eChapters

Abstract

Women play a critical and potentially transformative role in agricultural growth in developing countries but they face persistent obstacles and economic constraints limiting their potential inclusion in agriculture. The feminization of agriculture is determined by two major factors, first compared to men, women have much poorer access to and control over productive resources and they have inadequate access to public services, such as training, extension and credit. Women farmers often lack the know-how and the confidence to use the improved technology and most of the new technologies. The reason being most of these advancements are aimed at male specific end users. Giving support to rural women is a way of breaking the vicious cycle that leads to rural poverty so there is need to cut the drudgery of women farmers and make their efforts worthwhile and economical. Development strategies should consider rural women as the epicenter, paying special attention to their social skills both within and without agriculture sector. In terms of equity, women overall have lower awareness of AAS than men do, indicating the importance of targeting women in communications efforts. More trainings are required to generate interest and motivate farm women to learn about the AAS and use it. Closing the gender productivity gap could increase agricultural output in by a significant amount. Increased production would also imply increased food availability and reductions in undernourishment. Integrating Gender and Agriculture within Agricultural Extension System empowers families, helps women to contribute to household incomes, increases productivity & reduces gender gaps in agriculture.

Abstract

Livestock sector plays an important role in rural livelihood, employment and income generation and is a preferred entrepreneurial area for women and unemployed youths. There are enormous enterprises to venture in livestock sector such dairy, poultry, sheep rearing, goatry, piggery, fisheries, hatcheries, processing, organic dairy, organic poultry, value added products, feed and fodder products, pet-vet consultancy and clinic etc. Women constitute about 69% of workforce engaged in livestock sector right from rearing of animals to production and product development activities. Market oriented milk & milk product production as well as poultry production will be key livestock activities to generate income on a steady daily basis for resource poor households. Livestock-based enterprises are pathways out of poverty for many people in developing countries like India, for whom animals are source of nourishing foods and regular incomes. With demands for milk, meat and eggs rising fast in many developing countries, the raising marketing of animals and animal products also allows many people to take advantage of the new growth opportunities in this sector. The projection of human population in India shows an increasing trend with alarming rate which in turn increases the demand for food especially of animal origin.

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.

It is an organized set up to provide micro credit to the rural women on the strength of the group savings without insisting on any collateral security for the purpose of encouraging them to enter in to entrepreneurial activities and for making them enterprising women (Gurumoorthy, 2000).

Puhanzhendi and Badatya (2002) find that the SHG programme has a positive social impact.

Rajamohan (2003) stated that SHG is a medium for the development of saving habit among the women.

Jeyasudha (2004) reported that eradication of poverty and the ushering in of speedy socioeconomic progress is the goal with which the developmental programmes are being implemented through a multipronged strategy, reaching out to the most disadvantaged sections of the society. She placed the concept of rural development at the top of agenda in national policies of developing countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America. The developed countries have also recognized this need and have directed their efforts towards meeting the basic needs of the poorest people in developing countries.

The study is confined to tribal zone of Orissa, especially of Koraput district where tribes account for 49.69% of the district population. The sample SHG were selected from Sadar, Similiguda and Koraput blocks without any prejudice to their performance. At the outset, it is admitted that SHG has created a sensation among the tribes to look forward the development process. The present study ‘SHG in Techno-Economic Empowerment of Tribal Women’ has been conceived to find out inter-play of technological and economic variables that reflect in social status.

Membership status

SHG starts with the philosophy of micro-approach. Small sized group dynamics, available technology and economic opportunity linked with market structure are the perceived objectives to bring change in livelihood system. The study considered the age of SHG, present membership status, rate of discontinuance as the basic factors of SHG in tribal zone.

For achieving the inclusive and sustainable development of the tribal communities in the selected areas we believe that imparting technical know-how of improved agricultural practices, development of vocational skills among rural resource-poor schedule tribes and ensuring the availability of quality technological input material will be instrumental. Considering these facts, in order to enhance the livelihood of the tribal communities in the selected district of Bihar this intervention project was designed with the following objectives.

Food fortification is the procedure in which micronutrients (essential trace elements and vitamins) are added to the food. As a public health policy fortification can be carried out by the food manufacturers or by the governments to help people in combatting dietary deficiencies within a population. Fortification can be done in food even if these nutrients are originally present or not. However, it improves the nutritional status of a population by overcoming the deficiencies of micronutrients. Deficiency of micronutrients is known as hidden hunger which is a serious health risk. Access to safe and nutritious food is a must.Due to the lack of consumption of a balanced diet, adequate micronutrients are not supplied to the body. Therefore, there is a considerable loss of nutrients during the processing of food. One of the strategies to address this problem is fortification of food.

