The eastern region of India, comprising the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, Odisha and West Bengal, is one of the most backward regions of the nation. This region occupies about 21.85% of geographical area and supports 34% of the population of the country. Agriculture is the mainstay of...

During the past 60 years, the Indian extension system has evolved to reflect national priorities. At the same time, malnutrition and poverty continue to be persistent problems for the rural poor. The major issues before Indian extension system are: how to improve the effectiveness of extension...

Food security is interlinked with agricultural production. Enhancement in farm productivity and providing diversified demand of food due to growth in per capita income, urbanization and changes in food habit is the major challenges. Study is based on secondary data collected from different...

In India, sugar factories play an additional role of providing extension services for their registered sugarcane farmers, through the Sugarcane Development Personnel (SDP). The SDP work closely with the farmers, facilitating them to make informed decisions on sugarcane farming and ensure regular...

While several studies have shown that genetically modified Bt cotton can benefit smallholder farmers economically, the sustainability of these effects is still unclear and debated controversially between biotechnology proponents and critics. We use unique panel data of 533 cotton farmers,...

Do transgenic crops cause agrobiodiversity erosion? We hypothesize that they increase productivity and reduce production risk and may therefore reduce farmer demand for on-farm varietal diversity, especially when only a few transgenic varieties are available. We also hypothesize that varietal...

This paper examines the ecosystem impacts of transgenic Bt cotton technology resulting from reduced chemical pesticide use. Employing unique panel data from smallholder farmers in central and southern India, negative environmental and health effects of pesticide use are quantified with the...

Farmers in developing countries often lack access to timely and reliable information about modern technologies that are essential to improve agricultural productivity. The recent diffusion of mobile phones has the potential to overcome these barriers by making information available to those...