, services, or brands to target audiences. A well-planned advertising strategy enhances brand visibility, attracts potential customers, and drives sales. Various advertising strategies exist, each tailored to achieve specific business objectives and cater to different market segments. This chapter explores the different types of advertising strategies used by businesses to maximize their reach and impact. 1. Print Advertising: Print advertising involves placing ads in newspapers, magazines, brochures, flyers, and billboards. It is a traditional form of advertising that continues to be effective for local and niche markets. Advantages • Tangible and long-lasting: Print materials can be kept for future reference. • Targets a specific readership: Newspapers and magazines cater to specific demographics. • Builds brand credibility: E

Introduction

In agricultural extension and education, video production plays a pivotal role in disseminating information, training farmers, and promoting best practices. The effectiveness of these videos is often determined by the quality of their scripts. This chapter explores three primary types of video scripts: basic production scripts, storyboard scripts, and camera scripts. Each type fulfills a distinct role in the production process, and understanding their unique functions is crucial for creating engaging and informative content. By examining these script types, this chapter aims to provide a comprehensive guide to the scripting process, helping to enhance the quality and impact of educational and promotional videos.

Script

A script is the written content for visual stories, such as plays, television shows, or movies. While scripts often include stage directions and production notes for performers and crew, their primary focus is on the dialogue between characters. Scripts serve as a blueprint for the entire production, guiding actors and technical crew through their roles and responsibilities. For example, a script for a stage play will detail character interactions, emotional tone, and specific actions, ensuring that all elements of the performance align with the director’s vision.

The diffusion and adoption process represents a fundamental mechanism through which innovations, practices, and ideas spread through communities and social systems, making it essential for understanding how community mobilization initiatives can expand their reach and impact while building sustainable social change that extends beyond initial implementation sites. This process encompasses the complex social, psychological, and institutional factors that influence how individuals and communities learn about new approaches, evaluate their potential benefits and risks, and ultimately decide whether to adopt and integrate these innovations into their existing practices and belief systems. Understanding diffusion and adoption processes provides community mobilization practitioners with crucial insights into how successful interventions can be scaled up and replicated across different contexts while identifying the factors that facilitate or hinder

Introduction

Diffusion is the process by which an innovation is transmitted to the members of a social system over some time and through channels in a specified manner. According to Rogers (1962), this is a unique form of communication in which the messages are focused on innovative concepts. The concepts can include (i) A new idea, (ii) An idea that is communicated via certain channels (iii) Among the members of a social system (iv) Overtime. On the other hand, the adoption process is the mental process through which an individual passes from first hearing about an innovation to final adoption, as defined by Rogers (1962).

Diffusion

Diffusion is the process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among the members of a social system (Rogers & Shoemaker, 1971).

Innovation

Innovation is an idea, practice or object that is perceived as new by an individual or otherunit of adoption.

Adoption

Adoption is a decision to make full use of an innovation as the best course of action available.

Introduction

Agriculture plays important role in boosting economic activity of farmers. Since it transfers new technologies within the knowledge and information system, it has special features related to knowledge, innovation, and those three. Agribusiness farming needs the diffusion of innovation. Many farmers were unable to boost their earnings. The development of the agribusiness and the welfare of the farmer were both significantly influenced by innovation. Diffusion includes three fairly distinct processes i.e. presentation of the new culture element or elements to the society, acceptance by the society, and the integration of the accepted element or elements into the pre-existing culture (Linton, 1936).

Introduction India’s vast and diverse agricultural landscape has one of the greatest agricultural sectors. With over 60% of its people working in agriculture, India’s economy and food security heavily depend on agriculture. In recent years, the world has witnessed many difficulties, including information access restrictions, dispersed property ownership, and uncertainty brought on by climate change. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has emerged as a potent tool for empoweringfarmers, boosting production, promoting sustainable practices in response to these difficulties, and bringing game-changing transformations in Indian agriculture. India ranks second among Asian countries in the advanced user category. On the one hand, profit motivation, corporate expansion, community services, and rural welfare have been the goals of ICT-based agricultural models in India (Spielman et al., 2021).