For Indian foods

Food processing industries are the fastest growing in India. India is the largest producer of milk, bananas, mangoes, guavas, papaya, ginger and okra. It is the second largest producer of wheat, rice, fruits, vegetables, tea, sugarcane and cashew nut. It is the third largest producer of cereals, coconut, lettuce, chicory, nutmeg, mace, cardamom and pepper at the global level (Highlights of Agriculture Census, 2010-11, http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=132799). Most part of the income is spent on foods. It is important to establish and nurture mutually beneficial relationships with global food processing, food retail and related supply chain organizations. This will in turn help in the realization of significant business growth opportunities in India, through newer technologies, innovations and ways of value additions. The geographical location of India helps in the export of items to other countries. It is connected to Europe, Middle East and Africa from the western coast and to Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Korea, Australia and New Zealand from the eastern coast. Food processing is a priority sector for the Indian Government, especially in recent times with “Make in India” initiative.The country is considered as one of the most favourable markets because of the easy and affordable credit and other fiscal incentives. The total consumption of food and beverages in India is US$ 369 billion which is expected to increase to US$1.142 trillion and the output in the food processing sector might increase to US$ 958 billion by 2025. This offers a vast market opportunity by the Indian food processing, food retail, transport, logistics and related infrastructure sectors to players in the food processing value chain. The market for plant and machinery in the food processing sector is estimated in the year 2024-25 to be USD 51.41 billion as compared to the current value of USD 17.3 billion (2016-17).

7.1. Summary of Findings

This study dealing with the examination of various advantages of commodity futures market to farmers, RMC traders and RMC officials along with the level of awareness about this market among these selected beneficiaries is presented in brief. This chapter summarizes the findings. It begins with the interpretation of the significant findings derived from both secondary and primary analysis. This is followed by suggestions, the section on major contributions of the present study to the existing body of knowledge, on the role of commodity futures market in agricultural development of the state.

Basics of effective oral presentation : Planning , preparing (Introduction, Body and conclusion), Delivery, Body language and Handling anxiety-Strategies for giving oral presentation

Oral presentation means delivering an address to a public audience. It also refers to public speaking and/or speech-making. It is a brief discussion of a defined topic delivered to a public audience in order to impart knowledge or to stimulate discussion. The skill in oral presentation is equally as important as effective writing. Almost every oral presentation contains an introduction, main body and conclusion like a short paper. Though it is a formal speech in nature or vocal performance to an audience, it may occasionally require adequate planning and thorough preparation in using one’s voice, body language and visual aids such as slideshows to present and illustrate the points more effectively and to achieve the desired results.

Body languages such as eye contact, facial expression, posture and gesture plays a significant role in oral presentation process. The proper use of the voice and the ability to adjust it to suit the slightest differences of meaning are also very important in oral presentation. In addition to correct pronunciation, variation in pitch and cadence, free from speech mannerism, fluency in delivery are also very important in oral presentation.

Meaning-Steps for individual presentation; Group presentation-Meaning-Stages of group presentation; Impromptu presentation.

A Presentation is the process of presenting a topic to an audience. It is typically a demonstration, introduction, lecture, or speech meant to inform, persuade, inspire, motivate, or to build good will or to present a new idea or product.

Individual Presentations allow a person to completely control the thoughts, ideas, and methods of presenting without outside influence. Individual presentations allow someone to work at their own leisure and pace.

The practice of showing and explaining the content of a topic to an audience or learner is known as presentation. A presentation is a process of offering for consideration or display.

Presentations can also be categorized as expository or persuasive. They can also be impromptu, extemporaneous, written, or memorizes. But it’s more important to focus on their purpose. There are three basic purposes for giving presentations:

ABSTRACT

World is suffering from coronavirus infection since the end of 2019. Corona virus disease spraying rapidly throughout the world from the beginning of 2020, for that cause it is declared as pandemic by WHO in march 2020. As no proper remedy found for this particular new disease till the date it is become oblivious to maintain social distancing and lock down. Due to the situation each and every sector including the education system totally stopped from March 2020. But we have to maintain the flow of education. Many of the educational institution of India promoted e learning for their students. To avoid coronavirus infection social contact as well as to carry out classes in regular manner, it is become necessary to promote e learning everywhere. But in India the situation is different because Steel we are a poor country where a good number of people do not have a smart phone even. There are many challenges in promotion of e-Learning during this coronavirus pandemic situation in India. In present paper we are going to discuss about some challenges in promotion of e-learning due to coronavirus pandemic situation.

