Background

Registration

Registration Fee

Organizing Secretary

On behalf of the Organising Committee, we invite you to participate in AERA 2006.The conference will be held at the C.S. Azad University of Agriculture & Technology, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.

We hope you can join us down under in January 2006 for what promises to be a truly excellent meeting, with ample opportunity for professional exchange among agricultural economists from all around the country.

Regards,

Organising Committee Representatives

Background

Indian farmers and rural communities face various types of risks. Some of these risks affect a large number of farmers while others have individual/specific impact. There are very few studies/evidences on the nature, type, magnitude and dynamics of risks at farm level and the manner in which agricultural producers manage various risks. Since the majority of the Indian farmers are small and marginal households, understanding of agricultural risks and their management deserve serious research attention. The nature of agricultural risks and vulnerability of rural communities to them are changing with simultaneous change in climatic pattern, economic globalization and technological development. While a climate change may influence the biophysical vulnerability of farmers, trade liberalization, deregulation of domestic economy and fiscal stabilization polices may influence their economic viability. Integrated assessments may identify climatic vulnerabilities in social systems, linking such impacts to broader socio-economic processes. Statistical and dynamic simulation models may be applied to extrapolate agricultural and rural livelihood impacts of future climatic, economic and technological conditions.

Not much is known about the impact of new technologies on crop productivity growth and farm level and aggregate instability due to lack of sufficient data on field level production and post-production management. Appropriate modeling of such information on agricultural risks is essential for a better designing of risk management programs and policies. Water (quantitywise and qualitywise) is emerging as the most critical input in farming due to its increasing demand for multiple uses. The other important sources of risks in agriculture are the changing economic environment, and the input and output markets. Price fluctuations in international commodity markets also expose farmers to higher risks. There is a need to model farmer's expectations and response behaviour and impacts of WTO on farm productivity, instability and resource use. The increased demand for modern inputs accompanying new technology and their limited and timely supplies due to failures of institutional and resource availability may increase cost of production and yield/enterprise variability. The analyses of fluctuations in expected (anticipated) production and economic returns are required for policy designing to reduce variability by more flexible, diversified and specific use of inputs. Recent developments in Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) may be another sources of risks. The social, economic and ecological impacts of such monopolization of knowledge are serious. There is a need for a thorough understanding of new IPR regime and its socio-economic consequences in relation to crops/enterprises for different agro-eco-regions and social groups/communities.

Rural societies and farm-households adopt various strategies and devote resources to combat risks and maintain income and consumption normal. The effectiveness of traditional and informal mechanisms at the household and community levels in coping with risks and uncertainties in agriculture need to be identified. There is a need for designing of sustainable crop insurance scheme for sound actuarial policies. The mechanisms like contract farming and future markets can provide insurance against price volatility. Similarly, effective marketing systems for farm inputs and outputs with improved infrastructure must be seen as a necessary condition for improving the opportunities to farmers for managing risks. Studies on management of risks in agriculture should also examine suitable methodologies for risk assessment, nature and extent of different sources of risks, assessment of farmers and community/society's risk-coping strategies and mechanisms and the needed changes therein.

All these issues will be discussed at the 13 th Annual Conference of AREA ( India ) to be held at CSAUAT, Kanpur , UP during 6-7 January 2006. Research papers (in duplicate) typed in double space and accompanied invariably by a Summary (not exceeding 200 words) along with a floppy (MS Word) may be sent to the Secretary, AERA, NCAP, Library Avenue, Pusa, New Delhi-110012 before 30 th October 2005. The length of the paper should not exceed 15 pages including tables, annexures, etc. Selected papers and summaries of papers will be published in the proceedings issue of the Journal, AERR. It may be noted that two prizes (1 st and 2 nd ) instituted by Dr. D.T.Doshi Foundation, Pune, will be awarded to the best presentations out of the submitted papers (papers submitted only in the abstract form are not eligible) during the Annual Conference. The presentation should preferably be in PowerPoint. Dr. Doshi Foundation also awards two prizes every year to the best articles published in the Agricultural Economics Research Review. Members are advised to take advantage of these initiatives.

Registration

Participants are requested to contact Dr.R.K.Singh, Organizing Secretary, AERA Conference, CSAUAT, Kanpur by December 15, 2005 positively for making stay and other arrangements. All payments be made in cash at the time of registration.

Registration Fee

Member: Rs. 500/- each
Non-member: Rs. 600/- each
Students: Rs. 300/- each
Accompanying person: Rs. 400/- each


Organizing Secretary

Dr. R.K. Singh, Head
Department of Agricultural Economics & Statistics
C.S.Azad University of Agricultural and Technology (CSAUAT)
Kanpur - 208 002 (Uttar Pradesh)
Ph: 0512-2533927 (O); 0512-2505858 (R)
Fax: 0512-2533808; Email: rksingh2k1@rediffmail.com