Digital dairy farming integrates IoT, artificial intelligence, machine learning, big-data analytics, cloud computing, sensors and automation to improve herd management. This chapter explains how wearable devices and monitoring systems support early disease detection, welfare assessment, milk-yield analysis and precision feeding. Automated milking, feeding and other operations reduce manual labour, improve consistency and lower operating costs. The architecture of smart dairy systems—including sensors, wireless communication and decision algorithms—is examined alongside environmental and economic benefits. Barriers include high initial investment, limited digital skills, poor rural connectivity and cybersecurity risks. Future developments may include AI-enabled autonomous dairy farms and interconnected, sustainable agricultural ecosystems.

ABSTRACT

In the recent years, the notion of ‘digital divide’ has been widely researched and has attracted much debate and speculation for its economic, social and political consequences. Existing studies reveals, the gap that exists between those who have access to ICTs and those who do not create exclusion, endanger social integration and hamper economic growth. The digital divide has many dimensions and can be categorized as global, regional and national. At national level, there is no single divide, but multiple divides: for instance; within countries, between men and women, young and elderly, rich and poor and most importantly rural and urban. The present paper is mainly focused on India and tries to explore the problem of digital divide mainly in rural-urban India. In the context of present paper, digital divide essentially means teledensity, mobile and Internet divide between the rural and urban areas. The paper reveals that obstacles such as illiteracy, lack of skills, infrastructure,  and investment in rural areas must be tackled if India is to diminish the gap of digital divide. At the government front, it should put thrust towards: connectivity provision, content creation, capacity augmentation, core technologies creation and exploitation, cost reduction, competence building, community participation and commitment to the deprived and disadvantaged which would definitely help in bridging digital divide.

1. Introduction

In the era of digital technology, libraries have expanded their role beyond their initial role as storage facilities for physical material. Libraries have become essential in providing access to electronic resources and promoting lifelong learning due to the emergence of e-learning. E-learning refers to the use of digital technology to access learning materials outside of a traditional classroom setting. E-learning is emerging as a powerful influence in higher education, with a presence on nearly every campus and a growing number of college and university courses. The environment is characterized by growth and dynamism, where fluidity and change are the social, institutional, and technological norms (Mishra & Gupta 2019).

Technology has revolutionized education, turning it into e-learning and internet based learning. This evolution provides individuals with the opportunity to have more freedom, convenience, and the ability to work virtually. Libraries must modify their resources and services to meet the emergence of e-learners. Academic libraries have now established connections with web-based services and e-resources, which are moving the profession forward at a rate never before seen. (Ramkumar & Kannan, 2023)

Introduction 
Digital governance in India has made remarkable strides over the past two decades, transitioning from isolated digitisation projects to an integrated, citizen-centric governance ecosystem. Enabled by policy reforms, technological innovation, and infrastructural development, digital governance has become a cornerstone of the country’s public service delivery, transparency, and accountability. However, the ambitious expansion of digital governance has also encountered systemic and structural challenges that continue to hinder its full realisation. These challenges are not merely technological but are deeply embedded in socio-political, administrative, and economic contexts that define the Indian public administration landscape. While the progress has been notable, the sustainability and inclusiveness of digital governance remain contingent on the country’s ability to address these entrenched constraints. Despite substantial advances, several persistent challenges threaten the transformative potential of digital governance in India. Chief among them is the digital divide across rural-urban, gender, economic, and social lines, which inhibits equitable access to digital services. According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5, 2019–21), internet usage in rural areas remains alarmingly low, with only 33% of women and 57% of men reporting regular access. Infrastructural constraints, human resource limitations, weak system interoperability, cyber-security threats, and concerns about data protection and digital rights compound these disparities. The post-2015 period has witnessed transformative initiatives under the Digital India Programme, including the proliferation of platforms such as Aadhaar, DigiLocker, Unified Payments Interface (UPI), and MyGov, among others (MeitY, 2022). While these developments have significantly enhanced service accessibility and administrative efficiency, they have simultaneously revealed critical gaps in digital infrastructure, policy coherence, data governance, and institutional capacities. For instance, the rural-urban digital divide, disparities

