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This paper presents the use of thematic collages as a methodological innovation to participatory photography as a research framework. Participatory photography was used to understand the subjective "off-script" motivations behind the full or partial adoption of Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) by members of women's self-help groups in Andhra Pradesh, India. The addition of thematic collages to existing participatory photography methods was developed as a mechanism to better support the dialogic generation of new Freirean "generative themes" for investigation by a group. Further, the use of thematic collages invites the integration of "renegade" or non-thematic images into participant group analysis. ZBNF is an agricultural practice that has become an extension priority in Andhra Pradesh. It emphasizes the use of defined chemical-free inputs and regenerative farming techniques as a holistic approach toward socio-ecological resilience. As part of an interdisciplinary research project, this participatory photography design was piloted parallel to a soil science experiment in three geographically distinct agroecological zones in Andhra Pradesh. We show how participatory photography, with the novel addition of thematic collages, can be integrated into interdisciplinary research as a method to discover the underlying motivations to adopt agricultural practices and participate in agricultural movements like Zero Budget Natural Farming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concepts of poverty and development have many meanings in contemporary globalized societies. Development by definition implies desired changes in terms of livelihood, improved quality of life and better access to assets and services, etc. However in reality development programmes sometimes have negative consequences, perhaps unintended, multiplying the acute scarcity of resources and opportunities, or reproducing poverty. Also, the consequences of developmental programmes often appear to be out of focus, and seen at the ground level, there seems to be a gap between what is intended and what is actualized. In this framework, this paper presents a case study of the social, cultural and economic correlates of the development processes in Adadakulapalle, a settlement of Sugali peoples, once a semi-nomadic tribe, in Anantapur District of Andhra Pradesh, South India. The paper shows how factionalism and faction politics affect the implementation of development interventions. It also looks at the poverty in the settlement and focuses on the types of change that people have experienced with the implementation of different schemes by both government and other agencies. The type of change is discussed in the present study through the macro and micro analysis of development programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper critically evaluates the popular representation of rural decision making in India as guided by socio-cultural dynamics and as a resort from various social alignments. It investigates how decisions get taken about a decentralized governance scheme in rural India, what variables impact these decisions – namely, social, political, administrative or economic – and how these variables impact the scheme performance. Case studies and empirical analysis of performance of a decentralized welfare scheme in India, the Andhra Pradesh Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (APREGS), demonstrates significant influence of agriculture-based economic dynamics and administrative efficiency factors. Local social hierarchies and cultural complexities do not come as the main concerns. These results challenge the traditional understanding of rural dynamics as totally controlled by caste hierarchies and authority of the large land owners and are discussed in the light of the institutional rational choice framework proposed by Elinor Ostrom. The results also call for a fresh and wider debate of whether India is witnessing a longer term indirect developmental outcome of empowerment which actively started in 1993 with the recognition of local governance systems (Panchayati Raj) as a formal democratic body. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper describes the flooding of Kurnool town in Andhra Pradesh, India, in October 2009 and explains how several factors combined to cause one of the worst floods in 100 years. Several areas were submerged in more than 30 feet of water and it took more than three days for the water to recede completely from the town. Drawing on official information and on the responses of affected people, the paper discusses the situation during and after the floods, especially around water and sanitation services, the distribution of relief materials and the post-flood recovery process. Based on this information, the paper proposes several recommendations that are relevant to the policy framework to handle urban floods in similar situations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blot analysis of dried blood spots (DBS) on filter paper have been shown to be as sensitive and specific as analysis of serum, and therefore may be a cost-effective and culturally appropriate HIV seroprevalence tool in remote areas. This study examines the acceptability of DBS in a tropical, rural population from an outpatient clinic in Andhra Pradesh, India, where participation was offered to every fifth patient seeking general medical care between March and April 2001. All 1413 patients approached for the study agreed to participate and provide a DBS for examination. The overall HIV seroprevalence in this sample was 2.8%. Of the participants, 51.7% were male, 93.2% were between the ages of 18 and 40, 85.3% were married, 29.7% were employed, 47.6% had no education and 73.1% resided in a rural setting. In the univariate analysis, history of genital warts (P = 0.01), sexually transmitted disease (P = 0.001), premarital sexual intercourse (P = 0.002), sexual contact with a commercial sex worker (P = 0.003), being employed (P = 0.011) and having more than 10 injections for medical purposes (P = 0.006) all correlated with being HIV-infected. Given the uniform willingness of these clinic attendees to be tested, we conclude that DBS is a useful, cost-effective tool in HIV serosurveillance in a rural, tropical setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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A recent study found that adoption rates of improved chickpea varieties were above 90 per cent in Andhra Pradesh, India. In this paper, we use a novel perspective to reconstruct and attribute how this outcome came about. The accepted success narrative is that the public international agricultural research system developed some excellent new chickpea varieties, which were well suited to local agro-ecologies, farming systems and cropping patterns, and highly appreciated by farmers. We argue that this narrative is incomplete, because it constitutes only a partial explanation of the confluence of factors that led to the outcome. We reconstruct the success story using a recent conceptual framework that decomposes the technological change process into four aspects: propositions, encounters, dispositions and responses (PEDR). We show that many of the factors which contributed to the spread of modern chickpea varieties in Andhra Pradesh lay beyond the control of the international agricultural research system, and operated across large spatial and temporal scales. In conclusion, we argue that the success of improved chickpeas in Andhra Pradesh underscores the value of basic plant breeding and research, which aim to produce public goods. We relate our analysis to current discussions about the future strategic direction of international agricultural research organisations and the CGIAR. Our argument implies a criticism of the drive to develop new varieties which conform to product profiles that are based on predictions of current and near-term demand. While that approach makes sense for product developers seeking to serve commercial markets, basic research is needed to create and diversify technical options, which anticipate a range of future needs that are hard to predict in the present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investment decision is one of the most essential factors in today's stock market. People make investment decisions based on different fundamental and technical tools. There are various factors which affect the investor towards investment, but one of the important factors which affect the investor is their emotional intelligence. So, the present study focuses on the how emotional intelligence influences the investment decision. This study is based on the emotional intelligence of investors so that the market can know the beat of the speculator and continue as required. The data was collected from 930 investors who make investment in NSE in Andhra Pradesh. The data was analyzed with the help of correlation analysis. The study reveals that there is a positive relation among the various dimensions of emotional intelligence and investment decisions. This study will help the investment advisors to advise the investors to invest according to their emotional intelligence capability. The usual actuality for stock market investments is subject to not only in making investment decisions in high volatile market circumstances and informational haziness but also by the need to be meticulous in earning something on a consistent basis. The substantial reason is the emotions are part of the evolved mental processes; human beings have for managing uncertainty and competition. Words expressing emotions and feelings such as Dissatisfied, Depressed, Sad, Happy, Cheerful, Satisfied, Fear, Worry, Disappointment, and Trust similarly succeed in the interview scheduling sessions with respondents. Different emotions can be sensed through their connected action tendencies. Fear is, for example, associated with the inclination for flight and love with the trend for an approach. The market moves against the investor. Having never stared at unrealized losses, tell themselves that all their ideas will eventually work. This research examined the relationship between risk-taking behaviour and high levels of extraversion [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper highlights the consequences of the economic and educational change among the Dalits of Karavadi. The tobacco cultivation that engages a large amount of labour has attracted the left political parties for the spread of their ideology and recruitment of party workers. It has helped in working against the practice of untouchability. Further, it has enabled the Dalits to be politically conscious and seriously participate in the political process. The growth of educational institutions in the village and the economic improvement have together helped the Dalits to assert their political and economic rights in the village. As a cumulative effect, the hegemonic inter-caste relations in the village have changed, though caste bias has not disappeared. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