ABSTRACT

The advent and implementation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in library operations changed the overall information scenario. The format of libraries, information resources and user expectations are completely changing. Similarly, the role of librarian is continuously changing in the digital era. No library can fulfill the informational demands of the users; hence, resource sharing is required between the libraries. Consortiums are developed to enable the institutions to access the rich and scholarly resources at an affordable cost. The present paper discusses the basic concept of resource sharing, consortium types, need, advantages and disadvantages and its role in sharing information.

Keywords: ICT, Consortium, Library consortia, Resource sharing.

ABSTRACT

This study addresses the many ICT-based services provided to readers as well as access to E-resources by Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith, University users. It raises awareness of technology in libraries and why it is important to comprehend the usage of ICT in libraries in order to provide better library services and information to users. Essentially, the article describes several technologies and their applications in library operations. The study has discussed how library services are spurred by the use of technology such as OPAC, E-ShodhSindhu, E- books and E-journals, and so on. The current study examines several library activities that make use of ICTs. The goal of this paper is to demonstrate the use of various ICTs and E-resources by user of the university for rapid and easy information retrieval.

BSTRACT

This paper discusses the various issues and concerns about the electronic information resources, which includes mainly such as e-journals, e-books and e-databases etc. In this digital era, the library should be well equipped with trendy facilities & resources within the sort of books, manuscripts, technical journals, standards, conference proceedings, theses, reports, databases, and all the electronic versions of information resources. Various issues and concerns, which are related with the electronic resources and their management is discussed in detailed in this paper.

Keywords: ICT, Electronic resources, e-journals, Electronic resource management.

6.1 List Introduction

1. List is a collection of different values or different types of items.

2. Unlike array in c/c++/java a list is capable of storing different types of values under one roof.

3. The items in the list are separated with the comma (,) and enclosed with the square brackets [].

4. List provides us the facility to store multiple types of in a single unit.

Example:

a=[“ram”,1,“shyam”,12.5]

b=[1,2,3,4]

a[0]=ram

a=[“ram”,1,“shyam”,12.5]

print(a)

print(a[0])

ram

17.1 Modules

• A module is a file containing python definitions and statements.

• A python module is (.py file) containing variables, class definitions, statement and function related to a particular task. The major feature of having module is that its content can be reused in other programs, without having to rewrite or recreate them.

• They are executed only the first time the module name is encounter in an import statement.

Type of modules:

• User defined modules

• Built-in modules

Ex.-array, math, numpy, sys, etc.

Use Case 1: Supply Chain Traceability

1. Description: Blockchain can enable end-to-end traceability of agricultural products, ensuring transparency and authenticity. It allows tracking the journey of a product from farm to fork, providing consumers with detailed information about its origin, processing, and storage conditions.
2. Current Scenario: The lack of transparency in supply chains often leads to food fraud and safety concerns. Consumers are increasingly demanding more information about the products they consume.
3. How Blockchain Adds Value: Blockchain technology can securely record and store data about each step of the supply chain, including details about farming practices, transportation, and storage conditions. This transparency builds trust and ensures food safety.
4. Statistics: According to a survey conducted by Label Insight, 94% of consumers are likely to be loyal to a brand that offers transparency, including detailed information about product origin and quality.
5. Startups: Provenance, a UK-based startup, uses blockchain to trace the journey of seafood products, promoting sustainability and ethical sourcing.

In modem days, many informations receive through electronic media with instant connecting by satellite based information on social, economical, environmental etc. the informations are coded with feasible electronic encrypt and delivered to people. Similarly remote sensing, GIS (Geographical Information System) and GPS (Global Positioning System) also serve world for better understanding the ground reality along with reducing cost of operation, transforming data through electronic webs easily. In earlier phase, ground related information was not easily obtained because all kind of work had been done manually using analog maps of earth; even map draw was done by drafting from totposheet or hand maps, no interface of analog and digital world.

The information of image is perfectly accepted by eyes when the image will be in convenient form. Always pictures accurately detail about information related to their position, sizes and inter-related with each other is objects. Actually images portray positional information which can be recognized as objects. Human eyes are exact example for differentiating that information from images to innate visual and mental ability.