Introduction 
India’s digital governance journey represents a transformative reimagining of public administration in the 21st century. The integration of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) into governance structures has enabled a paradigmatic shift from hierarchical, rigid, and often exclusionary bureaucratic systems to more responsive, transparent, participatory, and citizen-centric governance mechanisms (Bhatnagar, 2004; Madon, 2009; Singh, 2013; Rao et al., 2020). This shift aligns with global trends in public administration, where digitalization is seen as a means to enhance state capacity, citizen engagement, and administrative efficiency. India’s progress in this domain is evidenced by its improved performance in international indices. For instance, the United Nations E-Government Development Index (EGDI) 2022 places India 105th out of 193 countries, with notable improvements in the Online Services Index (OSI) and Human Capital Index (HCI), making it one of South Asia’s top digital governance performers despite a recalibrated drop in global ranking (UN DESA, 2022). In the Network Readiness Index (NRI) 2023, India stood at 65th among 134 countries, reflecting advancements in digital infrastructure, skills, and public digital platforms like Aadhaar and UPI (Portulans Institute, 2023). However, challenges persist, as highlighted by the ND-GAIN Index, which underscores India’s vulnerability due to digital inequality and climate-sensitive infrastructure (Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative, 2023). These performance indicators reflect a dual narrative: India is at the forefront of digital public innovation, yet its trajectory remains marred by barriers to inclusivity, last-mile service delivery, and institutional adaptability. The conceptual framework of digital governance in India encompasses key principles and mechanisms that collectively aim to bridge these gaps and foster a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. Digital governance extends beyond mere e-Governance or ICT deployment; it refers to the strategic, integrated use of digital tools to transform governance models, improve service delivery, enhance transparency, and facilitate citizen

Introduction 
India’s digital transformation over the past decade has emerged as a defining feature of its governance and developmental strategy, propelled by the ambitious Digital India initiative launched in 2015 by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). With a vision to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy, the initiative seeks to harness the power of information and communication technologies (ICT) to make governance inclusive, efficient, transparent, and responsive. Digital India marks a paradigm shift in how public administration operates, embedding technology at the core of policy delivery, citizen engagement, and institutional coordination across sectors and tiers of government. Creating a robust and scalable digital infrastructure is at the heart of this transformation. Major projects like BharatNet aim to connect 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats via high-speed optical fiber, of which over 1.5 lakh were connected by 2020. Simultaneously, establishing more than 3.7 lakh Common Service Centres (CSCs) has extended digital service delivery to rural and remote areas. These CSCs function as inclusive access points, offering health, education, agriculture, banking, and public utilities services in a culturally and linguistically localized format, catalyzing rural digital entrepreneurship and last-mile inclusion. India’s approach to digital governance extends beyond infrastructure to encompass citizen-centric digital services and platform-based public service delivery models. Platforms such as UMANG, eHospital, BHIMUPI, DigiLocker, eCourts, Tele-Law, and eWay Bills have simplified citizen interaction with the state, enhancing the ease of living and improving administrative efficiency. The Government eMarketplace (GeM) has transformed public procurement by making it more transparent, efficient, and accessible for small businesses and start-ups. The Jan Dhan–Aadhaar–Mobile (JAM) trinity has revolutionized welfare delivery by facilitating Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT) into verified bank accounts, eliminating intermediaries, and saving over ?1.7 lakh crore by 2020.

Introduction 
Digital infrastructure has emerged as the foundational pillar for transforming governance systems in the 21st century, particularly in developing countries like India that aspire to harness digital technologies for inclusive growth and efficient public service delivery. Defined broadly, digital infrastructure encompasses the integrated ecosystem of hardware, software, connectivity networks, data centers, cloud platforms, and institutional frameworks that enable the generation, storage, transmission, and utilization of digital information (Verdecchia, Lago, & de Vries, 2022; Clark, Marin, Ardic Alper, & Galicia Rabadan, 2025). In the context of governance, such infrastructure provides the critical backbone for digital public goods, service delivery platforms, and real-time decision-making systems. India’s strategic thrust towards digitalization since the early 2000s, and particularly after the launch of the Digital India programme in 2015, reflects an ambitious attempt to leverage digital infrastructure not merely as a technological upgrade but as an instrument of governance reform, economic empowerment, and social equity (Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, n.d.-a). Digital infrastructure forms the bedrock of contemporary digital governance, unlocking scalable, secure, and inclusive public service delivery in India. It comprises high-speed broadband networks, State Data Centres, identity platforms, cloud systems, and institutional linkages essential for capturing, processing, storing, and transmitting data across government and citizen-facing services (Aapti Institute, 2024). Since the launch of the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) in 2006, India’s efforts have focused on strategic infrastructure investments like State Wide Area Networks (SWANs), State Data Centres (SDCs), and Common Services Centres (CSCs) to decentralize digital access across states and districts (Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, n.d.-a). Building on the foundation laid by the National e-Governance Plan, the Digital India Mission—initiated in December 2015—elevated infrastructure development to a national policy priority by integrating platforms such as