It is argued that the perception of existing inequality within the field of school education gave rise to the language of rights, but that normative notions of childhood underpinning educational discourses have not been sufficiently problematised. The paper makes a case for productive convergence between the discourses of quality and inequality by drawing on the observations from a study of government schools in Andhra Pradesh. Specifically, the paper foregrounds the need for reflecting on the tacit agreement that exists within the education system about bracketing off questions of socio-cultural inequality when discussing issues of quality and learning goals on the one hand, and the compartmentalisation of the language of rights on the other hand such that adequate attention has not yet been paid to questions of educational quality. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Despite India's long history of capitalist development and consequent precipitation of class structures, class has been a relatively under-studied topic in Indian sociology The social and cultural aspects of doss formation have been especially neglected. This paper attempts to fill this gap through a case study of the history and culture of a rural-urban dominant class, located in coastal Andhra Pradesh. Drawing on Bourdieu's practice theory, a focuses on actors' investment and consumption strategies which are aimed a: the accumulation and monopolisation of social, cultural, symbolic and economic capital. Through such accumulation, and by converting one type of capital into another, actors are able to construct class boundaries, promote internal cohesion, and establish hegemony. The paper also addresses the caste/class question within this theoretical framework by showing how the construction of caste identity has been closely linked with class formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gender discrimination in India is observed to be extremely complex in view of India's social and economic diversity, the interplay of cultural and economic factors and the impact of policy initiatives. Of late some scholars pointed out that tribals are being assimilated into the national culture of discrimination and hence the gender discrimination is no more a nontribal characteristic. This paper deals with the gender discrimination in the case of two tribal communities in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are still an interesting academic and policy-related subject to study and understand the dynamics of the small business. There are a couple of studies which investigate the determinates of MSMEs growth by adopting personal approach (ownership characteristics) and managerial approach (managerial characteristics/strategy related). The present article is aimed to explore the several challenges faced by the MSMEs in order to have access of financial resources where the finance is said to be the oxygen of any organisation. The variables considered for the study are size of the business, type of ownership of the business and type of business. The study is restricted to only Guntur and Krishna districts of Andhra Pradesh, India. To attain the objectives of the study, we intend to make use of primary and secondary data. Data purifier tests are being used in the study to know the suitability of the data for analysis. The linear assumption, normality assumption, multicollinearity assumption and homoscedasticity assumption are used under regression analysis. The results indicate that there is a strong relationship between size of the business and accessibility of the firm. It means that the size of the business has a positive impact over the availability of financial resources for the business. The moderate impact could be found between type of ownership and accessibility of financial resources whilst the same pattern exhibited in between type of business and availability of financial resources. It could be concluded that the size of the firm provide leverage for the accessibility of financial resources, and thereby this intact acts an insulator for the growth of MSMEs in a great extent comparatively the rest of the two. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even as the media and scholars discuss the merits and demerits of big versus small dams, some regions in India have no choice but to preserve their little dams built by their forefathers. One such region is the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh. With no major rivers, it is entirely dependent for irrigation on small rainfed streams, tanks or man-made lakes and wells. Canal irrigation has but limited scope in a terrain marked by rocky hillocks. In the last three decades tank irrigation has declined drastically, both in absolute and relative terms. This is not a new phenomenon. There has been a rediscovery, so to speak, of their critical importance, not only to agriculture but to survival itself in the semi-arid regions where they are usually to be found. Some discussion has already started on how to rejuvenate these valuable water resources. This paper outlines the history and sociology of the decline of tank irrigation in Chittoor. The first part contains an introduction to the system of tank irrigation with an illustration. The second part establishes, through a scrutiny of statistical data, the decline of tank irrigation in the district. The third part sketches the traditional social organization around tank irrigation and examines the impact of British intervention.

The article focuses on dowry and women's property in coastal Andhra Pradesh. The transmission of material goods and wealth in connection with marriage is an important feature of the marriage practices of many communities of South Asia. Bridewealth, dowry and marriage prestations have received substantial attention in the anthropological literature, but important un- resolved questions remain. One problem concerns the purported wide- spread switch from bridewealth to dowry payments at marriage. A second question is the relation between dowry and female inheritance rights. These questions are addressed in this paper with reference to the dowry practices of the elite of one region, coastal Andhra Pradesh.' In the first section some of the ethnographic and theoretical literature on dowry is reviewed. In the following sections, the dowry system of the elite of coastal Andhra Pradesh is described. On the basis of this case, some theoretical conclusions about the analysis of marriage prestations in South Asia are suggested.

