1. Technology transfer of Good Agricultural Practices
(GAP) for Profitability, Sustainability and Income
from Rainfed farming in Rangareddy district .
(2011-2014)
(Funded by SEED- Department of Science and Technology)
G. Nirmala
Sr.Scientist(AE)

2. What is GAP ?
Good agricultural practices are set of principles applied
through the food production cycle to produce,safe healthy
food taking into consideration economic, social and
environmental sustainability.
Soil Management 1.Avoid mechanical soil tillage to the extent
possible.
2. Maintain soil organic matter through the use of
soil building crop rotations.
3.Follow soil test based fertilizer application.
4.Maintain soil cover to minimize erosion by wind
and water to avoid contamination with
agrochemicals, organic and inorganic fertilizers.

3. Crop production and
protection
1.Select cultivars or varieties on an understanding of their
characteristics, its responses to sowing/planting time, quality
market acceptability.
2.Devise suitable crop sequences
3.Recycling of crop and other organic residues.
4.Use of resistant cultivars.
5.Practice of IPM techniques
6.Keep record of agrochemical use.
7.Assure equipment handling and application of agrochemicals
complies with established safety and maintenance records
Animal health
management
1.To provide adequate clean water.
2.To keep livestock, buildings and feed facilities clean and
provide adequate, clean bedding under housed conditions.
3.Ensure timely vaccination schedule to prevent from
diseases.
4.Record keeping of all sickness, medical treatments and
mortality
On farm processing
and storage
1.Store food products under hygiene and appropriate
environmental conditions. 2 .Pack food produce for
transport in clean and appropriate containers. 3. Maintain
accurate records regarding harvest, storage and processing.

4. Objectives
 To integrate good agricultural practices into the farming systems in
rainfed agriculture by the women farmers.
To improve knowledge and skill in GAP through farmers field schools
approach
To improve the income and micro enterprising skills through marketing
and value addition of produce following food safety practices.

5. Selection of Area
Rangareddy district-- Pudur mandal -- Kandlapally, Gangupally villages.
Beneficiaries - Women (SC) –practicing agriculture as main occupation
Pudur
mandal

6. Activities undertaken in crop and livestock components
A. Baseline survey on socio economic status, practices with PRA.
B. Soil sampling and analysis.
C. Pre-season refresher training .
D. On farm demonstrations.(Kharif season, Rabi season)
E. Animal health camps.

7. Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats
• Availability of
poultry manure is
high.
• FYM pits in 50
percent of houses.
•NREGA structures-
bunds,trenches
found in every field.
•Tank silt application
programme
implemented.
• High motivation
and participation of
women
• Subsidy driven.
•Poultry manure
application to cotton
than food crops.
•Maize is seen as
feed and fodder crop
than food crop.
•Avoidance of
management
intensive works.
•Exchange labour
arrangement found.
•Access to markets-
Vikarabad,
Hyderabad.
•Access to
development depts.
•Scope for value
addition of maize
•More acreage under
cash crops than food
crops.
• More external
input s to
agriculture.
SWOT analysis for GAP Interventions

8. Table-1 Distribution of women beneficiaries according to criteria.
Land possession Education Age
Category Percent Category Percent category Percent
Marginal 63.33 Cannot read
and write
80 < 14 0
Small
farmer
30 primary 16.66 14-40 46.66
Medium 6.66 High school 3.33 >40 53.33
Large
farmer
-

9. 0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Av.N
(Kg/ha)
Av.P
(Kg/Ha)
Av. K
(kg/ha)
Organic C Zinc
LOW (%) MEDIUM(%) HIGH (%)
percentage
Distribution of respondents according to soil nutrient status

10. Yield Increase in Maize and pigeon pea intercropping systems
Interventi
ons
Yield
in
q/acr
e(mai
ze)
Percent
Increase
Mean 100
grain
wt.gm
Plot I
(FYM-PSB)
29 7.67 25.84
Plot II
(FYM+DAP
+Znso4)
35 25.00 23.22
Farmers
practice 30
23.0

11. 0
5
10
15
20
25
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Treated (PSB) Untreated (without PSB)
Microbialcountin(inlakhs)
Fig-1 Microbial count of PSB in treated and untreated
plots
Courtesy: Dr. Meenakshi grover

12. Livestock Interventions
Kandlapally village – 60 percent households-Buffaloes, Cows, Bullocks
12 goats
A. Animal Vaccination- FMD, Haemorrhage septacemia,blue goats tongue in goats.
B. Mineral mixture supplementation for higher milk production.
C. Construction of low cost housing for animals.
D. Vermicomposting unit.
E. Clean Milk production practices

13. Animal housing for keeping good animal health (GAP)
Cost of housing- Rs 500
No of units- 5

14. Clean Milk production -- Bacterial count in Milk (1*10 7
Samples 1 2
A A'
16A 13.9 14.4
2( buffalo) 1.5 1.9
17 2.8 3
22A 0.4 0.3
1A 2.2 1.7
16 (buffalo) 3.8 5.1
17A 5.3 5.7
18 0.3 0.43
12A 6.8 11.1
13 10.1 8
13A 10.2 8
11( cow) 5.7
12 (buffalo) 0.3
14 10.7
2A 2.3
11A 7.8
Courtesy : Dr DBV Ramana

15. Tomato – Nursery management and trellis formation

16. S.No. Particulars GAP
(Trellis)
FP
Rs. Rs.
1 Gross Income 15000.00 9800.00
2 COC 7770.00 4865.00
3. Net Income 7230.00 5935.00
4. C:B ratio 1.04 0.89
Profitability from Trellis cultivation in
tomato
Observations : Hard work, Management
Intensive

17. Zero Tillage maize in rice fallows
• Saving of Rs 6000 on
land preparation .
• New crop sequence in
village - Rice- maize
besides Rice – sorghum
, rice- rice crop
sequences.
• Good response from
farmers.
• More fodder available
for sale and own.
•Av. Yield- 30 q/acre
•B:C ratio : 2.00

18. Organized field day on Zero tillage maize
Farmers from Kandalpally, Yenkepally, Gangupally Mirzapur
participated.
Good response to zero tillage maize from all villages.

19. Pre-season refresher training programme
VermicompostingNursery management

20. Vermicomposting Unit

21. Objective-2
To improve knowledge and skill in GAP through farmers field schools approach
Educational programme on
 Crop production and protection –soil mangement,tillage
practices, seed treatment,weed management , harvesting and
threshing activities.
Clean milk production practices – Avoidance of contamination, use
of clean vessels,cleaning animals before milking etc.,

22. Objective – 3 : improving microenterprises skills through value addition
and marketing .
• Grain saved is grain produced.
•20-30 percent of food wasted as losses in threshing ,transport
and storage.
•Food security bill is more concerned with prevention of wastage.

23. Learnings
• Management of GAP practices are labour and mangement
intensive .
• Planning and Pooling of raw material essential for
sustainablity of such programmes.
•Group approach necessary for pooling of resources.

24. Thank you