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This paper is about the collaboration between the Centurion University of Technology and Management (CUTM), Odisha (India), and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim (Norway), initiated in 2017. The main objective of the collaboration was to facilitate students through educators to bridge the gap between higher education and the practical skills needed for assessing and advancing sustainable development in local communities. This paper presents the contribution of nine women interns within the framework of partnership among the universities, government, and social enterprises in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. It analyses the role of women interns in activities and experiences in Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), in motivating women farmers to join FPOs to benefit in terms of increasing productivity, value addition for better products, and improving market opportunities. The concluding observations section provides three sets of learnings each for the role of women interns and implications for higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the impact of social movements on the Indian state's developmental paradigm. Adopting from Varigonda's (2020) framework, the paper argues that the impact of social movements on state policy and its implementation is primarily determined by three key factors: the collective action repertoires of social movements; the politicization of the Indian state's developmental paradigm; and the openness of state input structures. This framework is tested through a comparative study of two movements that have emerged against two examples of the Indian state's developmental paradigm: a proposed nuclear plant at Kovvada and a proposed thermal plant at Sompeta, both in Andhra Pradesh. The Sompeta agitation was successful in impeding the thermal plant's inception while the movement in Kovvada eventually petered out. The paper demonstrates how the variation in the impact of the two movements can be attributed to the social movement in Sompeta benefitting from stronger collective action repertoires; greater politicization of the state's developmental paradigm; and more open state input structures, vis-à-vis the movement in Kovvada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital identity platforms are a recent e-governance innovation for improving social assistance programming in the development context, the most well-known of which is India's Aadhaar. While a significant number of studies have accumulated on Aadhaar, so far under-researched is the importance of local government practices and processes in shaping usage of the platform to support social assistance programming. In this paper we theorize how local government intermediation on digital identity platforms can improve social assistance programming through a case study of the Aadhaar-enabled Fertilizer Distribution System (AeFDS) in Andhra Pradesh. Our findings show how the relevance of the platform for low-income farmers depends crucially on the proactive adaptation of the technology by key local government intermediaries. From a policy perspective, this result emphasizes the importance of supporting efforts to acknowledge the role of responsive local government agencies in ensuring that centralized digital identity platforms remain relevant for implementing social assistance programming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lack of a comprehensive property rights system is an issue of pressing concern in most economies in the Global South. Property rights-related issues have important social, economic and environmental consequences. This paper argues that one of the most impactful uses of blockchain in the Global South could be in the creation, implementation and enforcement of property rights. The article provides an in‐depth analysis of a blockchain-based land registry project in the Andhra Pradesh state of India. It also delves into facilitators for and barriers to a large-scale adoption and deployment of blockchain for this purpose. The paper shows that with blockchain, the benefits of digitisation of land records can be amplified and some of the major drawbacks of digitisation can be avoided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the early 2000s, some Indian states started allowing private traders to buy directly from farmers outside the state-regulated market system. The experience of these states can shed light on the impact of market-oriented reforms and the role of public procurement. Using individual-level National Sample Survey Data on agricultural wages and a new dataset on state-level average real farm income per cultivator for 18 major Indian states between 1987–2012, this paper shows, using both a difference-in-difference and a triple difference framework, that marketing reforms alone did not contribute to higher farm incomes and agricultural wages. However, when these reforms were coupled with public procurement at the minimum support price, farm incomes and agricultural wages significantly improved. Our results suggest that market-reforms and public procurement at minimum support prices were complements which together contributed to raising rural incomes in states like Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper reviews a range of global aquaculture health and safety literature to inform and contribute to the development of a socio-economic profile of Indian shrimp farm workers including the occupational hazards and injuries they face. In addition, 60 shrimp farm workers were interviewed from each of the states of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. The study revealed that all shrimp farm workers were male, 58% were migrants, and ages ranged from 23 to 53 years with work experience of 5 to 24 years. Few workers (14%) had no formal schooling and many had secondary-level education. Reported physical hazards were high (93%) followed by biological (82%), chemical (77%), ergonomic (71%) and psycho-social (71%) hazards. The majority of physical injuries reported related to slips, falls and cuts (51%), electric shocks (44%), sunburn (41%), dehydration/ headaches (40%) and fractures (27%). Approximately 30%-39% had some chemical injury with skin infections/breathing problems. Indian shrimp farm workers face similar occupational hazards and injuries to shrimp farm workers in other countries. The occupational health and safety of shrimp farm workers should be integrated into the concept of 'One Health' to ensure aquaculture sustainability and safe, meaningful and good quality employment to workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural and food system transformation helps increase farm productivity and encourages farmers to participate in updated value chains, adopt newer technologies, thereby helping farmers transform their livelihoods in a sustainable manner. Relatedly, value chain innovations depend on multiple decisions farmers make at various stages of the value chain, adequate participation being a primary factor. In this paper, we integrate farmers' adoption decision of a new variety of chilli crop ("Teja") along with their electronic market participation decision and e-market participation intensity, based on data from the chilli farming sector in India, where agricultural markets have been modernized through digitization (Kalgudi e-Market). Thus, the employed Triple-Hurdle Model (THM) integrates adoption decision of "Teja" variety of chilli, e-Market Participation Decision and e-market participation intensity thereby, allowing us to make inferences relating to chilli farmers in Andhra Pradesh, India. Our results, showed that the drivers of "Teja" variety adoption, e-market participation, and e-participation intensity include education, reliable extension services, access to seeds of high yielding varieties, market information, and membership in farmer-producer organizations. Added to these, personnel training visits, prompt deliveries of inputs, and prompt payment of sales proceeds are also important in influencing participation and intensities. Results show that the three stochastic decisions of THM are strongly correlated implying that the adoption decision of "Teja" variety of chilli by the farmers influences the e-market participation decision and consequently, e-market participation intensity and these three decisions are sequential. On the contrary, the decisions viz., e-market participation decision and e-market participation intensity as input buyers and consequent adoption of "Teja" variety of chilli are simultaneous. So, the policy measures that promote production technology interventions (say, "Teja" variety of chilli) will definitely enhance better e-market access of chilli farmers. Accordingly, the breeding programs of the agricultural research stations should enhance the uptake of improved varieties in tune with modern marketing (e-market) technologies. Future farm policy and agricultural-research and innovations must recognize the potential that the digital marketing systems have to offer. Such considerations coupled with the provision of market infrastructure including assaying, grading, storage, and market information will promote digital transformation in agricultural value chains in developing countries like India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports child mortality and associated factors among tribal (indigenous) populations from a South Indian district. In India, 104 million people belonged to 705 tribal groups, constituting 8.6% of India's population. Of the 705 tribal groups, 75 were classified as particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTG). The present study aims to report the under-five child mortality among the tribal (both PVTG and non-PVTG) population in Visakhapatnam district, a district with a higher concentration of tribes in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Four sub-districts were selected to conduct a cross-sectional study to understand health and health-seeking behavior, including maternal and child health. Socio-demographic details and obstetric history were collected through a pre-tested, interviewer-administered questionnaire from mothers with a child aged up to one year. These 277 mothers gave birth to 632 liveborn children, out of which 56 children died within 12 months. Multiple logistic regression revealed that living in villages with no health facility, woman-headed households, younger age at first childbirth and mother' aged 30 years or above were significantly associated with mothers experiencing child death. Implementation of home-based neonatal care is crucial in the vulnerability context of the tribes due to socioeconomic conditions and remote habitation. Health educational interventions to address early marriages leading to teenage pregnancies are needed immediately. This disaggregated analysis of under-five mortality and associated factors among the tribes highlights the need for population-specific interventions and improving infrastructural facilities like all-weather roads and improved access to quality healthcare services in addition to the overall socio-economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the link between decentralisation in school management and student achievement levels in secondary schools in India. It employs observational data from two school surveys conducted as part of the Young Lives project in the southern Indian states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to create a measure of decentralisation as a latent construct. The relationship between decentralisation and students' abilities in mathematics and English is measured using linear mixed effects models. Contrary to the expectations in much literature, we find a negative association between decentralisation and students' scores on Maths and English assessments, even when controlling for a variety of individual and school characteristics. The results from the analysis therefore problematises decentralisation initiatives such as school-based management to improve student achievement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper highlights ways to address the knowledge–practice gap in the agricultural domain by examining the initiatives of the Community-managed Natural Farming (CNF) Program of the Andhra Pradesh Government in India. The novel initiative to motivate and involve youth known as "Natural Farming Fellows" (NFF), amongst others, has facilitated farmers' transition to sustainable agriculture practices. As agricultural graduates trained in the mainstream knowledge systems of chemical farming, the NFFs journey entails unlearning and learning with farmers. Through interviews with the NFFs, we suggest that such institutional innovations offer newer pathways in managing sustainable transitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tanks are the important traditional source of irrigation in India. They are a low-cost source with fewer management problems, but their performance has been deteriorating over the years. Using time-series data from the periods 1960–61 to 2013–14, this paper analyses the performance of tank irrigation across the districts, regions and categories of farmers in Andhra Pradesh, India. The study shows that districts that traditionally had a large tank irrigated area have registered a sharp reduction in that area. A substantial reduction in tank irrigated area is found in the Rayalaseema region where tanks are critical for farming. Correlation analysis suggests a significantly negative impact of groundwater area on tank irrigated area in most districts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores processes of speculative accumulation through land in the making of a new city in Andhra Pradesh, southern India. Rather than analysing the Amaravati plan as an example of neoliberal urbanization or 'accumulation by dispossession', it examines how the project is unfolding on the ground by situating it within the region's 'vernacular capitalism' centred on land and finance capital. The paper maps the processes of speculative accumulation through which value is extracted from land by diverse actors, and describes the practices of calculation, investment and negotiation employed by local landowners to manage their uncertain futures and to insert themselves as 'stakeholders' in the development of the new city. The Amaravati case reflects the deepening entanglement of transnational and provincial circuits of capital in post-liberalization India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Federal housing programs in rapidly urbanizing countries like India are targeting the expansion of low-income housing stocks. However, most of these large-scale low-income