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Coordinated and published by The Grassroots Institute, the Grassroots Journal of Natural Resources (GJNR) is an international journal dedicated to the latest advancements in natural resources throughout the world. The goal of this journal is to provide a platform for scientists, social scientists, policy analysts, managers and practitioners (on all academic and professional levels) all over the world to promote, discuss and share various new issues and developments in different arenas of natural resources.
Role and Extent of Agricultural Advisory Support for Vegetable Growers amidst the COVID-19 Crisis
Soumya Sakti Dash*1, Aditya Prasad Kanungo2
1Department of Agricultural Extension & Communication, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (Deemed to be University) Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India.
Email: soumyasaktidash2015@gmail.com | ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7693-2443
2Department of Agricultural Extension & Communication, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (Deemed to be University) Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India.
Email: kanungoadityaprasad@gmail.com | ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9701-7540
*Corresponding author
Grassroots Journal of Natural Resources, 8(2): 506-530. Doi: https://doi.org/10.33002/nr2581.6853.080224
Received: 26 June 2025
Reviewed: 07 August 2025
Provisionally Accepted: 09 August 2025
Revised: 13 August 2025
Finally Accepted: 15 August 2025
Published: 25 August 2025
The COVID-19 pandemic has created far-reaching disruptions across sectors globally, with agriculture facing some of the most immediate and severe consequences. It exposed the vulnerabilities in agricultural food production and value chains affecting the livelihood security of vegetable growers. The present research evaluates the role and extent of agricultural advisory support to the vegetable growers during the COVID-19 pandemic. An ex-post facto research design was followed along with a multistage sampling technique for the selection of 240 vegetable growers across 8 villages in 4 blocks from 2 districts of Odisha. The analysis showed that the majority of the respondents contact input dealers and distributors as the primary source of information, with a pooled mean score of 2.81. Meanwhile, they consider mobile phones as the most accessible ICT tool with a pooled mean score of 2.78, and about 84.00% of the respondents use them regularly for receiving advisory support during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is observed that the majority (79.00%) of the respondents received advice on relief packages, govt. schemes, policies, and programmes as major advisory support on the production activities of vegetables. Whereas, most (81.00%) of the respondents received information on price change and trends in the market as primary advice on the marketing activities of vegetables during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings reveal that input dealers and mobile phones were the key constituents of agricultural advisory, while farmers use mobile phones regularly for receiving the advisory during the pandemic. The research highlights the importance of agricultural advisory support at the time of crisis and seeks to identify systemic gaps, opportunities, and offer recommendations for more advanced, resilient, and accessible during crises for the revitalization of the agricultural sector.
COVID-19; Pandemic; Agricultural advisory; Vegetable growers
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Dash, S.S. and Kanungo, A.P. (2025). Role and Extent of Agricultural Advisory Support for Vegetable Growers amidst the COVID-19 Crisis. Grassroots Journal of Natural Resources, 8(2): 506-530. Doi: https://doi.org/10.33002/nr2581.6853.080224
Dash, S.S., & Kanungo, A.P. (2025). Role and Extent of Agricultural Advisory Support for Vegetable Growers amidst the COVID-19 Crisis. Grassroots Journal of Natural Resources, 8(2), 506-530. https://doi.org/10.33002/nr2581.6853.080224
Dash S.S., Kanungo A.P. Role and Extent of Agricultural Advisory Support for Vegetable Growers amidst the COVID-19 Crisis. Grassroots Journal of Natural Resources, 2025, 8 (2), 506-530. https://doi.org/10.33002/nr2581.6853.080224
Dash, Soumya Sakti, Kanungo, Aditya Prasad. 2025. “Role and Extent of Agricultural Advisory Support for Vegetable Growers amidst the COVID-19 Crisis”. Grassroots Journal of Natural Resources, 8 no. 2: 506-530. https://doi.org/10.33002/nr2581.6853.080224
Dash, Soumya Sakti and Aditya Prasad Kanungo. 2025. “Role and Extent of Agricultural Advisory Support for Vegetable Growers amidst the COVID-19 Crisis”. Grassroots Journal of Natural Resources, 8 (2): 506-530. https://doi.org/10.33002/nr2581.6853.080224
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