Information and Communication Technologies can play a major role in bridging the agricultural developmental and regional divide in Maharashtra. Computer, internet, multimedia, CDs, TV, radio, mobile phone, WLL, satellite communication (ISRO's Agriculture Satellite), etc., can help to extend and communicate the knowledge and expertise from best experts and scholars to farmers and villagers who are in need of it. Success of ICT application depends upon its use in meeting local needs and demands of village community. ICT has been used by many to communicate knowledge and provide various services useful to the farmers. We give here briefly some initiative in using ICT for various farm and farmer related activities.

ICT Application for Agriculture development – Initiatives & Programs Virtual Academy for Semi-Arid Tropics (VASAT)

The VASAT is an initiative taken by International Crop Research Institute for Semi-Arid tropics (ICRISAT), for sharing knowledge and information in the CGIAR and NARES partners to enhance the capacity of vulnerable rural families, their MAHA-AGRINET and information intermediaries to cope with drought and desertification and practice improved agriculture and animal husbandry in the SAT of the world.

VASAT is at the initial stage of development, and has started developing content building partnership with various MAHA – AGRINET at international, national and regional / state level. It is going to use ICT in all its operations and proposes to develop hub and spokes model of Dr. Swami nation for Tamil Nadu rural areas. Its website contains an e-library, working documents, a research project database, an image library, meteorological data, IARC training material and other resources. VASAT has identified its partners at the national and international levels; and include Indian research institutions and councils, higher education institutions – both formal and open, corporate bodies, state government bodies and project groups, the Commonwealth of Learning, the International Water Management Institute, South Asia regional office and the International Livestock Research Institute in South Asia. This coalition shares information, knowledge and experiences related to climate literacy, drought preparedness, best practice in dry land agriculture and other issues through the network of the institutions. VASAT offers a compilation of training materials and is currently planning to design, develop and test ICT-based information exchange models, a learning objects repository and proposes to link rural communities and their Organizations with international and national centers of excellence and expertise to support local efforts in drought and desertification management.

Introduction

Mahatma Gandhi once said “India lives in its villages” and looking at the present scenario from the social, economical and political perspectives this statement seems valid even today. According to the World Bank collection of development indicators,around 65.33 percent of total population of India was reported to be Rural population in year 2019. Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by National Statistical offices. Since more than half of the total population of India resides in rural areas Rural Development which is concerned with economic growth and social justice, improvement in the living standard of the rural people by providing adequate and quality social services and minimum basic needs becomes essential.

Superficially, rural development seems to be a simple task but, in reality, it is not. Rural development is based on sustainable development with available resources. Post- Independence era has seen many rural development programmes through different five-year plans. Alleviating poverty, employment generation, more opportunities for generating income, and infrastructure facilities are emphasized through the policies and programmes of the government. Along with this, the panchayat raj institutions have also been initiated by the government to strengthen the democracy at grass roots level. But in India, the scope of development is not narrow but very wide, as it includes not just the economic development but the growth on social front, quality of life, empowerment, women and child development, education and awareness of its citizens. The task of development is so huge and complicated that just implementing government plans is not sufficient to fix the problem. To achieve this, a holistic vision and collaborative efforts was needed which involves various departments, agencies and even NGOs. Owing to such a great need, the number of NGOs in India is increasing rapidly and, large number of NGOs are working for improving the livelihood of rural people.

Paperless to Paperless Libraries

Ancient Gurus in ancient Gurukulas used to impart knowledge to their pupils through oral teaching. The Gurus themselves were treasure troves of knowledge, without the need to refer to hard and soft copies, and online resources. How interesting it is to note we are right now in a nostalgic phase, that takes us back to those ages, when disciples were taught, learned and accumulated oceans of knowledge through oral and moving libraries, which were in the form of their revered Gurus. It is truly fascinating how history has flair to repeat itself. The long-driven transition from paperless back to paperless, that is, from oral instruction through palm leaves through copper plates through virtual paper through electronic to digital libraries is as arduous as it is fascinating. Hence the million dollars question … where to from here – Digital Library, whither thou goest?