housing developments occur in the urban peripheries, and they are cut off from opportunities and essential urban infrastructure. They not only indicate policy failure but also exacerbate urban segregation in growing cities. Federal policies to tackle these problems in India are geared toward relatively small-scale mixed-income initiatives like inclusionary housing and public-private partnerships. Evaluating these efforts based on four cases in the city of Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh, this paper expands the literature on social-mix and mixed-income housing initiatives that is dominated by studies from the Global North. It identifies multi-pronged approaches to address (1) the failure of the current Indian federal policy involving small-scale mixed-income initiatives, and (2) the need to integrate housing initiatives with urban development at multiple levels, especially in the urban peripheries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Weaknesses of sustainable-livelihoods analysis include the neglect of power relations; a focus on the material bases of livelihoods, ignoring social and cultural aspects; and failing to incorporate dynamism. This paper seeks to reinvigorate sustainable-livelihoods frameworks through a broader conceptualisation of institutions which identifies the multiple ways in which they mediate livelihoods. It draws upon Scott's (1995) three pillars of institutions (regulative, normative and cognitive) and the three schools of neo-institutionalism (rational, cultural and historical) to present a more comprehensive approach to understanding the ways in which institutions mediate livelihoods. These approaches are in themselves limited in their understanding of agency and institutional transformation. The paper argues that attention to “complex subjectivities” and contestations over meaning within a broader institutional context can identify entry points for strategic development interventions. The utility of the approach for development practice and research is demonstrated through its application to rural livelihoods in Andhra Pradesh, India. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Land use/Land cover (LULC) plays a vital role in planning and supervising the utilization of the natural resources based on the gradual increase in the human demands in the current ecosystem. This study mainly focuses on the usage of the geographic information system (GIS) and land usage to identify the changes in Ananthapuramu, which is located in the Ananthapur district of Andhra Pradesh (AP) state, South India. This paper mainly focuses on the classification and identification of the changes in LULC in the period of 1999–2019 based on a survey of India's topographic map and temporal images gathered from the satellite. The experimental results indicate that over the specified period of study, the rate of increment and decrement in the built-up area, rate of underwater bodies, forest bodies that may demonstrate a significant impact on the environmental ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the following paper, we illustrate the proposed inter-basin water transfer in India and attempt to do an ex ante analysis of the sharing of the transferred water between the donor and the recipient states. The paper identifies that one of the possible ways of water allocation between the states could be market based. Our results also indicate that such price-based water transfer could lead to an inefficient outcome. The donor states could charge a much higher price and the buyer would buy lesser amount of water than optimal. We also investigate water allocation in a situation where a state cares about the welfare of the other states, and the political relations between the states are crucial elements influencing such altruistic concerns. We recognize the risk of hostile political relationship between the donor and the recipient state, which can affect the welfare of the latter states. We consider different scenarios of political relationship and the corresponding altruistic concerns under which the upstream states would allocate water after the river-linking project takes place. The case of water allocation between Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu is illustrated in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the important pilgrimage centers (tīrtha) in South India, dedicated to the incarnation (avatāra) of Viṣṇu as Narasiṃha, the man-lion, is located at Ahobila, in the state of Andhra Pradesh. This site was important for the Vijayanagara kings as attested by numerous Telugu inscriptions dated to the 16th century. While their textual content provides valuable information on the social, political and economic cultures of sixteenth century South India, this paper investigates their meaning as visual signs within the contexts that comprise a pilgrimage site rather than as texts read by pilgrims. Additionally, given the paucity of scholarship on Telugu inscriptions, it also contributes to this understudied field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Andhra Pradesh is a relatively underdeveloped state in south India that has become one of the leaders of the Indian reform process. How was this possible? With the help of 12 hypotheses, the paper discusses the politics of the reforms in Andhra Pradesh. The focus is particularly on the period between 1995 and 2004, during which an explicitly reform-oriented government ruled the state. The paper suggests that an important factor behind the reforms seems to lie in the changing economic needs and aspirations of the initially rural-based classes/groups on which the reforming regime was based. Moreover, in contrast to some other Indian states, reforms in Andhra Pradesh were not introduced by stealth, but by hype, by a skilful and cleverly managing leadership that succeeded in suggesting a break with the past while it continued with pro-poor spending and continued to allow policy implementation to be (mis)used for local-level party building. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The "National Seminar on Ferroelectrics and Dielectrics" (NSFD) is a biennial seminar that has been held in India since 1980. The seminar focuses on the physics, chemistry, and engineering aspects of ferroelectrics and dielectrics, which are materials used in modern technology for applications such as data storage and wireless communications. The 22nd NSFD took place at VIT-AP University in Andhra Pradesh, India, and covered topics including materials design, characterization, and theoretical modeling. The seminar facilitated the exchange of scientific ideas and resulted in the publication of 89 papers in a special issue of Ferroelectrics. [Extracted from the article]

