The institutional credit has been conceived to play a pivotal role in the agricultural development of India. A large number of institutional agencies are involved in the disbursement of credit to agriculture. However, the persistence of money lenders in the rural credit market is still a major...

Various components of human development of poor households have been studied in North Bihar. The data has revealed that a higher proportion of females are chronically energy deficient than of males in the rural areas. The prevalence of chronic energy deficiency (CED) has been reported in both...

This study has examined the trends in growth and instability in Indian agriculture at the district level and has identified distinctive features and drivers of productivity growth across districts. The productivity of crop sector has shown tremendous variations across districts both for the...

The smallholder dairy farmers’ access to modern milk marketing chain has been assessed in India by collecting data at the farm level in two states, viz. Bihar and Punjab. These states are among the largest milk producing states of the country but depict stark variations in terms of milk...

This paper has studied rural employment diversification in India and across major states using NSSO data at household level for the period 1983 and 2009-10. Factors affecting rural employment diversification towards non-farm sector have also been studied. Analysis has shown that the non-farm...

The study has addressed the issues associated with the alternative milk market chains and their implications on dairy farmers and traders. It has been conducted in Bihar, where modern milk market chains especially the milk co-operatives have grown significantly. The study has shown that in spite...

The food demand in India has been examined in the context of a structural shift in the dietary pattern of its population. The results have reinforced the hypothesis of a significant diversification in the dietary pattern of households in recent years and has found stark differences in the...

The trends in rural employment diversification, especially within agriculture in the eastern states of India have been studied. The employment potential of different sub-sectors of agriculture has been assessed to provide succour to the ever increasing problem of unemployment. Several...

Although agriculture is the prime source of livelihood for a majority of rural population in the North-Eastern region (NER) of India, dependence on livestock as an alternative source of income is significant. Responding to the burgeoning demand for livestock products in a sustainable manner is a...