Faculty Publications
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Item A comprehensive review of the soil health status for enhancing agricultural sustainability(Frontiers Media SA, 2025) Timilsina, R.R.; Khosla, S.; Rahut, D.B.; Jena, P.R.; Sonobe, T.Sustainable agricultural practices have become more crucial than ever as the world grapples with food insecurity and environmental degradation. Soil health, a fundamental attribute of agricultural productivity and ecosystem stability, plays a pivotal role in achieving global sustainability targets. Despite its importance, comprehensive analyses of soil health initiatives remain limited. This systematic review addresses this gap through a dual objective: first, to contextualize the critical role of soil health in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); and second, to critically evaluate the implementation, impact, and policy relevance of India’s Soil Health Card (SHC) scheme launched in 2015 to enhance soil fertility through site-specific assessments and tailored fertilizer recommendations. Global research highlights the crucial role of soil health in promoting sustainable agriculture, and the SHC scheme has yielded notable results, including a 5%–6% increase in crop yields and an 8%–10% decrease in chemical fertilizer usage. Grounded in the framework of the SDGs, this paper highlights the SHC scheme’s contributions to enhancing farm productivity, lowering input costs, and advancing environmental objectives. It further explores the policy landscape, identifies institutional gaps, and examines the potential for scaling and adapting these practices in other regions. This review offers evidence-based insights into the interplay between soil health, agricultural sustainability, and policy innovation, aiming to inform future interventions and promote international collaborations in sustainable land management. © © 2025 Timilsina, Khosla, Rahut, Jena and Sonobe.Item Rural nonfarm employment, income, and inequality: Evidence from Bhutan(MIT Press Journals, 2015) Rahut, D.B.; Jena, P.R.; Ali, A.; Behera, B.; Chhetri, N.B.Using the 2012 Bhutan Living Standard Survey, this paper finds that rural nonfarmactivities comprise 60.7% of rural household income in Bhutan and this contribution increases with higher income and education levels. The poor and less educated participate less in the nonfarm sector.When they do, they are selfemployed in petty nonfarmactivities, which require little investment and little or no skills. Accounting for endogeneity and sample selection issues, we estimate the determinants of participation in nonfarm activities and nonfarm incomes. We find that a household’s education and labor supply play an important role in accessing more remunerative nonfarm employment. Interestingly, we find that women play an important role in self-employment in nonfarm activities. Decomposition shows that nonfarm income has a disequalizing effect and farm income has an equalizing effect, indicating the need to increase the endowment of poor households to enable them to access the lucrative rural nonfarm sector. Further decomposition reveals that self-employment in petty nonfarm activities reduces inequality. © 2015 Asian Development Bank and Asian Development Bank Institute.Item Role of institutional factors in climate‐smart technology adoption in agriculture: Evidence from an Eastern Indian state(Elsevier B.V., 2022) Tanti, P.C.; Jena, P.R.; Aryal, J.P.; Rahut, D.B.Climate change threatens rural livelihoods by adversely affecting agricultural production through reduced crop yields, harvest loss, and increased cost of production. Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices have emerged as a possible solution to ensure food security by adapting to climate risks on the one hand, and mitigating GHG emissions from agriculture, on the other hand. However, resource-poor farmers often face both financial and knowledge constraints to adopt CSA practices, and thus, institutional support plays a crucial role in overcoming those barriers. Therefore, this study uses primary data collected from 248 farm households in the Eastern Indian state of Odisha to examine the role of institutional factors in CSA adoption. Almost 95% of the sample farmers experienced the effects of climate change, and many have adopted CSA practices such as rescheduling planting (78%), crop rotation (56%), crop diversification (35%), micro-irrigation (17%), and drought-resistant seeds (16%). Probit models are estimated to explore the key determinants of the adoption of these five major practices. Results show that factors such as government extension service, farmer field school participation, subsidies, access to energy, and perception of climate shocks are the major determinants. Further, the coefficient of interaction between landholding and credit availability on the decision to adopt CSA is positive. Thus, agricultural policies to improve institutional support, such as subsidies on farm machinery, extension support, credit facility, and field demonstration of technologies, are crucial to upscale CSA adoption in the region. © 2022Item Can rural livelihood programs enhance capabilities and reduce vulnerability to poverty? Evidence from a tribal region of eastern India(Elsevier B.V., 2023) Khosla, S.; Jena, P.R.; Rahut, D.B.Quantitative evidence on the impact of social protection such as livelihood programs (LPs) on reducing vulnerability to poverty (VtP) is scant. Therefore, this paper aims to estimate VtP and the ability of LPs to reduce it. The analysis is based on the primary data collected in 2018–19 from 479 households in a tribal region of eastern India. First, household VtP was estimated using the feasible generalized least squares (FGLS) method. Households were categorized into four groups based on their current and predicted future poverty status: chronic poor, transient poor, escaped poverty, and non-poor. Second, factors influencing this movement of