The Andhra Pradesh Zero Budget Natural Farming project was implemented by India's State of Andhra Pradesh in 2016 and renamed AP Community Managed Natural Farming (APCNF) in 2020. APCNF is recognised as a sucessful example of peasant-led agroecology by social movements, multilateral UN bodies, governments, and researchers. We offer more critical perspectives here, and argue that this agroecology model deepens inequality and dispossession. Despite claims to the contrary, APCNF is locked in an unchanged productivist paradigm controlled by capital in collaboration with the state. By co-opting agroecology, APCNF closes down options for a just transformation of the dominant agri-food regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper delineates the growth of Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) in India. From its origins as a peasant-led social movement in the state of Karnataka, to becoming institutionalized in a state program in Andhra Pradesh, ZBNF is attaining scale and reaching more and more peasant families. We look at some of the key factors that have triggered ZBNFs growth, as well as highlight some of the challenges and contradictions that may arise in the institutionalization process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite increasing evidence of threats to Indigenous food systems, many Indigenous communities are innovating to enhance their resilience while conserving and promoting their traditional food systems, offering important lessons for rural development policy. This community-based case study explores one such Indigenous initiative: Sanjeevini, in Andhra Pradesh, India. Sanjeevini has been effective in designing and implementing creative strategies for seed sovereignty and biocultural conservation. Interviews with key persons associated with Sanjeevini (n = 8) and participatory field-research in the Araku Valley region, including interviews with small scale farmers (n = 30), revealed community development strategies emphasising a link between biological and cultural heritage in Indigenous food systems. These include hosting cultural seed festivals, establishing and maintaining community-based seed banks, and facilitating inter-community seed exchanges. Importantly, these strategies take place against a backdrop of community-organising that counteracts the dominant neo-liberal development agenda while resisting deforestation that threatens Indigenous livelihoods. Sanjeevini's success demonstrates that through the adaptive assertion of self-determination, rural social change is possible. This paper highlights alternative, community-driven articulations of seed sovereignty while underscoring the significance of this community's own vision in guiding rural innovation and offering promising working models for cultivating rural resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the changing representation of youth violence in India, where the political culture remains focused on power as a function of seniority and generation, not merit. The state's recent attempt to bring the networked protests of the middle class young within the ambit of sanctions historically reserved for terror, highlights its anxiety over the New Media. The extraordinary powers of communication and publishing which digitisation now makes available to educated youth, through interactivity, cross-referentiality and convergence with audio and video entertainment and mobile telephony, lies at the heart of their concern. Setting aside ageist and ethnocentric explanations for the ‘radicalisation’ of youth, the paper argues for opening up mainstream education itself to a critical academic scrutiny into terror. Fundamentalism, it concludes, cannot be sourced to the madrassa (‘school’ or ‘seminary’ in Arabic) and its specialised teachings; but rather to the techno power routinely invested in the young by the New Media of study, play and war. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural and water development in the Krishna basin in south India has led to a progressive over-commitment of water resources. Based on a historical water accounting (1955-2004), this paper shows that upstream water development is the main cause for declining water availability in the lower Krishna basin (Andhra Pradesh state). But Andhra Pradesh's own policies of water resources development are also key in understanding the process of over-commitment observed in the region. To slow down basin closure (little or no discharge to the ocean), there is a need for formal and adaptive water allocation mechanisms that can internalize social and environmental objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper, based on an ethnographic study of a government school and a low-cost private school in Andhra Pradesh, India, argues that the students of a government school and a private school have two different worlds and are socialised differently. As children progress from childhood to adolescence, the transition is accompanied by increased responsibilities, cognitive maturity and behavioural changes. At home, socio-economic status, parental educational levels, family atmosphere and household survival strategies influence the way children perceive the world. At school, teachers and peer-group relationships play a cardinal role in moulding children differently. However, family, peers and school are not distinct arenas, but inter-related, and together contribute in shaping the child. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper examines narratives about the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA) to reveal people's interpretations of changes to agrarian relations in Andhra Pradesh. Through narratives, we are able to reveal more than just the material relations of production, unveiling internalised modes of control, how these have come under threat in recent times, and discursive strategies to restore them – albeit in modified form. It argues that the MGNREGA has become a site of ideological contestation, in which the scheme means either an entitlement to government support, or alternatively a threat to existing modes of control that can only be reinstated through the scheme itself. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper uses an approach grounded in political ecology and political economy to explain the social and ecological foundations of groundwater overexploitation and agrarian distress within semi-arid Andhra Pradesh It emphasises how relations of credit/debt have become intertwined with the tenuous social and ecological foundations of smallholder production to create a new dynamic of vulnerability across the agrarian environment. It thereby links cycles of groundwater depletion to the debt-driven survival strategies of India’s small and marginal farmers within a context of dramatic changes in Indian agrarian social relations over the past three decades. In so doing, it critiques established perspectives that portray the trend towards acute groundwater overexploitation as stemming from inadequate regulation or information deficits among rural producers. Ultimately it argues that groundwater overexploitation represents a common tragedy of debt-driven livelihoods within an austere agrarian environment. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper discusses protection of children from hazards in agricultural work. International and national policies aim to protect children by eliminating all child labour. Previous literature on hazardous child labour tends to focus on single industries or crops, overlooking the variety of activities that children undertake in subsistence farming. We analyse survey and qualitative data from children, and present rates of work, injuries experienced, how children deal with risks, and perceived benefits of work. The most effective form of prevention may be to build on existing knowledge and experience, working with communities to develop strategies to make work safer. Ripostes des enfants face aux risques du travail agricole en Andhra Pradesh, en Inde Cet article traite de la protection des enfants face aux aléas du travail agricole. Les politiques internationales et nationales visent à protéger les enfants en éliminant tout le travail des enfants. Les documents publiés précédemment sur le travail dangereux des enfants tendent à se concentrer sur les industries ou les cultures, sans prêter attention à la variété d'activités que les enfants entreprennent dans l'agriculture de subsistance. Nous analysons des données qualitatives et issues d'enquêtes fournies par des enfants, ainsi que les taux actuels de travail, les blessures subies, la manière dont les enfants gèrent les risques et les avantages perçus du travail. La forme la plus efficace de prévention pourrait consister à renforcer les connaissances et les expériences existantes, en travaillant avec les communautés pour élaborer des stratégies afin d'améliorer la sécurité au travail. As respostas das crianças ao risco no trabalho agrícola em Andhra Pradesh, Índia Este artigo discute a questão da proteção de crianças dos perigos no trabalho agrícola. Políticas internacionais e nacionais visam proteger as crianças eliminando todo trabalho infantil. A literatura anterior sobre trabalho infantil perigoso tende a focalizar indústrias ou lavouras específicas, desconsiderando a variedade de atividades que as crianças realizam na produção agrícola de subsistência. Analisamos pesquisas e dados qualitativos de crianças e apresentamos informações sobre taxas de trabalho, ferimentos ocorridos, sobre como as crianças lidam com os riscos e os benefícios percebidos do trabalho. A forma mais efetiva de prevenção pode ser a de basear-se em conhecimento e experiência acumulados, trabalhando com comunidades para desenvolver estratégias para tornar o trabalho mais seguro. Las reacciones de la niñez ante el riesgo del trabajo agrícola en Andhra Pradesh, India Este ensayo analiza la protección de la niñez ante los peligros del trabajo agrícola. Las políticas a nivel nacional e internacional tienen como objetivo proteger a la niñez mediante la eliminación del trabajo infantil. Anteriormente, los estudios sobre el trabajo infantil peligroso se enfocaban en las industrias o los cultivos específicos, sin tomar en cuenta las múltiples actividades que los niños y niñas realizan en la agricultura de subsistencia. El ensayo analiza la información cualitativa y las encuestas realizadas a niños y niñas, examinando las actuales tasas de empleo, las lesiones más comunes, cómo la niñez reacciona ante el riesgo y los beneficios que ésta atribuye al trabajo. Para prevenir de una forma más eficaz, el método a utilizar tendría que construirse a partir de la experiencia y los conocimientos ya existentes, mediante el trabajo con las comunidades para crear estrategias que aseguren resultados. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper I examine Dalit attitudes towards the state in Andhra Pradesh. In this part of India, Dalit lives and physical surroundings are quite literally shaped by the state and encounters with state officials in various guises are frequent. I argue that Dalits' dealings with the state have led them to a view which is essentially pragmatic: they see the state in terms of what they can extract from it. While their experiences with local bureaucracy are often frustrating and sometimes humiliating, they nevertheless regard the state as a resource which potentially can be tapped for their advance. Indeed, in light of the disintegration of patronage and heightened caste conflict, they are forced to turn to the state for assistance. The conflict between the two major Dalit castes themselves and between Dalits and the dominant castes over reservations also shows how central state resources are to Dalits' sense of identity. Contrary to much of the literature, then, I suggest that many of the most marginalised believe the state can assist their advance and demand that their political representatives harness state power to work in their interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this study was to determine constraints and suggestions of farmers towards adopting seasonal climate forecasts. It addresses the question: Which forms of providing forecasts will be helpful to farmers in agricultural decision making? For the study, farmers were selected from Andhra Pradesh state of South India. One hundred and eighty farmers were interviewed to obtain information on problems and suggestions in adopting climate forecasts. Statistical data analyses (frequencies, percentages) were made to draw results. Absence of location specific climate forecasts followed by poor reliability and failure of the majority of climate forecasts, with poor extension service in climate prediction, forecasts in the media not answering operational needs and low conviction of climate prediction were the major problems reported through farmers. Provide location specific climate forecasts by improving infrastructure at village level, improve credibility of forecasts with proper accountability, improve accuracy of climate forecasts by frequent updating, making climate forecasts in the media relevant to operational needs and improve extension service in climate prediction with frequent visits by extension personnel along with use of different teaching materials and methods, were the different suggestions offered by farmers. This paper determines constraints faced by farmers in adopting climate forecasts, along with suggestions to overcome them. It is clear that participatory engagement to understand farmers' needs and adoption constraints is crucial to realizing the value of climate prediction. To achieve adoption of forecasts, forecasts need to be more accurate, reliable, relevant to agricultural decisions and better communicated. With agricultural systems becoming more susceptible to climate variability, this study helps and guides policymakers in considering the spatial reliability of climate prediction in relation to the spatial scale at which the information may be used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Led by the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, the Frontiers Prevention Programme (FPP) was implemented in India, Ecuador, Cambodia and Morocco between 2002 and 2007. This paper focuses on the experience of evaluating this programme in Andhra Pradesh, India. The aim of the FPP was to reduce HIV infections through supporting the delivery of a comprehensive package of community-based prevention interventions, focused on saturating pre-defined geographical sites that had high densities of populations that were considered key to the epidemic, or 'key populations' - female sex workers, men who have sex with men, and people living with HIV/AIDS. Various aspects of the FPP were innovative for its time, including the implementation of a rigorous impact evaluation initially using a community randomised control trial design. The key evaluation questions posed were: (a) to what extent do HIV and AIDS prevention interventions effect positive change in the course of the epidemic within key populations and the communities in which they live? and (b) does community participation provide an additional impact beyond that of traditional prevention interventions? Some of the challenges in conducting the evaluation were surmountable - for example, those related to managing a large-scale multi-stakeholder programme with institutes and