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Not Available ; Drought is a recurrent feature of countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus, which requires careful management and mitigation in order to forestall costly damage to the economy and population. It is a complex phenomenon with greatly varying impacts depending not only on the magnitude, timing, duration, and frequency of precipitation deficits but also on the differing responses of various soils, plants, and animals to water stress. If governments and communities do not take steps to prepare for and mitigate the effects of drought, damage will be far greater than necessary, and responses to food insecurity and other adverse effects upon the poorest segment of the population will be delayed and possibly inappropriate. Such was the situation during a severe, prolonged drought that took hold in Central Asia and the Caucasus in 2000-01. In the aftermath of the drought, governments and aid organizations, seeking to avoid the significant costs incurred during 2000-01, have expressed a desire to improve drought management and mitigation. There is an opportunity and a need for international organizations including the World Bank to assist them in this endeavor ; Not Available

Not Available ; Neem and teak are two important Multi Purpose Trees (MPTs), which are quite popular with farmers in most parts of the country due to their proven economic benefits. These species are planted on farm boundaries, block plantations and as components of agri-silvi culture and agri-pasture systems. Identification of plus trees and production of adequate planting material through mass propagation are pre requisites for supporting any successful plantation effort. With a view to augment the planting material supply, CRIDA under took a project on development of micro propagation protocols for these two important MPTs through a project sponsored by Andhra Pradesh – Netherlands Biotechnology Programme (APNLBP). The unique feature of this project was the involvement of Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and farmers as participants in the technology development, upscaling and field evaluation. The protocols for micro propagation of neem and teak were developed successfully at CRIDA, pilot tested and transferred to SAIRD and YFA in A.P. These protocols were adapted by these organizations quite successfully as a result of which the production of planting material could be taken up simultaneously at all the 3 centres. More than one lakh planting material has been produced during the last 5 years which is utilized both for on-farm research and pilot scale commercial plantations. The farmer participatory research enabled CRIDA to generate extensive field data on both the species, which will be valuable to make recommendations in future. Data so far indicated that micro propagated plants show higher uniformity and equal or marginally superior growth performance over that of planting material produced through traditional methods. The performance however varied with soil depth and rainfall. A long-term evaluation is required under different agro-ecological conditions to draw valid conclusions. I compliment Dr.B.Venkateswarlu, PI of the project and the two NGO partners for their collaborative effort in not only developing the technology but also its upscaling through the production centers established at the KVKs. I hope this pilot effort will grow into a larger and self-sustainable model in future and contribute towards greater adoption of agroforestry systems in the country ; Not Available

Not Available ; Agriculture faces the unprecedented task of feeding a world population of 9 billion people by 2050 while simultaneously avoiding harmful environmental and social effects. One effort to meet this challenge has been organic farming, with outcomes that are generally positive. However, a number of challenges remain. Organic yields lag behind those in conventional agriculture, and greenhouse gas emissions and nutrient leaching remain somewhat problematic. In chapter 1, we examine current organic and conventional agriculture systems and suggest that agroforestry, which is the intentional combination of trees and shrubs with crops or livestock, could be the next step in sustainable agriculture. By implementing systems that mimic nature's functions, agroforestry has the potential to remain productive while supporting a range of ecosystem services. We outline the common practices and products of agroforestry as well as beneficial environmental and social effects. We address barriers to agroforestry and explore potential options to alter policies and increase adoption by farmers. We conclude that agroforestry is one of the best land use strategies to contribute to food security while simultaneously limiting environmental degradation. Temperate agroforestry has traditionally focused on timber species, but there is a growing interest in integrating edible trees and shrubs with vegetables, row crops, or livestock. Utilizing food-bearing trees can increase food security while also generating revenues for farmers. These systems have the potential to be scaled up and even to be mechanized, making wider adoption possible. However, as the complexity and diversity of these polycultures increases, more knowledge and planning are required to be successful. To meet this need, we developed a practical, extension-style handbook to aid farmers and consultants in planning and establishing edible agroforestry projects. The first part of the handbook outlines the process of planning and design, walking the reader through doing a site assessment, selecting suitable species of trees and livestock, deciding on a harvest strategy, and evaluating their own goals. We include profiles of some of the most promising trees and shrubs and describe how to generate a working planting design. The second part of the handbook includes the practical steps for field preparation, tree installation, and early care of young plantings. We go over funding options and government programs that are available and highlight case studies of successful farms with diverse, perennial polycultures. The handbook will be freely available online and will be promoted through workshops and partnerships with non-profit entities working in agroforestry. ; Not Available

