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Type : Other Article

Extension Perspective in Changing Agri-rural Environment

Ram Pratap Singh

Abstract

Sectoral and spatial changes in agri- rural environment : Agriculture provides sustenance to two-third of India’s population, which has crossed more than one billion and still growing. Agriculture and allied activities contribute 25 percent to its GDP. However, with decreasing share of agriculture to GDP is resulting into rural poverty and people are faced with the livelihood problem. The rural poverty and livelihood issue is aggravated by rising standards and cost of living at one end and on the other shrinking land holdings, steadily rising input costs, globalization and associated liberalization of markets and demand of competitiveness in unit cost of production, quality and ability to market produce and primary processed products without excessive post-harvest losses. Factors of demand and supply, poor PH-infrastructure, markets and the forces that intervene the agriculture markets usually create slump in the market price whenever there is a bumper harvest of any crop or commodity. Orchestrated distress sales, denying growers remunerative prices, compels the farmers to shift over to the crop and commodity, which in turn creates scarcity and soaring consumer prices. A vicious cycle that does not seem to be ever ending to the detriment of growers and consumers’ interest. This paper makes an attempt to analyze sectoral and spatial changes taking place in agriculture

Keyword: Sectoral and spatial changes; Agri- rural environment;

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