eChapters

Impact assessment extends programme evaluation by examining the broader and longer-term changes associated with an intervention, programme, policy or technology. In agricultural extension and rural development, impact assessment is important for determining whether interventions have produced meaningful, sustainable and attributable changes in farming communities, livelihoods, technology adoption, institutional systems and environmental conditions. This chapter introduces the concept, purpose and contexts of impact assessment and explains the Impact Assessment Framework through the relationship between inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes and impacts. It discusses the meaning and selection of impact indicators and examines social and behavioural, socio-cultural, technology-level, environmental and institutional indicators relevant to agricultural extension. The chapter further presents quantitative, qualitative, participatory and mixed-method approaches to impact assessment, including statistical and econometric methods where appropriate. Environmental Impact Assessment and Social Impact Assessment are also considered as important dimensions of comprehensive assessment. Particular attention is given to issues of causality, attribution, data quality, time lags and external influences that can affect the interpretation of impact findings

Introduction

Land and water are important natural resources available for agriculture crop production. The resource is available either for agriculture or for human / animal consumption, from precipitation in the form of rain. According to National Commission of Agriculture, half of the available land in India will continue to depend on dry land even after our total surface and ground water potentials are fully exploited by 2025 A.D. So far efforts were made in improving the irrigation potential to step up crop production and very little attention has been paid to dry lands. Considerably improved but the farmers in dry land areas are still suffering.

Climate change is a complex problem involving varied interactions between the environment, natural resources (land, crops, animals and water) and people. These interactions are likely to change the ecological and agricultural landscape, and therefore influence agricultural and animal production. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has dictated that global warming/climate change could lead to many environmental problems i.e., Drought, floods, crop and animal farming, food production, and health hazards etc. Agriculture is closely dependent on the endowment of natural resources and environmental conditions of soil and climate. India is divided into many agro—climatic zones depending upon rainfall, agriculture and soil fertility. The agro climatic conditions of India and the various other factors that largely determine the cropping patterns vary throughout the country. Warangal district falls into two agro climatic regions namely Southern Telangana Zone and North Telangana Zone.

Introduction

With the advent of modern agricultural technology, especially during the period of the Green Revolution in the late sixties and early seventies, there was a continuous surge for diversified agriculture, primarily on economic considerations. The changes in cropping pattern, however, are the outcome of interactive effect of many factors which can be broadly categorized into the following five groups-

Resource related factors like irrigation, rainfall and soil fertility.

Technology related factors viz. seed, fertilizer, and water technologies on one hand and marketing, storage and processing on the other.

Household related factors like food and fodder requirement as well as investment capacity of the farmers.

Price related factors covering input and output prices and economic policies that affect these prices.

Institutional and infrastructure related factors pertaining to farm size and tenancy arrangements, research, extension and marketing systems and government regulatory policies.

Introduction

India’s change in the economic environment and market-oriented economic reforms can be traced back to the 1990s which led to the growth of the country. There was a clear evident change from the condition it was in the 1970s when it was far behind the other Asian countries. The economic reforms brought by LPG (Liberalisation, Privatisation and Globalisation) model have affected not only international trade but also led to an increase in the competitiveness of the industries. But what triggered these economic reforms? Before 1990, India was in a severe economic crisis condition due to repeated policy failures. India was experiencing a huge fiscal and balance of payment deficit, a high inflation rate and a fall in foreign exchange reserves. This led to the sickening of the public sector units whose prime role was to bring a reduction in inequality and poverty. The self-reliance condition in India was not of much help as there was insignificant trade with the rest of the world. The crisis mainly depicted the mismanagement of the resources. In light of this, this chapter discusses the impact of the economic reforms on agri-enterprises.

ABSTRACT

This paper is an attempt to analyze the plausible impacts on the economy and social issues of developing countries with reference to enforcement of IPR.

Introduction

From commodity based nature, business has changed during the past hundred years in a way that ideas and knowledge have taken higher value than commodities. Today, many companies find their most valuable assets being intangible and they are therefore dependent on functioning IPR systems. But does the rigid protection of IPR serve all the people in our globalized world? The purpose of this paper is to discuss the impact of the introduction of IPR protection on developing and under developed countries in the light of TRIPS Agreement.

Introduction

The advancements in the field of informatics, biology and allied fields of technology led to the emergence of an inter-disciplinary field known as ‘Bioinformatics’ (Kumar 2006, Madhan Mohan 2006). Explosion of knowledge in the field of biology and generation of new information (data) needs collection, storage, organization, integration, analysis, simulation of biological data and a faster distribution among the scientific workers (Mehrotra et al. 2005). The advent of super computers, high speed computing and development of algorithms for data formatting, assists in the storage of data at the site of origin and distributed through the hyperlinks in world wide web (www).

The vast field of Bioinformatics is beyond the scope of this article. However to elucidate the concepts that led to the the development of Bioinformatics vis-à-vis is given in brief before explaining the new and emerging area of ‘fluxomics’.