Despite of pandemic the Indian economy has been growing consistently and Agriculture sector also maintained the momentum. Let us have an overview of investments in India’s agritech startups during 2019-2022:

1. Total investment: $2.5 billion
2. Number of deals: 234
3. Average deal size: $10.7 million
4. Top sectors: Market linkage (52%), Farm management (25%) & Agri- inputs (18%)
5. Key drivers of investment: Growing demand for food and agricultural products, Increasing adoption of technology in the agricultural sector and Government support for the agricultural sector

The Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers was founded in Rochdale, England, in 1844 and soon became a prototype for cooperatives worldwide. Its governance structure, known as the Rochdale Principles, is still a key guideline for the design of cooperatives. The social dislocations of the Industrial Revolution inspired workers and enlightened entrepreneurs to establish cooperative societies since the beginning of the nineteenth century.

Technology spurs Agricultural productivity through various scientific methods and innovations which is evidenced by the success of the Green revolution leading to agricultural development.

The Green Revolution arrived in India in 1968 and had a remarkable impact on the world of agriculture by increasing production yield by 2.5 times, amounting to approximately 2 billion tones, which has been noted as the world’s highest growth rate in the agriculture sector. Because of the science and technologies used in the form of

In the present scenario, team formation is the key enabler for getting all sorts of benefit in organizational perspective as well as benefit sharing perspective. So, in any organizational atmosphere team plays a pivotal role in performance of human resources in organization through contributing to the organizational goal. Successful organizations today know that teams make a big difference in achieving strategic goals. Teams that are strong, flexible, and productive can be the competitive edge needed to produce better results, achieve higher quality, lower costs for the organization and the customer. With active involvement, high-performing teams can help promote employees bottom line results, as well as their adaptability, quality, service, and safety. To achieve these objectives, teams have to start doing things differently. Team members and leaders need to communicate more effectively with each other, encourage more involvement, tap into one another’s creativity, overcome the group’s resistance to change, and renew team spirit. But this change can also create difficulty for some who may lack the knowledge, understanding, or a mindset that is conducive to teamwork. Team Building for high performance teams is designed to provide skills and promote high levels of team performance and team member satisfaction. Consequently, team building is required for knowing each other within the organizational team, boosting morale, improving communication and relationships, making the workplace more enjoyable, motivating a team, getting everyone “onto the same page” including goal setting, teaching the team self-regulation strategies, helping participants to learn more about themselves (strengths and weaknesses), identifying and utilizing the strengths of team members, improving team productivity, identifying and developing leadership skills and practicing effective collaboration with team members. Group is a collection of two or more interacting individuals with a stable pattern of relationships among them, who share common goals and who perceive themselves as being a group. Group essentially consists of social interaction, stable structure, common interests, perceive themselves as part of group.

Introduction

As India was struggling to feed her population through “ship-to-mouth” strategy, the agricultural scientists focused on the enhancing the food grain production of India so that the country became self-sufficient. Through tireless efforts our country ushered into Green Revolution which marked the beginning of the era of self-sufficiency for India. The efforts of researchers were seamlessly taken to fields and communicated to masses by the efficient extension professionals of our country. The focus of extension was “Production Led”. But as time passed, India became self-sufficient in major food crops, the farmers started facing problems of marketing their surplus produce. Market gluts, non-remunerative prices, distress sales and emergence of exploitative middle men made farmers all the more helpless. It was at this time when the concept of “Production Led Extension” was thought of being reformed to “Market Led Extension” (MLE). As of today, MLE has helped many farmers market their produce easily and fetch remunerative prices of the produce. Agricultural, livestock, fisheries and all allied sectors have received benefit from this approach of extension.

Monitoring and Evaluation are the two management tools that help in keeping a control on the extension programmes as well as raising the level of performance. Monitoring refers to an organized process of overseeing and checking the activities undertaken in a project, to ascertain whether it is capable of achieving the planned results or not. Conversely, evaluation is a scientific process that gauges the success of the projector programme in meeting the objectives. The primary difference between monitoring and evaluation is that while monitoring is a continuous activity, performed at the functional level of management, evaluation is a periodic activity, performed at the business level.