Not Available ; Drought is among the more serious problems faced by rain-fed areas in India and is intricately related to the livelihoods of the people. At present in India around 60 % of net sown area is rain-fed and 745,914 sq. kms and 745,914 sq. kms spread across 180 districts in 16 states is drought prone. 1 Andhra Pradesh (AP) has the third largest drought prone area among states in India. Drought results in loss of livelihoods and human suffering at individual and community levels. The impacts of drought vary significantly even across small geographical areas, due to variations in weather patterns, differences in soil types, poor water availability, low access to markets and social circumstances. People in many parts of arid and semi-arid India have been coping with drought on a regular basis.2 Depending on their access to and control over resources, knowledge and support systems, the ability to cope with drought varies across individuals and communities. The Government of India (GOI) efforts to mitigate the impacts of drought are largely through thematic interventions in 5-year rural development programs such as the Drought Prone Area Programme (DPAP) and the Desert Development Programme (DDP)3 and short-term drought-relief programs. These measures, however, have not been able to tackle drought in the long term and drought prone areas are still vulnerable to erratic monsoon causing severe hardship to affected communities.4 And now, rain-fed areas also face challenges due to changing climate.5 There is therefore a need to develop drought adaptation approaches keeping in view, sustainable livelihoods, local contexts and changing climate. A range of livelihood alternatives combined with thematic solutions at the micro-level would form an appropriate sustainable livelihoods approach especially when dealing with uncertain meteorological conditions6 in arid and semi-arid regions of India and the state of AP. ; Not Available

Not Available ; In 2012, the Commission carried out an overall evaluation of the policy on water scarcity and droughts introduced in the 2007 Communication. The evaluation focused on the integration of water scarcity and drought issues in the first (2009) River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) with the aim of identifying gaps in EU drought policy and improving its implementation (the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires RMBPs but not DMPs). The results revealed that the development and implementation of DMPs, and their inclusion within RBMPs, remains limited, and that countries should therefore try to integrate DMPs into the second versions of their RBMPs for 2015. Evaluation results were embedded in the Commission document, A Blueprint to Safeguard Europe's Water (hereinafter Blueprint), adopted in 2012 (COM (2012) 673 final). Regarding water scarcity and drought in the Central and Eastern European (CEE) region, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD, 1994) found that the region suffers from "soil degradation and desertification". Although both processes vary considerably from country to country, the vulnerability of the region to this hazard is evident and estimated to be increasing (UNCCD). In 2013, the Global Water Partnership (GWP) and World Meteorological Organization (WMO) launched a joint Integrated Drought Management Programme (IDMP) to improve the monitoring and prevention of droughts. In the same year, the Global Water Partnership (GWP) for CEE launched the IDMP at the CEE regional level (IDMP CEE). The aim of the IDMP CEE is "to support stakeholders at all levels by providing them with policy and management guidance through globally coordinated generation of scientific information and sharing best practices and knowledge for integrated drought management". During Phase 1 of the IDMP CEE, the overall drought situation in the 10 CEE countries of Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine was analysed. The results confirmed that drought and water scarcity issues were widely recognized as a relevant phenomenon in the CEE region. (See Inception report for the GWP CEE part of the WMO/GWP Integrated Drought Management Programme, J. Kindler, D. Thalmeinerova, 2012) Following up on this first phase, Activity 1.2 of the IDMP CEE assessed the integration of drought issues into the first RBMPs. The results of a questionnaire survey, completed by the ten CEE countries listed above, and summarised in the Report on review of the current status of implementation of the drought management plans and measures (Fatulova, 2014), showed that the actual situation for DMP development within the region is unsatisfactory. The majority of the countries had not produced a DMP in accordance with the general WFD guidelines provided in the WFD Technical report Drought Management Plan Report Including Agricultural, Drought Indicators and Climate Change Aspects (hereinafter the Report 2007). Furthermore, substantial shortcomings were found in the implementation of all key elements of the DMPs, namely, indicators and thresholds establishing different drought stages, measures to be taken in each drought stage, and the organizational framework for drought management. (Note that while neither Moldova nor Ukraine are part of the EU, both are part of the GWP CEE region and are EU accession countries, and both expressed their interest to join this programme and prepare DMPs according to the WFD.) ; Not Available