Inroduction

In the present I.T. (Information Technology) environment a number of libraries are being converted into digital libraries as the advantages of being a digital library is now well understood by every one. Over the years information has been produced digitally and libraries have become major providers of information in digital format. The information managers should have knowledge of computer, networking, internet and digital resources, etc to manage these resources and provide access to end users.

Introduction

Information and communications technologies (ICT) is defined as a diverse set of technological tools and resources used to transmit, store, create, share or exchange information. These technological tools and resources include mobile phones, computers, the internet (website, blogs, emails), live broadcasting technologies (radio, television and webcasting), recorded broadcasting technologies (podcasting, audio and video players, and storage devices) and telephony.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in agriculture can act as a driving force in the development process. It facilitates marketing decisions, directs the competitive process and simplifies marketing mechanisms. Accuracy, Availability, Applicability and Analysis are the four ‘A’’s of marketing information; a farmer may decide how much to produce, when and where to sell and a trader may expand trade (Behera, 2015).

1. Introduction

Over the years, the library and information environment has seen remarkable changes in its collection, organization and services due to impact of Information Communication Technology (ICT). One of the most significant benefits which libraries have acquired with the help of ICT during past two decades is the Institutional Repositories (IR). IR has changed the image and importance of academic libraries in preserving the institutional knowledge to a great extend. "With the rapid development of Information Communication Technology (ICT), many new services have been introduced in libraries to satisfy the need of users in a better way. Institutional Repository is a type of information service which involves collection, organization, preservation and dissemination of digital scholarly materials such as theses, dissertations, technical reports, journal articles and teaching materials.

India is one of the top producers of food for the entire world. In 2019–20, the nation produced a record 308.65 million tonnes (MT) of food grains. India is the second-largest producer of fruits and vegetables, producing 99.07 million metric tonnes of fruits and 191.77 million metric tonnes of vegetables in 2019–20. Horticulture production in India reached 320.47 million tonnes. India is also the world’s top producer of coconuts, the second-biggest producer of sugar, and the world’s largest producer of milk. In FY20, it was calculated that agriculture, forestry, and fishery contributed a total of Rs. 19.48 lakh crore (USD 276.37 billion).In FY20, India’s gross value added (GVA) at current prices included 17.8% from agricultural and related industries. In India, the expansion of the agricultural industry and related industries has greatly improved.

Elevation or height data of land surface above a defined vertical datum is stored in the form of raster grids which is known as Digital Elevation Model (DEM). The DEM data can be processed to derive many useful parameters like slope, aspect, curvature, roughness, etc. This process of quantitatively describing terrain obtained from DEM data through computation of many variables is known as Digital Terrain Analysis. Digital terrain analysis has applications in the various fields like hydrology, ecology, geomorphology, etc. DEM data for digital terrain analysis are available from the satellites like ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer), Cartosat, ALOS (Advanced Land Observation Satellite), and SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission).

In this exercise, we are going to discuss the derivation of some primary and secondary terrain attributes from DEM data in R software. For performing digital terrain analysis in R, following packages are required.

Introduction

The past few years have been characterized by changes in every walk of life and libraries are no exceptions. Certainly there have been profound changes in the ways we approach and manage libraries and provide basic library services such as bibliographic control, document delivery, presentation, and physical facilities for reading.  The evolution of traditional interlibrary loan services into a full range of document delivery services, new avenues for document acquisions and delivery from traditional methods to “high tech” with the most efficient pathway defined by the user within desired cost and time parameters have set new standard for library resources and services management.

1. Introduction

Disasters are events that occur over a period and cause widespread destruction, suffering, or distress to everything they affect (Oxford English Dictionary, n.d.). The impact of a disaster may be confined to specific areas or widespread and could last for an extended duration, often requiring assistance from external sources to address the aftermath (International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies [IFRC], n.d.). These events can arise from naturally occurring phenomena, such as earthquakes, tornadoes, or floods, as well as man-made occurrences, including industrial accidents (e.g., accidental toxic spills or nuclear power plant events) or acts of terrorism (e.g., bombing or poisoning) (United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction [UNDRR], n.d.). Disasters typically result in significant harm to infrastructure, loss of life, displacement of people, and severe economic consequences.