Introduction

In India, the concept of commercialization of technology from R&D is relatively new in most sectors; especially in agriculture & animal Husbandry. The Government of India has recently announced the “National Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) policy (GOI, 2016a). The policy advocates promotion of a holistic and conducive ecosystem for catalyzing the intellectual property for economic, socio-cultural development and protecting public interest. The policy document put forth seven objectives namely i) IPR awareness: outreach and promotion, ii) generation of IPRs, iii) legal and legislative framework, iv) administrative management, v) commercialization of IPR, vi) enforcement and adjudication and vii) human capital development. The policy aims at strengthening the national initiatives such as- Make in India, Skill India, Startup India, Smart Cities, Digital India (GOI, 2016). The flagship program of the Government like Startup India aims at building a strong ecosystem for nurturing innovations and Start-ups in the country (GOI, 2016). Under this, Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) is the action plan envisaged with the focus on promotion of entrepreneurship and innovation in sectors such as manufacturing, agriculture, health and education (GOI, 2016).

Introduction

A population is the set of all objects we wish to study. A sample is part of the population we study to learn about the population. A census may be defined as an enumeration or evaluation of every member of a population. A parameter is any measurement that describes an entire population. A statistic is any measurement computed from a sample of the individual observations made. As per Best (1977), "Research is considered to be more formal, systematic, and intensive process of carrying on a scientific method of analysis."

Social media can be defined as any media dedicated to community based input, interaction, content sharing and collaboration. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Whatsapp, Google Plus, Hike Messenger, Pinterest, Reddit, Instagam, WeChat, Skype, YouTube are some of the social networking sites that have received tremendous response from billions of people all over the world.

Earlier, there were mass media like pamphlets, booklets, newspapers, radio, television, etc. to connect with the masses. These traditional mass medias were mostly based on one way conversation. Various researchers, scientists, policy makers, government and non-government organizations, research institutions utilized these traditional mass media to the fullest but mostly with a limitation of one way communication and farmers have to rely on the information mashed on them. In last decade, the social networking services (SNS) have emerged as a wonderful and powerful social media.

The core concept of empowerment is the idea of power and thought of control. Empowerment is the process of strengthening, encouraging, obtaining opportunities, and mobilizing assets and resources for the welfare of individuals, groups or masses. Over the past two decades, discourse and focus on the concept of empowerment have steadily and relentlessly increased within international development discourse. Empowerment has evolved to develop a more extensive physical and mental well-being, freedom from domestic violence, unpaid work and reproductive health. However, the wealthy body of work has wrangled the thought of empowerment of women.

India has experienced marked changes, both at international and national levels. Technological progress, ICT penetration in rural and urban areas, and changes in current government policies have resulted in changes in the country’s social structure and power relations. The government initiated various programmes like Rashtriya Mahila Kosh (RMK), Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas (DWCRA), Mahila e-Haat, and Support to Training & Employment Programme (STEP) etc. are there to improve the state of rural women. 

Women have been seen as necessary as a man. The status of the women and the work progress of the women have been seen as a nation’s overall progress. Without the penetration of women in socio-economic and political activities, the country is considered to stagnate. Still, the devaluation of women commences at birth with the preference for male offspring. This continues through childhood conditioning to the submissive and, later on, the subservient role required of them in the marital home.

A woman is the backbone of the family. The Self-reliance of women is the first step in the nation’s development. For generations, women have fought for their existence. Women’s softness and humility have developed new dimensions of self-reliance; as a result, the image of a woman with a veil of weakness has ended.

The position of women in ancient times was excellent. The most significant decline occurred in the status of women during the Mughal period. 

Rural development has always been an important issue in all discussions pertaining to economic development, especially of developing countries, throughout the world. In the developing countries and some formerly communist societies, rural mass comprise a substantial majority of the population. Over 3.5 billion people live in the Asia and Pacific region and some 63% of them in rural areas. Although millions of rural people have escaped poverty as a result of rural development in many Asian countries, a large majority of rural people continue to suffer from persistent poverty. 

Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana (SGRY)

This scheme has been merged with NREGS since February 2006 so only most important points are given below.

1. The Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana (SGRY) was launched on 25 September, 2001 by merging the on-going schemes of EAS (Employment Assurance Scheme) and the JGSY (Jawahar Gram Samridhi Yojna)
2. Objective was to providing additional wage employment and food security, alongside creation of durable community assets in rural areas.
3. The annual outlay was Rs.10, 000 crore which included 50 lakh tones on food grains.
4. The cash component shared between the Centre and the States in the ratio of 75:25.