FEMALE SEX WORKERS (FSWS) FROM Andhra Pradesh, India, who had participated in HIV research were interviewed to examine participant perspectives on research ethics. Content analysis indicated that aspects of the consent process, staff gender and demeanor, study environment, survey content, time requirements for study participation, and perceived FSW community support for research were key factors influencing whether FSWs perceived their confidentiality and privacy had been maintained, and whether they felt the study was conducted respectfully. Findings suggest that partnership with community-based organizations and investigation of participant's experiences in HIV prevention research can provide critical information to best inform research ethics protocols, a particular priority among research studies with highly stigmatized populations, such as FSWs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India is a federal union of 28 states. The states are further subdivided into districts. Andhra Pradesh is one of the largest states in India. This article examines how regional disparities in Andhra Pradesh have developed since its formation in 1956. A large urban centre (Hyderabad) which acts as a hub for economic activities, has attracted factors of production, and has stimulated income and employment opportunities in the surrounding local economy, but its impact on the peripheral districts is limited. There is a need for policy intervention in these peripheral districts in order to reduce regional disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this study, the spatial distribution of HIV/AIDS is investigated with several socioeconomic variables. Results of exploratory analysis of correlations have been reported between the prevalence of HIV/AIDS as it is the dependent variable against a range of socioeconomic and demographic measures in Andhra Pradesh, India. The state ranks among the top six states for HIV prevalence in the country. This study offers an insight to the distribution of HIV prevalence and the potential impacts of the epidemic on the high-, medium- and low-risk groups determined through cluster analyses of population and cumulative HIV infections. The impacts have been addressed through selective social and economic measures as HIV/AIDS is considered more of a social epidemic. These results help in identifying factors that are contributing more towards the spread of HIV and so guide policies to counteract dominant factors in order to control the disease. Future investigations are necessary to elucidate characterization of the rates of infection according to gender, age groups and regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationships between hygiene, sexual behaviour and HIV infection are poorly understood. We examine these relationships in Indian truck drivers, a group at high risk for HIV infection. Truck drivers (n = 189) were recruited into an integrated HIV and hygiene Information Motivation (IM) programme. Sociodemographic characteristics, sexual and hygiene behaviour and HIV prevalence were determined. Multivariate logistic regression and linear generalized estimating equation models were utilized. At baseline, 2.1% of drivers were HIV infected and 34% who reported having contact with female sex workers (FSWs) had contact within the previous six months. Those who washed their hands postdefecation were less likely to report genital symptoms (OR 0.02; P = 0.01) and have sex with an FSW (OR [odds ratio] 0.21; P = 0.05). After an IM intervention, there were no changes in sexual risk-taking behaviour (coefficient 20.15 to 20.02; P = 0.13-0.75); however, hygiene behaviour improved from baseline (coefficient 0.09-0.31; P, 0.01 to P = 0.03). Personal hygiene habits, like handwashing, seem to be a modifiable behaviour after a modest intervention, whereas HIV risk-taking behaviour was not. The association between hygiene and HIV risk-taking suggests the need for further evaluation of the relationship and that of other hygiene practices in high-risk men in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Schoolchildren are good agents of change and need to be educated and sensitized to specific issues of hunger and malnutrition through a question-and-answer process. Feeding Minds and Fighting Hunger (FMFH), a global project initiated by the Food and Agriculture Organization and partner organizations, attempts to help schoolchildren learn about these issues by introducing concepts in the prevention of hunger and malnutrition to teachers, and by facilitating transfer of knowledge to the children through a set of model lessons.Objective: To test the feasibility of the FMFH approach to improve the nutrition knowledge of rural schoolchildren in three rural schools in Medak District of the South Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.Methods: Participatory workshops for teachers were conducted to facilitate knowledge transfer to the children through interactive classroom teaching and other activities. The change in knowledge and thinking of children in the seventh and eighth grades was assessed by a ques- tionnaire administered before and after the intervention. The questionnaire also assessed, in part, the status of local food security based on the sources of different food items in the households.Results: The responses to the questionnaire suggested that the children's knowledge of nutrients and their functions was not good initially but improved after the intervention. However, their understanding of the social factors responsible for hunger and malnutrition was fairly good prior to the intervention. Improvement in responses to the question of what should be done to combat malnutrition also occurred after intervention. The community had village-level food security for rice and maize but depended partially or fully on outside sources for pulses, fruits and vegetables, and animal products.Conclusions: The FMFH approach can be applied in rural schools where "the poorest of the poor" children can improve their understanding of balanced diets, better nutrition, the causes of malnutrition, and approaches to combat malnutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is an outcome of a research project that focused on the incidence, pattern, and judicial response of what have been labeled "dowry deaths" in the state of Andhra Pradesh in southern India. Cases that had been committed to court and tried during the 5-year period from 1988 to 1992 formed the database for the investigation. There were 498 reported cases of unnatural deaths of married women committed to court during this period in the two metropolitan cities and three districts that represent the distinct regions of the state of Andhra Pradesh. Of them, it was possible to obtain access to and analyze 340 cases. The article examines the reasons for the violence and analyzes the responses of the criminal justice system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The manner in which status influences the trial of innovations in agriculture has important implications for agrarian development policy. Analysis of data from samples of cultivators in 84 agrarian communities in Andhra Pradesh, India,found little support for Cancian's theory that rank inhibits risk-taking, even under conditions specified as necessary for such effects. Analysis of variance results suggested that increases in status among the poor might result in as much or more of the innovation expected to increase food production as would the present concentration of new opportunities among the rich. While these results appeared to be fairly consistent across different kinds of communities, innovation increased with increased inequality in the distribution of wealth (controlling for the effects of individual status). However, knowledge in inequality slightly inhibited innovation, apparently because relatively simple information about modern farming practices was widely diffused. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]