The incidence and depth of food and nutritional insecurity has been estimated and its determinants in a food-surplus area, viz. the state of Punjab, have been studied. The consumption expenditure has been found to be directly associated with the levels of income/assets in both rural and urban...

The present study was conducted in Rajpura block of Patiala district in Punjab with a sample of 50 vegetables growers. The total cost of cultivation was estimated at Rs 49563/ha for onion and Rs 34840/ha for cauliflower. The net returns were found higher for onion (Rs 74597/ha) as compared to...

The Government of India had launched the National Biofuel Mission in the year 2003 as an initiative to limit the country’s dependence on crude oil imports. An integral part of this mission is the Biodiesel Blending program and Jatropha, a tree-borne biodiesel yielding crop, is the...

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 role of non-farm sector has been examined in promoting rural livelihoods in the state of Punjab, especially of the landless and marginal farm households who are often poor and derive a sizeable proportion of their income from non-farm activities. The non-farm income sources have been found...

The study on dynamics of labour demand in Punjab agriculture has revealed that between 1985-86 and 2006-07, the per-hectare labour use has declined by about 23 per cent; more so, in the case of dominant crops like wheat and paddy that have experienced large-scale mechanization. Wheat and paddy...

This study has estimated the total factor productivity (TFP) and its share in output growth, and returns to public investments on research in agriculture in India. The contribution of agricultural research in reducing real cost of production and attainment of food self-sufficiency has also been...

A linear programming model has been formulated to suggest the optimal cropping pattern for maximizing net returns and ensuring significant savings of groundwater with the aim of sustaining groundwater use in the Punjab agriculture. The primary data obtained from the project, “Comprehensive...

The study conduced on South Asian countries is focused on three issues, viz. (a) research priorities in agriculture, (b) level of research investment, and (c) focus of research investments to attain food-secured South Asia. The results of this empirical exercise have suggested that (a) cereals,...

Policy planners face the challenge of formulating suitable agricultural policy by which the required growth in domestic production can be achieved. To attain effective food security policy, one needs reliable empirical knowledge about the degree of responsiveness of factor demand and output...