Market-Led Extension Dimensions and Tools

Contents: Preface. I. Concepts, strategies and perspectives: 1. Agricultural extension at crossroads. 2. Changing scenario of agricultural extension at the national level. 3. Market led extension - emerging perspectives. 4. Market led extension - issues and challenges. 5. Dimensions of market led extension. 6. Agricultural marketing - an overview. 7. Development of a marketing plan. 8. Pricing concepts and pricing strategy. 9. Consumer behaviour. 10. Marketing communication and promotional strategies. 11. The marketing research process. 12. Agricultural situation in Kerala-peculiarities and prospects in the context of market led extension. 13. Market driven research priority setting. II. Trade liberalization and new challenges: 14. International marketing opportunities. 15. Agricultural trade liberalization and its impact. 16. Implications of AoA on export oriented agrarian economies: a policy perspective. 17. TRIPS - an overview. 18. Trading the environment. III. New approaches and tools: 19. Commodity futures marketing. 20. Public-private linkages in market led extension. 21. Role of self help groups in market led extension. 22. Contract farming. 23. Understanding non-verbal cues for effective business interactions. 24. Expert systems - IT enabled approaches for research, extension and communication. 25. Weather service and crop modelling - an effective tool in market-led extension. 26. Market led extension - the experience of rubber board. Subject index.

"The WTO provisions are causing deep disturbances in the farming front. The rapidly changing face of agriculture calls for a redefining of priorities and alternate management strategies. It is widely realised that marketing which had been more or less pushed backstage by the average farmer has to come to the forefront now. Therefore, it is the urgent need of the day that the policy makers, planners and change agents who work directly or indirectly with/for the farmers have to be sensitized on the need for market led extension.

The book aims to orient the readers on the changing market environment, in agriculture emerging on account of globalization, liberalization and the post WTO regime. The stakeholders in agriculture should have thorough market consciousness and a grasp of the intricacies of market oriented production techniques to be able to handle the new challenges. For this, an increasing awareness on market led extension strategies and tools is imperative. It is with this broad aim that the content of the book is organized. It covers the following major topics:

Dimensions of market led extension. 
Public-private linkages in market led extension.
Development of market plan.
Marketing research process and design.
WTO -challenges and opportunities for Indian agriculture.
New agricultural policy and extension reforms.
Forward market and futures trading.
Group approaches in agricultural marketing.
Extension approaches for commercial agriculture.
Information technology support for market led extension.
Communication and interpersonal skills."