Not Available ; Arid and semiarid regions comprise almost 40% of the world's land area and are inhabited by some 700 million people. Approximately 60% of these drylands are in developing countries. Low rainfall areas constitute from 75–100% of the land area in more than 20 countries in the Near East, Africa, and Asia. Farmers in these regions produce more than 50% of the groundnuts, 80% of the pearl millet, 90% of the chickpeas, and 95% of the pigeon peas. These dryland areas will continue to produce most of the world's food grains for expanding populations in the years ahead. However, yields are extremely low compared with those of the humid and subhumid regions. In some countries of sub-Saharan Africa and the Near East food grain production per capita has declined significantly during the past decade. Although part of this decline can be attributed to high rates of population growth, periodic drought, and unfavorable agricultural production and marketing policies of the national governments, much of it results from the steady and continuing degradation of agricultural lands from soil erosion and nutrient depletion and the subsequent loss of soil productivity (FAO, 1986; Dregne, 1989). ; Not Available

Not Available ; The oldest regions of linseed (Linum usitassimum L.) cultivation are reported to be in Asia and on the Mediterranean coast. Linseed is extensively grown in the countries of the temperate zone as well as in those of the tropical zone. The major linseed growing countries are Argentina, the former USSR countries, India, the USA, Canada, Pakistan and Australia. India accounts for about 1.9 million hectares, with a seed production of 4.98 Iakhs of tonnes and occupies the third rank among the linseed-producing countries. Australia and Canada have the highest productivity of about 0.7 t/ha. The yield in the country is the lowest in the world. In India, the major linseed growing states are Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Orissa, Karnataka, West Bengal, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab and Nagaland. Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh together contribute to the national linseed production to the extent of about 70 per cent. Linseed occupies a greater importance among oilseeds owing to its various uses and special qualities. It is grown mainly for seed used for extracting oil in rainfed conditions. The oil content of the seed varies from 33-47%. Linseed oil is an excellent dyeing oil used in manufacturing paints and varnishes, oilcloth, waterproof fabrics and linoleum and as edible oil in some areas. Linseed cake is a very good manure and animal feed. Dual-purpose linseed straw produces fibre of good quality. Linseed is also used in making paper and plastics. That is why it is also known as plastic crop. Linseed is grown in the range of latitudes between the 10th and 65th parallels, both north and south. Its cultivation is confined to low elevations, but it can be successfully grown up to 770 m. Areas with the annual rainfall ranging from 450-750 mm are best suited for its cultivation. The seed crop does well under moderate semi-arid cold, but the fibre crop grows best in cool moist sub-humid climates. In lndia, the crop is grown in the rabi season from September-October to February-March. Linseed can be grown on different kinds of soils, except the sandy and badly drained heavy clays or clay loams. It does well on clay loams, deep clayey black soils of central and peninsular India and on the alluvium loams of the Indo-Gangetic plains. Owing to development of improved linseed varieties and refinement of package of practices for different situations of linseed cultivation, there has been a steady but slow increase in the yield of linseed over a long period. The national yield average for the quinquennium 1981-86 was 272 kg/ha, which increased to 293 kg/ha by the next quinquennium of 1985-90. The present national average yield in 2000 is 385 kg/ ha. ; Not Available

Not Available ; Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by species of filamentous fungi growing on seeds before harvest or in storage. Mycotoxin contamination of agricultural commodities is a serious concern for human and animal health. The mycotoxins subject to government regulation are aflatoxins, fumonisins, ochratoxins, cyclopiazonic acid, deoxynivalenol/nivalenol, patulin, and zearalenone, which are produced by species of Aspergillus, Fusarium, and Penicillium, with aflatoxins and fumonisins arguably posing the greatest threat to human health worldwide. The frequency, magnitude, and causes of mycotoxin contamination of important agricultural commodities are reviewed here, as a first step in prioritizing mycotoxin problems for future research. ; Not Available