households from current to future poverty states were determined using multinomial logistic regression. Third, the impact of the LP on VtP was investigated using the endogenous switching regression (ESR) approach. The FGLS estimates show that 34.7% of households are vulnerable to future poverty, which exceeds the actual poverty rate of 28.6%. The major factors responsible for exacerbating chronic poverty and causing transient poverty are chronic illness, climate shocks, and the sale of assets. The ESR results indicate that a household's VtP is reduced by 3% for those that participate in LPs. Although the LP evaluated in this study has an average positive impact in reducing vulnerability, there is wide heterogeneity among the beneficiaries as the geographically disadvantaged communities lag behind the others. Therefore, the study suggests strengthening such LPs with a particular focus on disadvantaged and vulnerable communities. © 2022 Economic Society of Australia, QueenslandItem Effect of irrigation on farm efficiency in tribal villages of Eastern India(Elsevier B.V., 2024) Kalli, R.; Jena, P.R.; Timilsina, R.R.; Rahut, D.B.; Sonobe, T.Irrigation is an important adaptation strategy to cope with climate change which reduces vulnerability to water stress and improves crop productivity to feed millions. There is evidence of crop yield stagnation in many developing countries, and irrigation efficiency is claimed to increase crop productivity. Therefore, this paper uses data envelopment analysis to evaluate the farmer's productivity through technical efficiency (TE), i.e., the relationship between resource inputs and outputs of 513 paddy farmers in Eastern India. The results show that the farms are, on average operating at 14% TE, leaving a considerable scope to improve up to 86% to reach the optimal level. A significant difference is observed between irrigated and rain-fed paddy farmers, such that10% of the irrigated farms achieved efficiency scores over 40% and only 2% of rain-fed farms achieved the same. The tobit and beta fit regression models are estimated to find out the factors that influence the TE. Both surface water and groundwater sources of irrigation are used as predictors, along with other socio-demographic factors. Access to surface water irrigation is identified to be a significant determinant of farm efficiency, however, surface water irrigation, such as canal irrigation, is accessible only to farmers living on plain land. Farmers living on highlands need to explore other sources of irrigation practices, such as drip and sprinkler, that can increase TE and farm productivity. Therefore, this paper calls for government intervention to provide extensive training and facilities for these micro-irrigation practices. © 2023 The AuthorsItem Can farmers with higher capabilities fend off falling into future Poverty? Empirical evidence from a tribal region in eastern India(Elsevier Ltd, 2024) Jena, P.R.; Khosla, S.; Rahut, D.B.The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1 (no poverty), targets those individuals who are below the poverty line and those who are vulnerable to falling below the poverty line (VtP). Farmers are more VtP due to limited resilience capacity against the covariate and idiosyncratic shocks. However, literature on farmers’ VtP and their capabilities to mitigate the adverse effects of shocks is relatively scant. Thus, this study aims to examine if higher capabilities lead to less VtP. Using a survey dataset from 222 farm households in rural eastern India, this study first estimated VtP by employing the Feasible Generalized Least Squares (FGLS) approach. Secondly, it used a counting approach and Propensity Score Matching (PSM) method to examine the relationship between the capabilities of households and their VtP. The FGLS results show that about 50% of households are VtP, which exceeds the actual poverty rate of about 36%. The counting approach results show that households with higher capabilities are less VtP. The PSM results indicate that a household's VtP is reduced by 27–37% for those with higher capabilities. Thus, the policy targeting the household below poverty line and also VtP would significantly reduce poverty and contribute to achieving SDG1. This would involve identifying and targeting households most in need of assistance such as households with low income, lack of education, and limited access to resources. This study also suggests increasing the resilience capabilities of households by providing job skill training, diversifying income portfolios, insurance coverage, and social safety nets. © 2023 Elsevier LtdItem Towards parity: Examining the closing gender gap on electricity access in India using data from 1998 to 2021(Elsevier B.V., 2024) Timilsina, R.R.; Jena, P.R.; Rahut, D.B.; Managi, S.Access to electricity is fundamental for human development, health, and well-being, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Governments of several low-and middle-income countries have implemented policies and interventions to increase access to electricity over the decades. Heterogeneity in access to electricity across gender is a major aspect of this development indicator. However, little is known about the distribution of and access to electricity between male and female-headed households in countries such as India. This study aims to investigate gender parity in access to electricity using data from four waves of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) from 1998 to 2021. The analysis employs a logit regression model and includes counterfactual analysis to comprehensively understand the determinants of electricity access across genders. The results indicate that electricity consumption is positively associated with female-headed households, education, wealth, and urban location. The study shows that the gap in access to electricity between genders is narrowing in favor of female-headed households over the four waves of national-level data