This chapter outlines the design of Phase One and Phase Two of the research. It outlines the research approaches and methodology utilized in Phase One and Phase Two of the research. The chapter also provides details of the sampling strategies, data sources, collection and analysis of both the phases; and finally addresses ethical issues.

Introduction

In agriculture, plant diseases have always been a major problem, as they cause crop quality to decrease, resulting in yield. Plant disease has a range of effects from minor symptoms to serious damages in whole crop areas, which lead to high financial costs and significantly impact the agricultural economy, particularly in developing countries dependent on a single crop or on a few crops.

Various approaches have been developed to detect disease in order to avoid significant losses. Causal agents have been precisely defined by methods developed in molecular biology and immunology. However, for many farmers these techniques are inaccessible and require detailed knowledge of the field or substantial time and energy to be used. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, most farms in the world are small and family-owned in developed countries. Such families provide food for a significant proportion of the population of the planet. However, hunger and food insecurity are not rare and there is restricted access to markets and services. For the above reasons, a great deal of work has been undertaken in order to establish methods that are sufficiently reliable and available to most farmers. Where Plant disease is an essential factor contributing to a major decline in plant production quality and quantity. Plant disease identification and classification are a significant role in improving plant production and economic development.

Resistance of some plants against a pathogen is due to their belonging to taxonomic groups which are outside the host range of the pathogen. Such resistance is called non host resistance. It is attributed either to genes for resistance (R genes) against the avirulence genes of the pathogen (true, race specific, cultivar-specific, or gene-for-gene type resistance), or to the plants escaping or tolerating pathogen infection due to various reasons (apparent resistance). There are two kinds of true resistance: partial (also called quantitative, polygenic, or horizontal resistance) and R gene resistance (also called race specific, monogenic, or vertical resistance). Several examples of true resistance attributable to, biochemical underpinning or genetic transformation of host plants of major fruit crops viz., apple, pear, apricot, plum, cherry, almond, mango, grapes, banana, citrus, papaya, guava and pomegranate against important plant pathogens are known. Much greater efforts need to be invested, however, for incorporating resistance to diseases in horticultural species because of their huge relevance to socio-economic well being of farming community of the hill regions. The effort in this chapter will be towards synthesizing information which officials of the administrative and development departments can use for drafting plans and policies for promoting protection and up gradation of livelihoods of hill farmers.

Introduction 
As we have journeyed through the preceding chapters, meticulously examining the foundational understanding of crop-weather interactions, the sophisticated development of crop simulation models and decision support systems, the invaluable contributions of indigenous technical knowledge, and the systematic formulation of precise and customized agroadvisories, we now arrive at the decisive stage of this entire endeavor of dissemination of Agromet Advisories. The profound scientific insights and meticulously crafted recommendations, no matter how accurate or relevant, remain inert unless they effectively reach the hands, ears, or screens of the farmers who need them most, in a format they can readily understand and apply. This chapter, therefore, is dedicated to unraveling the complex, yet essential, process of ensuring that crucial agrometeorological information successfully traverses the last mile to translate into tangible impact on agricultural practices and outcomes across diverse landscapes. The challenge of effective dissemination extends far beyond a simple broadcast; it necessitates the establishment of a robust, dynamic, and multichannel communication ecosystem. This ecosystem must be meticulously designed to account for the rich tapestry of socio-economic, technological, and literacy disparities prevalent within farming communities. Historically, traditional methods such as the communal gathering around a radio for a farmer‘s bulletin or face-to-face discussions during village meetings formed the bedrock of knowledge transfer, leveraging established social networks and widely accessible, albeit low-tech, communication tools. However, the relentless march of the digital revolution has fundamentally reshaped this landscape, unveiling an unprecedented potential for expansive reach, enhanced personalization, and rapid delivery of information, thereby opening a myriad of new avenues for disseminating critical advisories with remarkable speed and specificity.

Introduction

Indian economy is characterized predominance of rural population and is heavily dependence on agriculture sector. The major challenges to the growth and prosperity of the country are unemployment and poverty. Various attempts by government in the past have yielded only marginal success. The problem of rural unemployment and poverty can be solved by creating some new avenues for employment generation in the rural areas. Majority of farmers are still using traditional farming practices. The concept of entrepreneurship in agriculture can play vital role in improving their livelihood security and alleviating the poverty.  The individuals involved in farming/industrial activity should posses drive, ambition, foresight, and imaginations to break their traditional barrier, overcome social inertia, transform theory into practice. The individuals performing these functions are the entrepreneurs, and their enterprising ability and skill can be termed as entrepreneurship (Kothari, 1989).

