“Building from bottom” a success story

Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) is a local government committed to provide basic infrastructure facilities including entertainment facilities to the people of the city. RMC is very well known for managing the city by using private sector participation as well as introduction of innovative mechanisms in management to serve people efficiently. City has prepared different plans for improving services and to nullify the gap between services and demands. The sole responsibility of Solid Waste Management (SWM) in the city lies with the Soild Wate Management department of Rajkot Muncipal Corporation (RMC)

Sidis of Gujarat – A Historical Reminiscence

The following study documents the socio-economic profile of “Sidis” an ancient tribe inhabiting the outskirts of the Gir forest in Gujarat. The study aimed at analyzing the impact of cage culture programme on the status of livelihood of the beneficiaries of the programme. Data was collected form a sample of 135 “Sidis” using structured interview schedule. The average monthly income and skill perception was higher for the “Sidis” practicing cage culture when compared to the other two categories

Involvement of extension personnel in implementing social forestry programmes

In a country like India, where the population is high and resources are limited, social forestry is an instrument for rural development, particularly for the poor people. Thus social forestry is identified as a forestry of the people, by the people and for the people

P R A methods for studying the impact of technology adoption in crop and poultry enterprises in a rural village

Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) methods have of late been highly successful in bridging the gap between development functionaries and target groups for whom the development straties and efforts have been focused at. PRA describes a growing family of approaches and methods to enable local people to share, enhance and analyze their knowledge of life and conditions, to plan and to act. (Chambers, 1994)

Awareness of farmers about social forestry programme - an analysis

A study was conducted to assess the awareness level of farmers on various components of Social forestry Programme, implemented by the Social Forestry Department in Ke rala State, India. It could be inferred/rom the study that the awareness level on /arm/oreslry lVas very high. On the other hand the awareness level on coastal area plantations and fodder plantations was relatively lesser. Variables such as education, material possession, media participation, contact with extension agency and economic motivation had a positive relationship with the awarelIess level of marginal farmers whereas variables like age, occupation, social participation and risk orientation had a negative influence on awareness. It was also observed that exceptfor education and risk orientation, all the other variables had a positive relationship with the awareness level of small farmers

Determinants of Fisherwomens’ Economic Status in Fisheries

India’s vast coastline provides food, stability, and income-producing opportunities for many of India’s economically disadvantaged sections of the population. Fisheries in India account for 2.5 per cent of the gross domestic product and generate powerful income and employment opportunities for many of the country’s rural poor. Women, who constitute approximately half of India’s population, play a vital role in the operation of the fisheries and their continuing growth as a component of the agriculture sector of the economy. The contributions of the fisherwomen penetrate every aspect of postharvest handling, preservation, processing, and marketing of seafood products, and provide an integral link between producers and consumers. The study was conducted on a sample of 50 fisherwomen drawn from the 2 coastal districts of Tamilnadu namely, Kancheepuram and Chennai. The findings revealed that, most of the fisherwomen had a high level of livelihood index (Score of < 50), and also had a high level of aspiration (Score <13). The step wise regression analysis revealed that the variables influencing the livelihood index of fisherwomen, in order of importance, were annual level of savings and annual level of debt. The annual level of expenditure and annual level of savings had a positive and significant influence on the level of aspiration of fisherwomen

Livelihood analysis using wealth ranking tool of PRA

The present study was undertaken in Maroorpatti village in Namakkal district of Tamilnadu. From the results o/the livelihood analysis conducted/or the three different categories a/wealth ranking, it may be pointed out that with respect to the size of land holdings the rich farmer had double the size a/the medium and as such large as 10 times that the poor farmer. The rich farmer had an incomparably large number o/cattle with respect to his counterparts. While the rich farmer received monthly income from livestock, the medium farmer, who was thus classified solely by his agricultural land holdings, always expected his agricultural field to boost his monthly income. Furthermore, from the expenditure pal1ern observed, the rich farmer's were inclined to save nearly 35% of their monthly income, while the poor farmers were always in need of 25% loan to meet their monthly needs. As a consequence, the crises analysis indicated that the poor farmer as well as the medium farmer usually takes a loan of 40% towards meeting any calamities faced in their agricultural and livestock sectors

Application of PRA technique for field problem identification

This paper deals with the application of participatory rural appraisal technique for identification of agricultural field problems of Maroorpatti village . The economic importance of problems was also worked out

Transaction cost of implementation of seasonal fishing ban in selected maritime states of India

Marine fisheries management is important to ensure sustainable harvest of the fishery resources. In India, the management of fisheries is governed by rules and regulations formulated under the Indian Fisheries Act, 1897. The development of marine fisheries in the territorial waters extending up to 12 nautical miles from the shore is under the jurisdiction of the maritime states who have formulated rules and regulations for management of the resources which by and large prohibit use of destructive gears, explosives and poison for fishing. Among regulatory measures formulated for management of marine fisheries in India, the seasonal fishing ban (SFB) is the one measure that is diligently followed

Economic performance of motorised and non-mechanised fishing methods during and after-ban period in Ramanathapuram District of Tamil Nadu

Ramanathapuram is an important coastal district significantly contributing to the marine fish production of Tamil Nadu State. The coastal length, number of fishing villages and fishing activities is more in Ramanathapuram District in comparison to other coastal districts in Tamil Nadu. The present study analysed the economic performance of motorised and non-mechanised craft-gear combinations during and after-ban period in Ramanathapuram District. In motorised single day craft-gear combinations, the capital productivity was higher during ban period in comparison with after-ban period, with a lower operating ratio ranging from 0.55 for gillnetter to 0.58 for bottom-set gillnetter. In motorised multi-day craft-gear combinations, the capital productivity during ban, was more in comparison with after-ban period with a lower operating ratio of 0.64 for trawler and gillnetter. In non-mechanised craft-gear combinations, during ban, the capital productivity was higher in comparison with after-ban period with a lower operating ratio ranging from 0.49 for gillnetter to 0.52 for bottom-set gillnetter. It was found that during ban period, capital productivity was high in non-mechanised gillnetter and bottom set gillnetter, while the catch, labour productivity and income were high in multi-day (2-4 days) trawler and gillnetter