Household Food Security through Wetland Resources with Adaptation to Climate Change: An Empirical Analysis of Ranikor, Meghalaya, India

Wetland ecosystems are the most diverse and productive ecosystems on Earth and include marshes, lakes, rivers, flood basins, estuarine deltas, ponds, rice fields, and marine water areas where the depth at low tide does not exceed 6 m. Tangible and intangible diverse resources and products of wetland functions have historically provided a source of income and livelihood for human beings. The present study investigated the different causes and the perceived indicators of food insecurity among the wetland dwellers, determined the wetland contribution to household food security and assessed the determinants of wetland based income with a view on the adaptive strategies adopted by the households residing around Ranikor, Meghalaya. Data was collected from 70 wetland resource-user households which was analyzed using simple percentage, t-test, regression analysis and Garrett ranking technique. The wetland resources contributed significantly to the household food security in the study area. It was found that climate change and limited labour were the major causes of food insecurity. Factors like household size, agricultural land area and age of the respondent determined the extraction of resources. Moreover, the study revealed crop diversification, re-digging of canal, construction of embankments and poultry rearing as the adaptive measures in the face of climate change having merits. The study recommends the need to design appropriate food production technologies that ensure sustainable use of wetland resources for food security as increasing population coupled with climate change will have drastic impact on the households relying on wetland for food security and income.

Construction of a Knowledge Test to Assess Rubber Growers' Knowledge of Rubber Plantation Development and Extension Schemes in North East India

To assess the expertise of rubber growers, a knowledge test was created. The majority of the 37 questions were created by endorsing reasonable thinking above root memorization and to distinguish between competent rubber growers who are less competent. The results of the sample 9628743respondents' scores were subjected to item analysis, which included calculating the item difficulty index and the item discrimination index. The scale used for the final selection has 17 items with difficulty indices between 36.66 and60 and discrimination indices between 0.58 and 0.73. The reliability of the knowledge test under development was examined using the Split-Half method, and it was found to be 0.722.Aims: To construct a knowledge test to assess rubber growers’ knowledge onRubber Plantation Development and Extension Scheme.Study Design:Descriptive study.Place and Duration of Study:Karimganj, Assam, between January 2021 and December 2022.Methodology: A no. ofitems werecollected and 37 items were kept. The majority of the 37 questions were created by endorsing reasonable thinking above root memorization and to distinguish between competent rubber growers who are less competent. 37 questions were pretested to 30 random rubber growers. ResultsThe results of the sample respondents' scores were subjected to item analysis, which included calculating the item difficulty index and the item discrimination index. Conclusion:The scale used for the final selection has 17 itemswith difficulty indices between 36.66 and 60 and discrimination indices between 0.58 and 0.73. The reliability of the knowledge test under development was examined using the Split-Half method, and it was found to be 0.722.