Not Available ; The factors, which determine the availability of agricultural products at the local level (farm, village), are environmental conditions and management. The environment includes biophysical factors (climate, soil, pests, land available…), while management encompasses the decisions taken by farmers themselves. Management decisions are determined by the knowledge of the interactions between the environment, the characteristics of crops and animals, technology, economic factors and the institutional context (including customs, government rules, etc). By definition, economic factors play a relatively minor role for subsistence farmers. Among the listed factors, weather remains the largest source of variability of farm outputs, directly and indirectly (pests). Depending on the level of development, roughly 20 to 80% of the inter-annual variability of yields stems for the variability of weather. Losses due to pests, diseases and weeds are normally around 15% (Oerke et al., 1994). Post-harvest losses are also of the same order of magnitude. Extreme agrometeorological events are factors, which often are at the same time rare (low statistical frequency) and characterised by high intensities. They include for instance large pest outbreaks, fire, torrential rains, tropical cyclones etc. They can provoke massive destruction of infrastructure, crops, livestock, fishing gear, etc. and the loss of human life (Gommes, 1999a, 1999c). ; Not Available

Not Available ; Indigenous Technical Knowledge (ITK) refers to the unique traditional local knowledge existing within and developed around the specific conditions by women and men indigenous to a particular geographic area. This indigenous technical knowledge that people in a given community have developed over time and continue to develop it, is based on human experiences on mass scale, dynamic and changing, tested in most cases over centuries of use, endowed with highest possible adaptability to local culture and environment and put greater weightage on minimizing risks rather than maximizing profit. The indigenous technical knowledge (ITK) covers a wide range of subjects, viz. crop production, livestock rearing, natural resource management, food preparation, healthcare, insect pest management and many other. The use of non-chemical methods for pest control and crop protection is already gaining importance in several countries including India. The integrated pest management strategies developed and promoted by the Governments is now based on the use of plants extracts. If an effort is made towards production of Indigenous Technical Knowledge (ITK) based products on cottage scale, it can be an economically viable option for sustainable development of ecofriendly pesticides/insecticides. ; Not Available

Not Available ; The mandate for the Commission on "Inclusive and Sustainable Agricultural Development of Andhra Pradesh" constituted by the Government of Andhra Pradesh covered in totality all the major issues of agricultural development in the State including the well-being of the farming community. Although the agriculture sector has witnessed accelerated growth driven by agricultural diversification and crop shifts in favour of high value crops, it faces challenges in terms of sustainability and eliminating widespread distress among the farming community. The sustainability question arises because technological progress has levelled off, investment in agriculture has slowed down and the scope for the expansion of net sown area is limited. The problems of soil degradation, water use inefficiency and excessive use of chemical inputs substantiate this view. Agriculture has become less profitable due to increasing costs of production which are not compensated adequately by the prices received by the farmers. The farming community has become vulnerable to production shocks, low and fluctuating farm prices, and increasing expenditure on health and education. The rainfall pattern has become more erratic and has increased production risks. These factors have pushed the small and marginal farmers into a debt trap. The stagnation of livelihoods, growing debt burden, low market margins and frequent occurrence of natural calamities have resulted in prolonged distress among the small and marginal farmers. Due to various structural barriers, the small and tenant farmers have not been able to participate in and gain from the modern supply chains, including value addition opportunities. These issues have been addressed by the Commission ; Not Available