individuals located in different parts of the world - but others were less so. In particular the loss of the control sites proved problematic and resulted in the endline findings, although showing positive changes in behaviour, being largely inconclusive since these positive changes were found across all sites. Lessons include the importance of continual dialogue between programme staff and researchers and sharing and disseminating findings in appropriate formats to different kinds of stakeholders. The experience from the FPP questions the value of NGOs using experimental evaluation designs; while acknowledging their value in providing evidence of what works and therefore where to focus resources, NGOs need to be cautious before undertaking such exercises and ensure that they are fully aware of the difficulties and expense in undertaking such experimental evaluations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents results on the participation of rural workers in the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme based on a pilot survey of three villages in the Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh (AP), India. These villages are Kaligiri, Obulayyapale and Reddivaripalle, and they were surveyed in December 2007. In contrast to an earlier study of ours on Rajasthan, Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) participated in higher numbers in AP, but in both states these groups participated for slightly lower spells than the residual group of 'Others'. We find that AP performed better than Rajasthan in terms of targeting poorer caste and income groups such as SCs, STs and landless households. The number of days worked on average was much higher than suggested by other assessments. Our econometric analysis further reinforces the view that disadvantaged groups are not only more likely to participate but also for longer spells. Thus the performance of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme has been far from dismal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continuous and adequate supplies of potable water from ground reservoirs are important for sustained agriculture, industry and domestic use throughout huge semi-arid regions of India. The present paper describes an approach to investigating groundwater potential over extensive geographical areas and illustrates its potential with reference to watershed planning in the large Varaha River Basin (VRB), Andhra Pradesh, India. The method involves the creation of a systematic database of information from satellite data for reconnaissance survey before going for field exploration. Colour composite images from Landsat Thematic Mapper and Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellite were used to interpret various thematic maps of the Varaha river basin. SPOT 1 MLA data of band 3 on a 1:250 000 scale was used for improving the accuracy of interpretation of topographic units due to its higher resolution and stereo coverage. Slope and other coverages were derived from topographic maps. The thematic and topographic information was digitized and ERDAS Imagine GIS software was used to analyse this information. Groundwater potential zones were delineated through subjective weights assigned to interpreted thematic and derived topographic units according to their likely infiltration capacities. Seven categories of groundwater potential ranging from very good to poor were derived automatically. Field measurements were then made within a selection of these categories to check the groundwater potential at selected sites. The validity and effectiveness of using remote sensing and GIS techniques for improving the targeting of field observations for groundwater for a huge river basin is shown by comparing the inferred groundwater potential with the field measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The link between e-governance and accountability of state administrations for service provision has been problematized in the literature to date. However, little is known about its application to anti-poverty programmes, of which public workfare schemes are an increasingly important subset. In this paper, we fill the gap with a study of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), India’s largest workfare scheme, as it is being computerized in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. A state-level information system was devised to ensure transparency of transactions, and hence combat the illicit diversion of the programme’s funds to non-entitled recipients. But while doing so, the system carries a policy of centralization, which concentrates decision-making power in the hands of a limited set of actors rather than distributing it across the programme’s stakeholders. In particular the Field Assistants, appointed officials responsible for the village-level management of the scheme, have direct control on the information inputted in the system, which reinforces their position of authority rather than challenging it in favour of greater empowerment of wageseekers. Furthermore, wage payments are traced by the information system till they reach the disbursement agencies, but are prone to capture in the ‘last mile’ where workers collect their salaries, which results in greater vulnerability for them. As a result, MGNREGA workers are constructed by the new information system as sheerbeneficiariesrather than activeparticipantsin the programme, which concurs to crystallizing existing power structures rather than resulting in wageseekers’ empowerment. Lessons are drawn for other states currently computerizing their social safety nets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This article explores the struggle for legitimation associated with the attempt to define the risk of Bt cotton, a genetically modified crop, in Andhra Pradesh, India. Beck asserts that, given the uncertainty associated with risk society, efforts to define risk are creating the need for a new political culture. This article argues that this political culture emerges from attempts to legitimate power within risk definition. This is examined using critical discourse analysis on interview excerpts with key figures in the Bt cotton debate. Legitimation is explored using the categories of legitimation developed by Van Leeuwen. These are (a) authorisation; (b) moral evaluation; (c) rationalisation; and (d) mythopoesis. The analysis highlights that the political culture which emerges in response to risk society is in a state of constant flux and contingent upon the ongoing struggle for legitimation with regard to the definition of risk. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of Journal of Natural Fibers is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The study analyzed the reasons and constraints for adopting natural farming (NF) by ricegrowing farmers in Andhra Pradesh, India, using participatory qualitative and quantitative analyses. A sample of 500 conventional ricegrowing and 500 natural rice-growing farmers are selected. The basis for qualitative research was developed during interviews, field visits, surveys to understand farmers' perceptions and knowledge on NF. Quantitative analysis was done by taking multiple responses to ascertain the constraints and reasons to adopt NF by using a pre-tested interview schedule. Garrett Ranking technique prioritized the reasons and constraints for adopting NF concerning ranks and Garrett mean score. The critical constraints found to adopt NF are higher labor costs, lack of experience in any of the agroecological techniques, low fertile soils, and higher incidence of pests and diseases. Awareness of the advantage of diversification of crops and staggered planting to arrive at different harvesting schedules are helpful. Detailed NF crop cultivation techniques, availability of NF input shops at the local level, soil testing, and soil treatment will boost farmer confidence to take up NF. Some of the significant reasons stated for adopting NF in the study are the lower production costs, lower farm size, debt reduction, and the farmers' health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Political campaigning in 2019 in Andhra Pradesh took place against the backdrop of a recent (2014) bifurcation of the state and increasing fragmentation of its party system. The campaign focussed on two powerful leaders of regional political parties: Chandrababu Naidu, the incumbent Chief Minister and leader of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), and Jagan Mohan Reddy, the opposition leader and founder of the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP). The YSRCP won the election by some 11 percentage points ahead of Naidu's TDP, and achieved a landslide in seats in the Assembly and Lok Sabha. The major catalyst for Jagan's victory was his 14-month padayatra (walkathon) across the state, during which he met millions of people in their villages, with his images and speeches consistently featured on local TV, and his campaign's signature emotional appeal and poll promises popularized on YouTube and Facebook. The YSRCP's campaign was managed by India's foremost professional political consultancy, the I-PAC, which implemented a series of online and off-line campaigns and mass outreach programmes months before the election, and brought together musicians and writers to create the most popular campaign song to date. This campaign offers an insightful example of how home-grown political consulting is transforming election campaigns in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Essential oils have been used for a long time in several fields of interest. Recently, they have also been applied in the conservation of Cultural Heritage to contrast biodeterioration replacing the most current biocides toxic for humans and environment. Inula crithmoides L. (syn. Limbarda crithmoides (L.) Dumort) is a halophyte species distributed along the Mediterranean coasts and it is used as an edible vegetable since the young leaves or shoots are eaten raw or cooked. Several biological properties have been determined for this plant including antimicrobial activities. In this study the volatile composition of the aerial part of an accession from the Aeolian Islands, Sicily (Italy) is described. Furthermore, the in vitro antibacterial assay against four species of bacteria isolated from a XX century Tholu Bhommalu, a leather painted puppet from Andhra Pradesh (India), was showed by the Agar disc diffusion method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the Green Revolution in Asia, the gap in agricultural yield with the developed world has been closed, while the gap in farm labour productivity has greatly widened. This reveals a deepening agrarian and environmental crisis in India. The industrial mode of production has led to the massive use of costly industrial inputs to increase yields and offset economies of scale that are almost impossible to achieve in this densely populated country. Such a development path is a trap for millions Indian micro-farmers and their natural capital. We then unveil the promises of a type of agroecology called 'natural farming' that has developed in Andhra Pradesh, a State in South India. Andhra's natural farming has pioneered the adoption of technical and organizational innovations that could lead to the first large-scale agroecological transition in the world. But in 2019, these local innovations were accused of following a regressive path and endangering the country's food security. This attack reveals the current omnipotence of the industrial sociotechnical regime over science, as well as a conception of science and progress antithetical to agroecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the impact of Self-Help Group (SHG) participation on the frequency of domestic violence in rural India. The study hypothesizes that SHG participation can raise tensions between married men and women because husbands may perceive some aspects of women's empowerment as a challenge to patriarchal cultural norms. Using household panel data collected in rural Andhra Pradesh in 2004, 2006, and 2007, this article employs double difference methodology with an instrumental variables approach for impact evaluation. The estimation results show that, while SHG participation reduced domestic violence in the short-term, medium-term participation increased the frequency of domestic violence, particularly after women's credit access through SHG participation had improved. This article furthermore reveals that the impact of SHG participation on domestic violence was more pronounced among couples who married with dowry. Spouses who practiced dowry appear to be more susceptible to financial inflow through the wife. HIGHLIGHTS Self-Help Group (SHG) participation impacts the frequency of domestic violence in conflicting ways. Women's SHG participation initially reduces tensions with their husbands. In the medium term, women's access to credit creates conflicts with their husbands. SHG participation alone is not enough to overcome patriarchal practices and structures. Effective gender-advocacy programs should include training to change both women's and men's attitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Huanglongbing (HLB), previously known as citrus greening disease, is one of the most destructive diseases of citrus and responsible for the decline of citrus orchards in Andhra Pradesh (AP) and other citrus growing areas in the country. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of 1160 bp fragment of 16S rDNA of HLB was observed in mottling symptoms, yellow vein symptoms, symptoms mixed with both citrus yellow mosaic virus and citrus greening and zinc deficiency-like symptoms; however, no amplification was observed in iron deficiency like symptoms. As the disease shows a variety of symptoms in infected trees, PCR detection could be useful for resolving confusion in identification of HLB between actual deficiency and deficiency like symptoms caused by HLB. In acid lime the midrib and veins of the leaves with both mottling and yellow vein symptoms were suitable for isolation of DNA and used as a template in the PCR test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global literature examining the association between mental health of women living with HIV (WLWH) and child development is scarce. In this study, we examined the relationship between mothers' mental health and their children's social development outcomes 6 months later. Data for these analyses come from several waves of interviews of 600 WLWH in the South Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, India. These women were enrolled in a 2 × 2 factorial clinical trial designed to assess the impact of food supplementation and nutrition education, both in