This paper has studied the impact of crop diversification on dietary diversity of households in different regions of Tamil Nadu. Two different types of data set were used: (1) National Sample Survey Organization's (NSSO) consumer expenditure survey data for the years TE 2004-05 and TE 2012-13, and (2) Cropping pattern data from Season and Crop report for the years TE 2004 and TE 2012-13. Multiple linear regression model was used to study the linkages between crop and dietary diversification. The study has revealed that dietary diversification of Cauvery delta zone, Northern zone and Northeastern zone was parallel with crop diversification. The crop diversification influenced positively the dietary diversification, whereas vegetable diversification was negatively related with diet diversification, irrespective of income groups in the state. Also, larger household size, presence of own land, older age and higher education level of household-head have been found positively related with dietary diversity of households in Tamil Nadu. The current nutrients intake pattern has been found about 50 per cent of the RDA, particularly of crude fibre and iron and about two-thirds in case of energy and vitamin A. The nutrient intake gap is further widened in low-income non-farm groups. Appropriate nutritional security programmes maybe initiated particularly covering children, pregnant women and aged people.
This paper aims to analyze the determinants of the choice probability of millet consumption and the demand for major millets at household level in India. For this, we used consumer expenditure survey data collected by the National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO) for the years 2004-05 and 2011-12. Heckman sample selection model was used to estimate the functional relationship between household level characters and millet consumption as zero expenditure is encountered for many of the households in the data set. The analysis revealed that the prices of millets and other food commodities had statistically significant effect on both millet consumption probability and the quantity demanded of millets while per capita income was not an important determinant. It is confirmed that the millets continue to be treated as inferior goods in India. Besides, age of household head has a positive relationship with the millet consumption, whereas larger household size and higher educational level decreased the probability of millet consumption and quantity demanded.
The present study aimed to analyze the impact of major determinants of participating in formal credit market and amount of credit borrowed at household level in rural India. National Sample Survey Organization's household level data on debt and investment (70 th round, 2012-13) was used for analysis. Heckman sample selection model was employed to analyze the functional relationship between amount of credit availed and household level characters. Larger farm size, Kissan Credit Card and bank account holding were the major factors determining the accessibility of more amount of formal agricultural credit in rural regions.
The present study attempted to analyse the efficiency level of paddy farms in Madurai district of Tamil Nadu state in India. The input oriented Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) was employed to estimate technical, pure technical, scale, allocative and economic efficiency in the selected paddy farms. The results of the study showed that there exist potential for increasing the paddy output further by 20 percent in the farm holdings by following the best-practices of efficient farms. The study also revealed that 36 percent of the farm were operating at optimal scale and more than seventy per cent of the farms were operating below 50 percent of allocative and economic efficiency levels. The findings also indicated that all the farm inputs were used excessively by the sample farms; the excessive use of nitrogen and women labour was found in the case of fifty percent of the sample farms.
In this study, we attempted to assess the awareness and perception of farmers on the environmental degradation due to modern input usage in paddy cultivation in Southern Tamil Nadu. The two-stage random sampling procedure was followed to select the sample farmers and 66 farmers were surveyed in Vadipatti Taluk located on Periyar-Vaigai irrigation system in Tamil Nadu. The paired comparison technique was used to measure the level of awareness on the environmental problems and Tobit regression function was employed to identify the determinants of environmental awareness level. The results of the study revealed that only 23 per cent of the farmers were highly aware about the environmental degradation created by the indiscriminate application of modern inputs. Reduction in soil fertility, population size of soil micro-organism and earth worms were the well-known negative effects in the study region. Experience, education and extension contact were the major factors determining the perception and awareness about environmental degradation.
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