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Desi cows are playing crucial role in the national economy for their draught power, milk, dung, fuel and urine. It is a source of subsidiary income for many families in India especially the resource poor. The present study was carried out in six districts of Karnataka with higher population of each of the six desi breeds. Forty farmers served as respondents for each breed, making the total sample size of 240 farm households. Deoni productivity was the best with 3.85 L/anim./day followed by 3.07 in case of Krishna Valley. Daily net return per animal was ₹ 18.20 in Deoni and ₹ 15.51 in Krishna Valley, while it was lowest in Malnad Gidda. Without considering cost of fodder, net return (₹/anim./day) was the highest for Hallikar followed by Deoni and Krishna Valley. Draught power, dual purpose utility, quality and taste of milk, adaptability to harsh tropical climate, religious sentiments and social esteem were the important attributes of desi cows. Natural service, open grazing, feeding concentrates, green fodder and hay, closed housing system, vaccination, utility of dung and urine in the farm, full hand milking method were the management strategies adopted. Shrinking holding size, non-availability of grazing land, longer inter-calving period, and poor milk production were the important constraints perceived by farmers. Non-availability of superior quality breeding bulls and high price of cattle feed were perceived as causes for decreasing indigenous cattle population.

It has become mandatory for all the domestic producers of urea to produce Neem Coated Urea (NCU) since 2015 to reduce overall input cost in farming and to ensure environmental sustainability through enhanced nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). The present study was carried out during 2017–19 with the aim to find out the awareness level of farmers about NCU and its impact on crop productivity. A total of 12,604 farmers across the country were interviewed by 458 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs). The results of the study showed that 76% farmers were aware about NCU and its effectiveness in increasing crop yield. Farmers of Delhi NCR, Haryana and Rajasthan were found to have the highest awareness while those of Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and Jammu & Kashmir had the lowest level of awareness. Overall, 79% farmers were satisfied with its use. Use of N fertilizers decreased significantly in 2018 compared to 2017 in both the seasons (kharif and rabi), however, the existing rate of application was still significantly higher than recommended doses. The average yield enhancement due to use of NCU was 8.25%. The highest yield increase due to use of NCU was observed in Goa, Madhya Pradesh, and Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Results of the study implied that more emphasis is needed for dissemination of information about NCU through awareness, training and capacity building programmes for farmers and grassroots level extension functionaries.

Although short messaging service (SMS) through mobile phones has quickly gained popularity among most other sectors in India, its potential is not fully realised in the agriculture sector as a cost effective service to reach farmers and elicit desirable action. Despite the cost effectiveness, mobile messaging has remained a challenge in the farming sector in terms of its end use and action as far as extension systems are concerned. While there could be many influencing factors affecting the utility of mobile messages, this study assumed that educational level of farmers could be a major factor. A telephone survey was conducted to ascertain the influence of farmers’ education on the level of utilisation of mobile-based advisories. Farmers with higher education level showed better comprehension of advisories, acted-upon the advisories more promptly and shared the information with fellow farmers more often than those with lower education level. There was a significant association between comprehending, sharing and acting upon advisories. This has implications to achieve enhanced extension reach with higher efficiency in terms of cost and time.