Origin

The term communication stems from the Latin word “Communis” meaning “common”. This implies that when we communicate, we are trying to establish ‘commonality’ with someone through a message. Communication, then, is a conscious attempt to establish ce, it is a process of getting a source and a receiver tuned together for a particular message or a series of message.

Definitions of communication

Models Definitions

In social science research a model is a tentative description of what a social process, say the communication process or a system might be like. It is atool of explanation and analyses, very often in a diagrammatic form, to show how the various elements of a situation being studied relate to each other.

What is a Model?

Concept of uncertainty

Uncertainty refers to a scenario in which a person is unsure of what will happen, i.e. when all possible outcomes of events are unknown, and neither the likelihood nor the outcomes are known. Uncertainty cannot be quantified; however, risk may be quantified using probability principles.

Farming is a financially hazardous profession. Farmers face an ever-changing panorama of possible pricing, yield, and other outcomes that affect their financial returns and overall well-being on a daily basis. Because the effects of decisions or events are frequently unknown until long after they occur, the outcomes may be better or worse than planned. When aggregate crop output or export demand fluctuates dramatically, for example, farm prices can swing dramatically, and farmers may see returns that are significantly below their expectations (Bairwa et al., 2013).

India is an agriculture based country where more than half of the population depends upon agriculture. Agriculture is a primary source of livelihood for about 58% of the population of the country. Indian agriculture sector contributes about 17% of Indian’s gross domestic product (GDP) and provide employment to 50% of the country workforce (DES, 2019). The diverse ecohabitat of the Himalayan region of the country hosts a wide range of plant diversity as well as crop diversity on which native people rely for their food and nutritional security. The hilly regions of the country are potential source of agriculture production having diversified weather conditions comprises of temperate and subtropical climatic conditions and covers about 35% of total geographical area of the country. As far as agriculture is concern, agriculture marketing has been an important aspect of rural population as it provides essential links between farm producers and consumers.

Introduction

Agricultural extension has been developing from past more than 100 years. The term was first used by Universities of Cambridge and Oxford, in the year 1867. Chinese people have been following extension approximately from past 2000 years. There are four generations of agricultural extension in Asia: colonial, diverse top-down, unified top-down and diverse bottom-up extension. Communication takes place mainly in two ways in extension system: paternalism versus participation and persuasion versus education, which aims to change behaviour of rural people. Many approaches have emerged in extension which includes ICT based extension.

Introduction

Cherry (PrunusaviumL.) is considered as one of the most important temperate deciduous fruit and is the season’s first tree fruit to reach the market. Cherries are rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals and have more calories than apple. Most of the present day cherry cultivars are of European origin. The annual world production as of 2012-13 of cultivated cherry fruit is about 2.5 million tonnes. Around 40 per cent of the world production originates from Europe and 13 per cent in the United States. The other important global players during 2012-13 were Turkey (4,80,740 MT), United States (3, 84,646 MT), Iran (200,000 MT) and Italy (1, 04,766 MT) (FAO, 2012). Important sweet cherry cultivars include Bing, Brooks, Tulare, King, Sweetheart, Rainier etc.

Introduction

Agriculture is India is mostly production oriented restricted in huge number of uneven small holdings and plays a key role in the Indian economy. Cultivation of fruits and vegetables has emerged as profitable venture and it is not only providing nutritional security but also provides a substantial employment to rural people as well as open the door for export. India is the second largest producer of vegetables, next only to China, in the world with a production of 40 million tonnes from four million hectares of land area. In India, vegetables are grown in an area 1, 10, 65 thousand hectares with the production of 1, 99,882 thousand metric tonnes. Uttar Pradesh is the largest producer of vegetable production in the country (14.80 %) followed by West Bengal (14.12 %), Madhya Pradesh (10.30%), Bihar (8.88 %), Maharashtra (8.39 %), Gujarat (7.84 %), Odisha (4.76 %) and Karnataka (4.05 %) (NHB, 2021).