addition to ASHA support, on adherence to ART and improved health outcomes for the women and one of their children. They were assessed on food security, stigma, social support, quality of life, depressive symptoms and child development outcomes. Results of longitudinal GEE regression analysis indicate that mother's depressive symptoms were significantly negatively associated with child's social quotient 6 months later. These findings have important implications for targeted health interventions, integrating mental health, both for WLWH and their children in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Input-driven agriculture has led to an epidemic of impoverishment, farmer suicides, and environmental degradation in India, but has also shown consistent staying power in Indian politics. We examine the case of organic farming policy adoption to explore this paradox. Specifically, our objective was to evaluate how the state-wide Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) program (now formally known as Community Managed Natural Farming) in Andhra Pradesh, India came to be. Evidence was drawn from government documents, field notes from a ZBNF workshop and farmer interactions, and in-depth interviews with stakeholders. Results suggest that advocacy of civil society networks, champions within the bureaucracy, emphasis on rural livelihoods, and the 20-year history of consensus building around agroecology all played a key role in the adoption of the ZBNF program in this state. Given the possibility of scaling up ZBNF at the national level, our analysis of the enabling environment is especially timely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess the geochemical mechanisms of fluoride occurrence in the groundwater and its impact on human health, groundwater samples collected from the Sattenapalle Region, Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, India were analyzed for various chemical parameters. Results show that the groundwater quality is of alkaline in nature, which is mainly characterized by Na-HCO3 facies. According to the groundwater quality index, 75% and 25% of the groundwater sampling points come under the poor and very poor groundwater quality categories for drinking purpose, respectively. The fluoride content varies from 1.3 to 12.9 mg/L, with 75% of the groundwater sampling points exceeding the drinking water quality limit of 1.5 mg/L. The study on Ca2++Mg2+ vs. HCO 3 − +SO 4 2 − , Na++K+ vs. TC, Na+ vs. Cl − , HCO 3 − vs. TC, trilinear diagrams and CA indices specifies the soil-water-rock interactions together with dissolution, ion exchange and evaporation as the dominant controlling processes that affect the groundwater chemistry. The non-carcinogenic risk is from 0.83 to 9.77, exceeding its acceptable limit of one in 75%, 90% and 100% of the groundwater samples with respect to men, women and children, respectively, depending upon their body weights. Remedial measures are suggested to reduce the health risk in the study region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What factors underlie the exclusion of some poor households from welfare programmes? This article analyses the question through a comparative examination of households' demographic characteristics, social capital and communities' spatial (dis)advantage as determinants of enrolment in three social programmes in Andhra Pradesh, India. The main findings indicate that traditionally marginalised demographic groups do not experience programme exclusion significantly more than other groups, but that households' social-network capital and communities' spatial advantage increase households' programme inclusion. The importance of social capital for programme inclusion wanes, however, in spatially more advantaged communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) is a form of agricultural system redesign being practiced at scale in India, particularly in the state of Andhra Pradesh. ZBNF is an emerging set of agricultural practices designed dramatically to reduce farmers direct costs (hence 'zero budget') while boosting yields and farm health through the use of non-synthetic inputs sourced locally ('natural farming'). Andhra Pradesh has set out the aim of 'rolling out' ZBNF to all 6 million of the state's farmers through a state-led programme of training and extension. We present data showing statistically significant differences between ZBNF and non-ZBNF yields and farmer incomes at multiple locations and with a variety of crops, as well as preliminary results on farmers' experiences with crop health and household transitions following the adoption of ZBNF. We conclude with reflections on the lessons derived from Andhra Pradesh's state support for ZBNF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study at selected action sites in semi-arid region of Andhra Pradesh, India, showed widespread land degradation due to low levels of soil organic carbon (78% of fields) and deficiencies of available nutrients like phosphorus (34%), sulfur (93%), calcium (33%), zinc (84%), boron (73%), and copper (33%). Soil test-based addition of deficient micro- and macronutrients increased food grain production by 30–40% and straw (which is used as fodder) production by 10–30%. Micro-watershed scale low-cost cement-lined farm-ponds at smallholder farm level proved a scalable technology for drought-proofing of crops resulting into additional crop yield by more than 30% during 2015. Augmentation of water sources also facilitated farmers' to successfully diversify the production system. Shared machinery resources improved the operational and economic efficiency of farm sowing operations through higher crop yields by around 10%. We conclude that a mix of low-cost critical interventions if out-scaled in a large number of dryland small holdings through policy support may not only improve productivity and livelihoods, but also enhance their abilities to effectively cope with the climatic aberrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of the present article is on evaluation of drinking and industrial water quality, and groundwater chemistry in a suburban area of Visakhapatnam, India, to promote sustainable development of this area. Water quality index categorized 27% and 23% of the groundwater samples into poor water quality type for drinking and industrial purposes. Piper diagram classified 73% of the groundwater samples into Ca2+–HCO type, and the rest (27%) into mixed type. Gibbs diagrams demonstrated the majority of groundwater samples (70%) fall in the rock domain and the rest (30%) in the zone of evaporation due to gradual increase of Na+ and Cl ions. The bivariate diagrams expressed the reverse ion exchange as the dominating process, following ion exchange and mineral dissolution, which controlled the groundwater geochemistry. The principal component analysis (PCA) yielded PC1, PC2, and PC3, which are influenced by soil CO2, weathering and dissolution of plagioclase feldspars, and ferromagnesium minerals, and human activities on the aquifer chemistry, representing the processes of pollution, hardness and alkalinity, respectively. The distribution of positive PC scores identified the influences of processes on the groundwater specific area, which is an effective tool to implement the management strategies for sustainable development of urban area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]