spanning two decades. The difference between male and female-headed households declined from 4.73 % in 1998–2000 to 1.6 % in 2019–2021, reflecting gender parity in access to electricity in the country. Access to electricity has increased across all households, but uninterrupted supply and transition to green energy shall be the significant challenges ahead. Therefore, the government must improve access to electricity, particularly for female-headed households, and also make it affordable for households to install other renewable energy systems to increase overall electricity generation. © 2024 International Energy InitiativeItem Enhancing crop yields and farm income through climate-smart agricultural practices in Eastern India(Springer Science and Business Media B.V., 2024) Tanti, P.C.; Jena, P.R.; Timilsina, R.R.; Rahut, D.B.Climate-induced increase in temperature and rainfall variability severely threaten the agricultural sector and food security in the Indian state of Odisha. Climate-smart agricultural (CSA) practices, such as crop rotation and integrated soil management, help farmers adapt to climate risk and contribute to a reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Therefore, this paper examines the impact of CSA practices on yield and income in vulnerable semi-arid districts of Odisha—Balangir, Kendrapara, and Mayurbhanj. We use primary survey data from 494 households collected in 2019–2020, using a multi-stage stratified sampling approach and structured questionnaire. Propensity score matching (PSM) and the two-stage least square method (2SLS) have been used to analyze the impact of CSA on income and productivity. Two instrument variables, namely distance to the extension office and percentage of adopters in a village, are used to control self-selection bias and endogeneity in our model. Both models show a positive and significant impact of the adoption of CSA on farmers’ productivity and income. The study sheds light on the significant contribution of CSA practices in fostering sustainable income growth amid environmental challenges. Overall, our results suggest that small and marginal farmers of Eastern India, a highly environmentally vulnerable area, can significantly improve their income and productivity by adopting CSA technology. Hence, policymakers should scale the adoption of CSA technology through effective extension programs. © The Author(s) 2024.Item Information Provision and Farmers' Risk Attitudes in India: Evidence From Field Experiments(John Wiley and Sons Inc, 2025) Timilsina, R.R.; Shahrier, S.; Rahut, D.B.; Jena, P.R.; Sonobe, T.Farmers often make farming decisions under risk and uncertainty, and their risk attitudes influence agricultural practices. Their risk attitudes may not be constant at the individual level and might be influenced by information acquisition, a crucial determinant of agricultural decision-making associated with uncertainties. We study the relationship between farmers' general risk attitudes and information provision by examining the impact of a government-led soil health information provision programme on their risk attitudes, conducting field experiments and surveys in India. We analyse the collected data using both non-parametric inferential techniques, such as the Mann-Whitney and chi-squared tests, and parametric methods, including probit and negative binomial regressions. The result shows that the soil health information provision influences farmers to be risk-averse, possibly by enhancing their confidence in combatting land degradation, as it provides additional information and recommendations on soil health and fertiliser usage (dosages and types). We also find that the perception of farmland degradation encourages farmers to take risks, while climate change experiences make them more risk-averse, suggesting an adaptive shift in their risk attitudes aimed at minimising economic loss. Farmers' risk attitudes significantly influence long-term sustainability and short-term economic loss management in agriculture. Our findings suggest that static (e.g., soil health) and dynamic (e.g., farmland degradation with future consequences) information can be leveraged through information provision mechanisms to influence farmers' risk attitudes, helping to balance long-term sustainability with short-term economic outcomes in agriculture. © 2025 The Author(s). The Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australasian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society Inc.Item Regenerative agriculture practices and multidimensional poverty in eastern rural India(Nature Research, 2025) Khosla, S.; Timilsina, R.R.; Jena, P.R.; Rahut, D.B.Rural households in developing countries face multidimensional poverty (MDP), i.e., deprivations beyond income, including health, education, empowerment, and living standards, while they are also being highly vulnerable to climatic risks. Regenerative agriculture (RA), a set of practices aimed at restoring soil health, enhancing biodiversity, and improving long-term farm resilience, has emerged as a promising strategy to boost productivity, diversify incomes, and promote sustainability. However, little is known about the impact of RA practices on MDP, and empirical evidence linking the two remains scarce. To this end, the present study examines the relationship between RA practices, such as crop rotation, agroforestry and crop diversification, and MDP reduction in eastern rural India. We administer household survey data from 917 households to construct an MDP index based on Alkire and Foster’s counting method and estimate the impact of RA adoption through Propensity Score Matching (PSM). The results show that RA practices significantly reduce MDP by improving access to education, healthcare, and living standards. These findings underscore the potential of RA as a pathway for sustainable rural development and call for targeted policy interventions to support its broader adoption. © The Author(s) 2025.