Introduction

“If agriculture goes wrong, nothing else will have a chance to go right in the country”,these words by Dr MS Swaminathan known as the ‘Father of Green Revolution’ in India, itself highlights the importance of agriculture and its allied sectors in Indian economy. India is an agrarian nation with about 140 million farmers and net sown area equals to 42.4% of the total geographical area. Its agriculture sector has always played and will continue to play a major role in its economic growth. As per the First Advance Estimates of National Income, 2021-22 released by National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics & ProgrammeImplementation, the contribution of agriculture and its allied sectors stand at approximately 18.8 % of India’s Gross Value Added (GVA) at current prices during 2021-22, depicting a growth of 3.9%.In addition, agriculture is also the largest employment generating sector in India as approximately 55% of the total workforce is engaged in agriculture and its allied sector activities. It is the main source of income security of rural households in India. Since ancient times, agriculture and livestock keeping are complementary professions that rural households have undertaken for their survival.

Mushrooms are regarded as a macro-fungus with a distinctive fruiting body which can be either epigeous or hypogeous and large enough to be seen with the naked eyes and to be picked by hand (Chang and Miles, 1992). Hundreds of identified species of mushrooms, since time immemorial, have made a significant global contribution to human food and medicine (Marshall and Nair, 2009). Mushrooms have been a part of the human diet and used as both food and medicine for centuries and their importance is well established in many spheres of human life as well as ecosystem functions. They are known to produce enough amount of protein rich quality food which is of high biological value and appropriate for all age groups. Edible mushrooms are recognized not only as delicacy but also as food in human diet. They are consumed not only for their innate ation and taste but also for their important nutritional value. 

Introduction Since about 10,000 years ago, men and women have been rearing livestock and producing crops. Information about agricultural practices can be found in documents dating back over 3,000 years from ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and China. Agricultural extension services have evolved and developed in many parts of the world to address agricultural systems’ unique challenges and requirements. These initiatives aimed to provide farmers with scientific knowledge, technological advancements, and improved farming practices to enhance agricultural productivity.

Introduction The primary mission of extension services is to facilitate desirable changes in human behaviour through educational means. These changes can encompass various aspects, including knowledge, skills, attitudes, understanding, goals,actions, and confidence. Effective communication is the cornerstone of an extension worker’s role. Their responsibility extends beyond merely informing farmers about improved practices; they are tasked with ensuring that the results of research and field trials are practically applied by farmers. Nevertheless, extension workers often encounter perplexing questions in their line of work.

Introduction The term ‘communication’ originates from the Latin word ‘Communis’, means the act of imparting, participating, and transmitting or the notion of making something common or sharing it among individuals. Communication encompasses the multifaceted process of sharing and exchanging ideas, emotions, information, and experiences between two or more individuals. It embodies the act of transmitting thoughts or expressions, serving as a vital conduit for the flow of knowledge and understanding. Essentially, it is aligning a sender and receiver for a specific message or series of messages. Leagans (1961) states that communication is the process by which two or more people exchange ideas, facts, feelings or impressions in ways that each gains a common understanding of the meaning, intent and use of messages. Effective communication is not just about issuing orders; it is about fostering comprehension (Suresh, 2003). It beyond imparting knowledge to enabling a profound understands (TNAU, 2012).

Editing

Editing is the process of refining the content, structure, grammar, and presentation of a written work. Editing is done to make sure that your thoughts are communicated to the reader as clearly as possible.

It takes more than just changing a word, adding a comma here and there, and fixing spelling errors to edit a tale. The procedures below must be followed in order to edit effectively.

1. Read the story from beginning to end first. The writer’s intent will become clearer to you at this point. Then check to see if it addresses the following queries: what? Why? Where? When? Who? and how - regarding the topic.

2. Make your notes in the margin while keeping these inquiries in mind.

3. Next, consider the general level of education and comprehension of your magazine or letter’s readers. Make a note of every word you believe they won’t comprehend.

4. Next, determine how long the story should be. What room in your magazine can you offer it? It is preferable to rewrite the story rather than attempt to condense it by omitting some details if you need a very brief copy.

5. Verify that the information is logically ordered and, if a process story, that the directions are comprehensive and given in the right sequence.

4.1 The Meaning of Journalism

The profession and practice of journalism entail gathering, confirming, analysing, and distributing news and information to the general public. Reporters, often known as journalists, are essential to the accurate, timely, and insightful coverage of events, problems, and advancements that have an impact on society. They are responsible for presenting the facts, providing diverse viewpoints, and conveying information in a clear, objective, and ethical manner.

6.1 Role of Media in Democracy: Introduction

The media is the fourth pillar of democracy. The media has a critical role in creating a democratic culture that transcends the political system and gradually enters the general public's consciousness. Voters rely on the political information provided by the media to make their selections. They facilitate discussion and help discover issues facing our society.