Not Available ; A survey was conducted at 37 watershed locations under different agro-eco regions in India during 2001. Data were collected from primary stakeholders pertaining to physical (ground water, soil erosion, runoff reduction, etc.), biological (afforestation, cropping intensity, productivity levels of dryland crops) and socio-economic parameters (additional benefit-cost ratio, additional annuity value, etc. and additional employment and reduction in outmigration of labour, participation of farmers in watershed programmes) in watershed programme areas compared to non-watershed areas. The analysis indicated that there was an increase in all factors in watershed area villages compared to non-watershed area villages. However, there is no significant difference among the project implementing agencies viz., National Watershed Development Programme for Rainfed Agriculture (Ministry of Agriculture), Ministry of Rural Development, with regard to reduction in soil erosion, etc. It is also recommended that Non-Governmental Organizations may be encouraged to take up watershed programme works on their own funds only. Government of India, Indian Council of Agricultural Research and Non-Governmental Organizations have succeeded in achieving the results in watershed development programme. Logit regression equations were fitted to different factors in relation to additional income per hectare, but distance to market was found to be significant but other factors were not significant. Finally it is recommended that water harvesting structures may be constructed at suitable places and it is essential to establish vegetation for optimal success of the programme. Additional Keywords: tank cascades, soil and water conservation interventions, water resources, canopy, capacity building, socio-economic status ; Not Available

Not Available ; The Green Revolution in mid-1960s, though a boon to Indian agriculture, ushered in an era of disquieting disparity between productivity of irrigated and dryland agriculture. Even though the soil conservation projects served the major objective of prevention of siltation of reservoirs and flood control, production systems remained second in importance. Alarmed by the situation, the Fourth Plan (1969-74) specifically emphasized an urgent need for creating circumstances that would enable the hitherto neglected dryland farmers to participate purposefully in the agricultural development process. The socio-economic imbalance led to a serious verdict on setting priorities for dryland research leading to inducting an in-depth comprehensive network of multidisciplinary research and development program to stabilize the performance of the then introduced hybrids of nutritious (coarse) cereals in dryland region and to moderate the periodic drought related adverse impact on total agricultural productivity. The droughts of mid- 1960s catalyzed further the process of vigorous efforts in dryland research. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) formulated a widespread program on dryland research. The All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture (AICRPDA) was launched in 1970 by ICAR, in collaboration with the Government of Canada through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), with headquarters at Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. The preamble was Better Crop with Every Rain Drop ; Not Available

Not Available ; India is in the grip of a severe water pollution crisis. A 2015 report from the Indian Government estimates that the number of contaminated waterways has more than doubled in the past five years and that half of the country's rivers are now polluted1. A variety of factors have contributed to this critical situation, notably the staggering quantities of untreated sewage generated in this country of nearly 1.3 billion people. Another major cause is industrial pollution, the dark side of India's economic development. In recent decades India's pharmaceutical industry has scaled new heights in step with a steady rise in population and thanks to its reputation as a lowcost manufacturing destination for multinational drug companies. In particular, its bulk drug production sector, which has a major hub in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad and a more recent presence along the coastline of Andhra Pradesh, has experienced a rapid ascent since the 1970s. While this has yielded obvious economic benefits for both Indian and overseas-based firms, as well as dividends for shareholders, scant attention has been paid to the impact of increased pharmaceutical production on the environment and inhabitants living in proximity to factories and industrial parks ; Not Available

Not Available ; survey was conducted at 37 watershed locations under different agro-eco regions in India during 2001. Data were collected from primary stakeholders pertaining to physical (ground water, soil erosion, runoff reduction, etc.), biological (afforestation, cropping intensity, productivity levels of dryland crops) and socio-economic parameters (additional benefit-cost ratio, additional annuity value, etc. and additional employment and reduction in outmigration of labour, participation of farmers in watershed programmes) in watershed programme areas compared to non-watershed areas. The analysis indicated that there was an increase in all factors in watershed area villages compared to non-watershed area villages. However, there is no significant difference among the project implementing agencies viz., National Watershed Development Programme for Rainfed Agriculture (Ministry of Agriculture), Ministry of Rural Development, with regard to reduction in soil erosion, etc. It is also recommended that Non-Governmental Organizations may be encouraged to take up watershed programme works on their own funds only. Government of India, Indian Council of Agricultural Research and Non-Governmental Organizations have succeeded in achieving the results in watershed development programme. Logit regression equations were fitted to different factors in relation to additional income per hectare, but distance to market was found to be significant but other factors were not significant. Finally it is recommended that water harvesting structures may be constructed at suitable places and it is essential to establish vegetation for optimal success of the programme ; Not Available