The goal of food for all can be achieved only through sustained efforts in producing, saving and sharing food grains.

The Supreme Court of India has rendered great service by arousing public, professional and political concern about the co-existence of rotting grain mountains and mounting hungry mouths. In several African countries hunger is increasing because food is either not available in the market, or is too expensive for the poor. Food inflation is showing no signs of abating. In our country, chronic hunger is largely poverty induced. The progress made in achieving the UN Millennium Development Goal No. 1, namely, reducing hunger and poverty by half by the year 2015, has been far from satisfactory and the available data indicate that we may have years and years to go before we achieve this target. Globally, the number of persons going to bed hungry has increased from 800 million in the year 2000 to over one billion. The position is likely to get worse in the near term, since the prices of wheat, rice and maize are going up in the global market. Adverse growing conditions in Russia, Canada and Australia are partly responsible for the recent escalation in grain prices. Nearer home, Pakistan is recovering from serious floods. According to a recent UN report, 3.2 million ha of standing crops and 200,000 heads of livestock have been lost. 

Introduction

Agriculture is the main occupation in India which engages nearly 119 million of farmers and 144 million landless labourers (Census 2011). According to the Agriculture Census (2012), about 80 per cent of Indian farmers fall under the small and marginal category. The average size of land holding in India is 1.15 ha which will tend to decrease in coming years due to land fragmentation, industrialization and urbanization which are forcing farmers to quit farming and look for more viable livelihood options (Bhattacharyya et al. 2018). Specially small and marginal farmers are exposed to high risk of farming due to climate vagaries, uncertainties in production and market demand, lack of access to support services and markets, limited scope of farm mechanization and the consistent failure of half-hearted government efforts which have been unable to make farming an exciting profession to the old as well as new generations. In Indian context, agriculture has never been a profession for the literate section of the society due to lower production and profitability. NSSO report (2012-13), in alignment with the current scenario, says 40 per cent farmers want to quit agriculture if they get alternatives.

Owing to several biotic and abiotic stresses, the problem of agrarian distress in India has accentuated in recent years. Government of India has taken initiative in its annual budget of 2016-17 and initiate a number of steps to alleviate agrarian distress and improve the situation before the fight for food security faces disastrous challenge from mass migration of Indian farmers to other occupations. The steps taken by the Government of India are improving irrigation efficiency, providing crop insurance, improving market infrastructure and its efficiency, promoting organic farming, restoring soil health and so on.

Introduction

Owing to several biotic and abiotic stresses, the problem of agrarian distress in India has accentuated in recent years. The Indian government set a target of doubling farmers’ income by 2022–2023 in its annual budget for 2016–17 and started a number of initiatives to achieve this goal, including better irrigation efficiency, crop insurance, market infrastructure improvements, organic farming promotion, soil health restoration, and others. The pathway for doubling of farmers’ income encompasses several dimensions, from production to post-harvest management. These include: bridging yield gap, crop diversification, improvements in total factor productivity and proper management of irrigation (GoI, 2007, Evenson et al. 1999) alongwith the provisions of market and institutional support for efficient post-harvest management. With respect to Himachal Pradesh, in order to improve the productivity levels of existing crop enterprises and promote the diversification of cropping systems, various steps have been taken by the line departments which include the creation of water harvesting and irrigation infra-structure, skill up gradation of farmers, subsidy on critical inputs like seed, fertilizers, plant protection materials, market access through information technology and village road network, crop insurance schemes, etc. The impact of these interventions is reflected through the continuous increase in the productivity levels and inclination of farming community towards the adoption of new crop enterprises vegetables and fruit crops.

1.1 R and R studio

R has become the world-wide language for statistics, predictive analytics, and data visualization. R is not limited to statistics; it has a wide range of tools for spatial analysis and digital image analysis and can handle any process needed for image analysis flexibly. It offers a wide range of methodologies for digital image processing, from the most basic to the most complex. As an open source project, it’s freely available for a range of platforms, including Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. An integrated development environment (IDE) for R, R Studio, allows interactive execution of R functions with user interface. RStudio is available in two formats - RStudio Desktop and RStudio Server - both available in free and fee-based (commercial) editions.