Introduction

The state of Maharashtra now again reels under the scarcity of water. Geologically, major part of the state is covered by Deccan basaltic flows. This basaltic terrain, as such, has been labelled notorious as far as the availability of groundwater is concerned. Uncertain availability of groundwater in the terrain is due to heterogeneity in the nature of piles of basaltic flows which adversely affects the geohydrological characters of the rocks.

The area understudy is unfortunately, a part of basaltic terrain in which no storage structures like major dams or medium projects have been constructed across the existing rivers. Consequently, the irrigation in the area and domestic needs of the people solely depend on whatever water is available in the existing dug wells. The wells do not suffice the need of the people because the percolation of water in the wells is not adequate in major part.

Introduction

Technological advances of the past two decades have profoundly reshaped and enhanced all aspects of medical research and practice. Concepts, methodologies, tools, and applications of medical informatics with the latest technique and approaches are essential for every one pursuing in the medical IT field. Improvements in healthcare delivery in recent years are rooted in the continued industry-wide investment in information technology and the expanding role of medical informatics. The main goal of this chapter is to collate and provide innovative and creative ideas so far published on healthcare in one article for use by the researchers, practitioners and other related with health care system for improving communication environments in health and to explore all new technologies in medical informatics and health care delivery systems.

Medical Informatics can be defined as a discipline concerned with all aspects of understanding and promoting the effective organization, analysis, management, and use of information in health care (American Medical Informatics Association, 2007). In recent years, medical informatics has become a well-recognized branch of medicine.

1. Introduction

The Indian government’s New Education policy (NEP 2020) is apositive improvement in this covid-19 scourge. The main NEP for India happened in 1968, trailed by NEPs in 1986 and 2020 under Narendra Modi. India passed the NEP 2020 on July 29, 2020. It tries to reform education and make the countrymoretaught. K Kasturirangan, the previousheadofISRO, led- the NEP 2020 arrangement council. The decision Government of India vowed to modernise Indian schooling in it selection pronouncement (Saha Mushkan, 2020). Educationassumes a fundamental part in building a country; it chooses the nation’s future and its kin’s fate. The effect will be sturdy concerning the development and advancement of the stateandsubject. In this day and age, schooling is urgent. Pre-freedom and post-autonomy periods show the extension and progress Indian Government. It will alter the way India studies; this is the third correction to the instruction strategy. National education policy 2020 plans changes for all gatherings (Kalyani Pawan, 2020).

Rice is a staple food for millions of people in the world, particularly in developing countries like India. The demand for rice is growing with ever increasing population. In India more than 70 per cent of the ground and surface water is being used for Agriculture and out of this 70 per cent is allocated to rice cultivation. Each kg of rice produced with irrigation requires 3000- 5000 litres of water (Anonymous, 2011). The demand of rice in India is increasing with increase in population and is expected to be 140 m.t. by 2025 (Pandey et al., 2008).

Farmer Field School (FFS) is a capacity building method based on adult education principles for group of farmers. FFS is best described as a ‘school without walls’, where farmers learn through observation and experimentation in their own fields. FFS methodology is potential extension approach to enhance farmer’s knowledge which is a basis for adoption of improved practices (Manoj and Vijayaragavan, 2014). In Andhra Pradesh Department of Agriculture initiated FFS programme in the name of Polambadi during 2006.

Introduction

In India, the marginal, small and semi-medium land holding constitutes more than 90% of the land holdings in the country. They are caught in a vicious cycle of low investment, low productivity and low income with little chance to get out of it. In general, majority of farm families possess limited and scattered land holding with a low productivity and they have very limited accessibility to the improved agricultural information because of their illiteracy and lack of participation in extension programmes. The development of entrepreneurship in subsidiary activity like vermicompost production and Dairying will definitely help the small and marginal farmwomen to increase the farm income. The entrepreneurship among farmwomen in vermi composting and dairying will definitely encourage them to start self employment in addition to the agricultural income. Farmwomen perform -multifaceted role in various fields such as production, processing and marketing. In spite of their significant contribution to production they have virtually remained invisible as farmers, home makers and the ultimate by protecting the whole family. Their role has become critical in the process of moving their family out of the vicious ‘circle of poverty’ Nataraju and Perumal, (1990). Farmwomen generally have lower income and less leisure time than men and seldom have equal opportunities to develop their capabilities. Farmwomen have been considered unorganized and inferior to men, Lelamma (2001).

In a country like India where the economy is dominant by agriculture and its allied sectors, nearly 75% of women are engaged in agriculture in comparison with their male counterparts. Among rural female workers, 50% comprises of agricultural laborer and 37% are cultivators. Not only this, around 70% of total farm work is performed by women folk. Majority of agricultural works are done by women farmers (FAO, 2011) and thus empowering them will have far-reaching effect on agricultural development. They usually operate multiple livelihood f ields, including farming, animal husbandry, and marketing along with doing the household chores and are closely involved in social issues. Among these activities when we look specifically into the agricultural tasks, it is very clear that approximately 70–80% of women are participating in all agriculture activities from raising seedlings, weeding, harvesting and, processing and value addition activities and sometimes their involvement extends to marketing their product. To compete in this fast-growing industry with others, the rural women need to be up-to-date with new technologies to foster the reach of innovations to the farm women. Training is one of the most important means by which farmers and rural women can upgrade their professional and technical skillset. This is an essential component in the area of agriculture where technology is changing day by day and the knowledge of the farming community including women needs to be upgraded at a comparatively quicker pace.

