OAR@ICRISATBaseline Scenario of Postrainy Season Sorghum Economy in Marathwada Region of Maharashtra. Working Paper Series No. 38NNagarajauthorSMoreauthorSHaldarauthorM C SBantilanauthorM GChandrakanthauthorPostrainy season sorghum is one of the major dietary staple cereal crops in Marathwada region supporting food and fodder security. Currently, the productivity levels are extremely low because of limited adoption of dryland technologies by the poor. Thus, the HOPE project aimed at increasing the productivity of sorghum and pearl millet by 35-40% over the base level in South Asia through introducing on-shelf technology and improved management practices in the targeted clusters over a period of four years. In this regard, the baseline survey was conducted in the primary project intervention area (HOPE) where improved technologies have been introduced and in matching control villages with comparable agro-ecological and market conditions in non-intervention area (non- HOPE), where improved technologies have not been made. The objective of the baseline survey was to appraise the existing situation of the targeted cluster villages with respect to adoption of technologies, productivity, income, yield gaps and other socioeconomic issues. The coverage area of improved rabi sorghum varieties were around 15% in HOPE and 5% in non-HOPE areas, where the yield gap was estimated at 40–50% as compared to the potential yield for the improved varieties. The productivity of rabi sorghum in the HOPE area was 1.17 t/ha and in the non-HOPE area 1.2 t/ha. However, in the HOPE area farmers are receiving a net return of ` 2017 per ha and in the non-HOPE ` 2421 considering all costs. The annual per capita income in the HOPE area is ` 32,029, while in the non-HOPE area, it is ` 40,669, of which 65% is derived from crop enterprise only. There is significant involvement of women in activities such as land preparation, intercultural operations, harvesting and threshing. Moisture stress especially during sowing and/or terminal stage and shortage of labor especially during harvesting and threshing were some of the key critical constraints expressed by the farmers in adoption of improved rabi sorghum technologies.Agriculture-Farming, Production, Technology, Economics2013International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid TropicsMonograph

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