1.1.1. Download and install R

The R software setup files can be downloaded from any of the widely distributed Comprehensive R Archive Network (CRAN). To download R, please choose your preferred CRAN mirror, a location close to you. Follow the following steps:

Drainage is the natural or artificial removal of excess water from a surface or sub-surface from an area or field or soil or greenhouse. The internal drainage of most agricultural soils in greenhouse is good enough to prevent severe waterlogging. Water logging creates anaerobic conditions that harm root growth in absence of oxygen. Soils need artificial drainage to improve production or to manage water supplies in certain conditions. Though the roots need moisture but they need oxygen too and poor drainage is g result in roots rotting and death of plants.

The irrigation water inside the greenhouse may accumulate and cause anaerobic condition. Similarly plants in pots should not accumulate water. Water should not stand in pots and beds for longer period. If it stays longer drainage is poor and needs to be corrected. It is better to have good drainage system in greenhouses or protected structures.

Besides irrigation rains water seeps in the greenhouse. The drainage system prevents running or its accumulation in low lying portion of the greenhouse. Drainage system in greenhouses is a must for avoiding damage to the crops.

4.2.1. Gear boxes

It is a unit fitted after the clutch. Forms a part of transmission and provides speed and torque conversions from a rotating power source to another device using gear ratios. Its primary function is to change the speed of the tractor to cater to varying field, road and load condition. It also helps in reversing the tractor.

Gears are usually made of alloy steel. Since the tractor has to transmit heavy torque all the time, the best quality lubricants, free from sediments, grit, alkali and moisture, are used for lubrication. SAE 90 oil is generally recommended for gear box.

The description about gear boxes stated below pertains to major tractors manufactured in India. The number of teeth in each of the gear and the engagement between gears of the main shaft and the corresponding gear on the counter/lay shaft also change in different tractors evolved over a period of time. Hence, information hosted in this section is only indicative.

Aerial photography is objective of getting panoramic view of earth surface to analyze the features of earth and their interrelation at particular time period which may be changed in further events. In this concerned, the observation may play a vital role in achieving the goals of photography. Undoubtedly it is widely used in social function and so on, but still awaited for scientific or research use. Drone can measure the geometry of ground surface at lower altitude with more accuracy in the form of visual feature in natural colour. flight height of drone mainly limits the large area coverage due to lower flying and drone can work perfectly at low altitude planning with good quality feature/photography.

Agricultural drones have emerged as important tools for precision farming, crop surveillance, and field-level data acquisition. This chapter introduces drones as aerial intelligence platforms capable of collecting high-resolution spatial and spectral information about crops, soil, and environmental conditions. It discusses drone architecture, sensing technologies, remote sensing, crop monitoring workflows, and crop health assessment. Artificial intelligence and machine learning enable efficient analysis of aerial imagery for disease detection, irrigation management, precision spraying, crop stress assessment, and yield prediction. The chapter also examines autonomous drones, drone swarms, IoT integration, edge computing, and digital twins. Operational limitations, regulatory considerations, data management, and sustainability implications are also addressed.

There are reports in financial newspapers that the ongoing (2010) drought affecting nearly 200 districts in the country may not have much effect on GDP, since the farmers in the drought-affected areas contribute hardly 3 per cent to GDP.  It is sad that such a measure of the impact of drought on the lives and livelihoods of millions of rural families is even considered. It is this mindset, typical of the growing insensitivity to human suffering in our country, that is responsible for India being the home for the largest number of undernourished and malnourished children, women and men in the world.  No wonder we are finding it difficult to achieve the first among the UN Millennium Development Goals, namely, reducing hunger and poverty by half by 2015.  Unless we realise that agriculture in India is not just a food- producing machine, but is the backbone of the livelihood of over 60 per cent of our population, rural deprivation and suffering will not only continue to persist, but will get worse, leading to severe social unrest.

Although women work in household chores, agricultural activities, factories, and different workplaces in days of yore, their valuable work is still not recognized as a financial entity (Kathrivel and Sivakumar, 2003). The multiple roles performed by ‘Nari shakti share many working hours, but financial terms are off the records. Women’s power at construction work is greater utilization as labour and their daily routine employment.