Introduction

On 26^th December 2004, out of the 7516 km long coastline of India, more than 4500 km stretch was badly affected by the 9.0 magnitude earthquake- triggered tsunami, resulting in the total destruction of living environment along the coast. The worst affected areas along the Indian coast were in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh states. Tamil Nadu state suffered maximum loss with the damage concentrated in 4 districts.

It was reported that due to 26 December, 2004 Tsunami in Tamil Nadu state, 8.96 lakh people were affected, 376 villages had heavy damage, 7951 human lives lost, 1000 KM coastal length is affected, the sea water penetrated 1-1.5 KM distance into the main land, 128394 dwelling units affected, 9559 cattle lost, 10245 ha cropped area affected, 42655 boats damaged. (GOI, Ministry of Home Affairs, 09.01.2005). Many felt that impact will be very serious and it will take years to resume normal activities in the region. This paper presents an analytical study of the impact of tsunami on agricultural production, household income of the farm households on a continuous basis from 2005 to 2008.

Web-education Technology

“Educating the people through web” this process is called web-education. The World Wide Web provides new opportunities and hopeful future for distance education over the Internet and the distance education is becoming a widespread used for quite a long time through Newspapers, Radio and TV. Now-a-days mostly the World Wide Web (WWW) getting vital role in distance education, e-learning and distance learning since the networking technologies are emerging very rapidly in the media dominant era. The connectivity of the internet to different kind of people around the world is increasing steadily, like TV and Radio. The World Wide Web and other Internet–based collaborative modern communication technology tools have significantly enhanced the ability to train and educate people electronically.

Abstract
Urban farming, encompassing practices like rooftop gardening, vertical farming, hydroponics, aeroponics, and aquaponics, involves cultivating, processing, and distributing food in urban areas. With global urbanization projected to reach 60% by 2030, urban farming addresses challenges like rural youth migration, farmland fragmentation, and declining agricultural engagement (currently 49% of India’s workforce). It offers sustainable solutions by producing fresh, pesticide-free food, reducing transportation needs, and combating urban heat island effects. Techniques like hydroponics and aeroponics enable high-yield, year-round crop production in controlled environments, minimizing resource use and environmental impact. Despite high initial costs and skill requirements, urban farming creates employment, enhances food security, and supports urban environmental management, making it a viable alternative to conventional farming in India’s rapidly growing cities.
Keywords: Urban Farming, Vertical Farming, Hydroponics, Aeroponics, Aquaponics, Sustainable Agriculture, Food Security, Urbanization, Environmental Management, Agri-preneurship

Introduction

Environmental Assessment is taken up in this exercise as a rapid assessment technique for determining the current status of the environment and identifying impact of critical activities on environmental parameters. EIA is a relatively new planning and decision-making tool first enshrined in the United States in the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. It is a formal study process used to predict the environmental consequences of any development project. EIA thus ensures that the potential problems are foreseen and addressed at an early stage in project planning and design. Creation of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) system is vital to conform socio-economic development projects to environmental safety and thereby ensure sustainable economic development. In view of the fact that development is an ever-growing process, its impact on the environment is also ever increasing, leading to rapid deterioration in environmental conditions. As such Environmental Assessment provides a rational approach to sustainable development.

It also enables us in carrying out Environmental Cost-Benefit Analysis of projects at an initial stage. It is thus a precursor to detailed analysis of environmental impacts, which are taken up only if a need for the same is established.

Chapter Overview

This chapter discusses the crucial concept of gender sensitization in the context of livestock production. Gender sensitization involves raising awareness about gender equality concerns, challenging stereotypes, and promoting equitable practices in the livestock sector. The chapter covers the stages of gender sensitization, offers guidelines for veterinarians and veterinary students, provides real-world examples, outlines a sensitization strategy, and underscores the pressing need for gender sensitization in livestock production.

Objectives
• To understand the critical role of language and communication skills in engineering.
• To explore how communication impacts the effectiveness and efficiency of engineering work.
• To examine the types of communication skills necessary for engineers
• To highlight the significance of these skills in teamwork, leadership, and project management.
• To discuss the challenges engineers face in communication and how to overcome them.
• To encourage students to develop and enhance their communication skills for better academic and professional outcomes.
Introduction
Language and communication skills are integral to the engineering profession, often determining the success or failure of projects. Engineers are required not only to excel in their technical expertise but also to effectively convey their ideas, collaborate with diverse teams, and manage complex projects. This necessitates a high level of proficiency in both language and communication skills.