CONSTRAINTS IN PULSES CULTIVATION AS PERCEIVED BY THE FARMERS

ABSTRACT The present study was conducted in Ranbir Singh Pura block of Jammu district as a sample of 80 pulse growing farmers. The results revealed that the main constraints faced by pulse grower were non availability of improved variety seeds, mannure and fertilizers in time, lack of knowledge regarding weed control and back of regulated market for sale

FARMING SYSTEM BASED BOTTLENECKS IN KANDI AREA OF JAMMU REGION

ABSTRACT The present investigation was carried out in subtropical Kandi area of Jammu region comprising four districts of Jammu, Kathua, Rajouri and Udhampur with a total sample size of 240 respondents. The study aimed to identify the various bottlenecks faced by the farmers in different farming systems prevalent in the area viz FS-1 (Crops +Livestock), FS-2 (Crops +Livestock + Horticulture), FS-3(Crops + Livestock +Sericulture) and FS-4 (Crops + Livestock + Goatry). The major bottlenecks faced by the respondents include high cost of inputs (72.91%), low profit (71.25%), lack of proper knowledge about improved varieties, seed rate and spacing (59.17%), high cost of animal feed (82.50%) in case of FS-1, lack of processing and value addition facilities (92.15%), lack of knowledge about safe methods of preservation (56.86%), lack of post harvest infrastructure (70.58%) in case of horticulture (FS-2); High cost of Mulberry trees (56.25%), Lack of knowledge about silkworm disease management (75%) and lack of suitable market (68.75%) in case of silkworm rearing (FS-3) and non availability of cross breds (75%) in case of Goatry (FS-4)

Health Technology Assessment capacity development in low- and middle-income countries: Experiences from the international units of HITAP and NICE

Health Technology Assessment (HTA) is policy research that aims to inform priority setting and resource allocation. HTA is increasingly recognized as a useful policy tool in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where there is a substantial need for evidence to guide Universal Health Coverage policies, such as benefit coverage, quality improvement interventions and quality standards, all of which aim at improving the efficiency and equity of the healthcare system. The Health Intervention and Technology Assessment Program (HITAP), Thailand, and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), UK, are national HTA organizations providing technical support to governments in LMICs to build up their priority setting capacity. This paper draws lessons from their capacity building programs in India, Colombia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Such experiences suggest that it is not only technical capacity, for example analytical techniques for conducting economic evaluation, but also management, coordination and communication capacity that support the generation and use of HTA evidence in the respective settings. The learned lessons may help guide the development of HTA capacity in other LMICs