DECLINING PULSES PRODUCTION & ITS IMPLICATIONS

A study for Gorakhpur Environmental Action Group

By Maitrey Environment Education

Pulse crops are wonderful gift of the nature. They provide nutritious food, feed and fodder. Pulses form an integral part of Indian diet. It is rich source of protein. Besides this they maintain soil fertility through biological nitrogen fixation and play a vital role in furthering sustainable agriculture. These crops are energy rich but are cultivated largely under energy-starved condition. They thrive well in the fragile ecosystem where other crops often fail.

Objectives

• To observe the nutritional value of pulses and its food security.
• To analyze the trends of pulse production (in India, its states and the economical region of U.P.)
• To identify the reasons for changing trends of pulses production and its consequences.
• To see the effects on vulnerable group especially women.

Methodology

The study is divided into three parts- National, state and local ( i.e. Gorakhpur region). Primary and secondary data were collected for achieving the purpose of the study. The data collection was conducted in two phases.

·         First phase was conducted for getting information about the profile of pulse production in India.

·         Second phase was conducted to survey the village, collecting first hand information from the villagers on farmers. Primary data and information was collected with the help of Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), interviews, meetings and discussions. Selection of districts and blocks is based on highest reduction in the pulse cultivation. The collected data has been processed, analyzed and tabulated using different statistical tools (simple average and percentage).

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