The present study was conducted in Amreli District of Gujarat state. A sample of 90 SHG members working under Integrated Watershed management Programme (IWMP) were purposively selected representing 10 villages of Amreli, Lilia, Lathi, Dhari and Kukavav taluka of Amreli district; and 90 Non SHG members were randomly selected from same villages. The relationship between dependent and independent variables and the predictive ability of independent variables were measured by utilizing pre-structured and pre-tested interview schedule. Finding of this study revealed that the profile characteristics of SHGs and Non SHG members such as education, social participation, land holding, material possession, annual income, source of information, extension participation, achievement motivation, market orientation, risk orientation, innovativeness and attitude towards self help groups had positive and highly significant correlation with the empowerment of the women. Age and marital status were found significant but negatively correlated with the empowerment of the women. For SHG members the variables viz., source of information, market orientation, attitude towards SHG, education, land holding, family size, achievement motivation, age and marital status contributed 96.80 per cent variation in extent of women empowerment whereas, for Non SHG members the variables such as attitude towards SHG, innovativeness, education, income and market orientation contributed 90.40 per cent variation in extent of women empowerment.

The present study was an attempt to know the Impediments faced by women self help groups promoted under the Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP). A total of 90 women self help group members as respondents were selected from Amreli district of Gujarat state. The prime impediments faced by the SHG members were lack of knowledge in record maintenance, while in case of problem in saving money; dependency on male member ranked as first. Impediments like handling of bank account in which unaware about the rules and inability in performing bank formalities both were major and ranked first, while for co-ordination among member; lack of interpersonal trust ranked first, in case of internal loaning and loaning through bank; clashes of their loan taking time ranked first, in conducting group meeting; lack of time arrangement among women for meeting, in taking decision; dependency on member of family and in marketing; lack of information all ranked as first. The major suggestions made by SHG members were also taken and ranked among which continuation of project and its expansion in other village by establishing new SHGs and addition of new activities based on resource availability ranked as first.

Self-help groups play a tremendous role in empowering women through providing an excellent platform to improve the self- confidence, leadership, communication skills, decision making capacity, social recognition, standard of living etc. The present study is based on an empirical survey of 10 self help group in 5 talukas of Amreli district of Gujarat state covering 90 members (9 members from each SHG) with a focus on two major aspects of SHGs viz., motivational factors for joining the SHG and the utilization pattern of loan . The study resulted that major motivational factor for joining the SHG were; in case of awareness building and status building; all the women had motive to generate income and self reliance; among NGO development, majority women (92.22 per cent) motivated by other self help groups; related to media concerned 75.56 per cent women motivated through television and with respect to personal & institutional concern majority (95.56 per cent) women were motivated through extension workers. In case of loan utilization pattern by the SHG members, most of them (92.50 per cent) utilized the loan for regular household expenditure followed by education of children (55.50 per cent).

This paper focuses on the role of education on economic empowerment of rural and urban areas women. A study was done on 585 women respondents of four districts viz Jamnagar, Morbi, Rajkot and Surendranagar. The women engaged in varies fields of urban and rural areas of Jamnagar, Morbi, Rajkot and Surendranagar districts were taken into consideration. The result of the study indicates that due to certain social foundation and unavailable circumstances, the education level of urban respondents was higher than rural areas respondents because of that economic level of urban respondent was higher than the rural areas respondents.

Sesame is very good profitable promising crop under summer cultivation in Saurashtra region. It is short duration and water requirement is also less as compare to summer groundnut. Frontline demonstration is one of the best tool for transfer of new technology from lab to land. Attempts are made to Increase area and productivity of sesame in this area 20 frontline demonstration organised under the domain of KVK Amreli. All FLD were selected for study and then find out how much production of summer sesame increased after organising FLDs. Average 22.5 per cent adoption increased due to frontline demonstration. Yield of FLD per hectare was increased by 9.88 per cent as compared to Local Check. Sesame production is also increased 9.88 per cent due to increase in awareness, contact with scientist, diagnostic service of KVK.

Now days Krishi Vigyan Kendra is become information hub for the farmers. Planning and implement various activities carried out in KVK according to the thrust area identified on basis of PRA survey of adopted villages. Various activities like conducted FLDs to test the yield potentiality of newly released varieties of field crops and improved technologies, organizing various need based training programme and other extension activities like field days, kisan ghosthi, exhibition, seminar, workshop and F-S interaction, lectures etc., carried out by the Centre for rural development. Total 16 villages Adopted by KVK Amreli in the year 2012-13 to 2014-15 were selected for the study.During 2012 to 2015 KVK Amreli had organised 221 training programme for farmers, Extension functionaries and Rural Youth. Conducting 14 on Farm Trial and 513 Frontline Demonstration. Various 5683 other Extension activities like field day, lectures, radio talk, scientist visit to farmer’s field, farmer fair, diagnostic service etc. as a result positive changes occurs in adopted villages. From the study the result revealed that increase in extent of awareness (69.64 %) of new agricultural technology so spread of new technology (64.28) as a result change in attitude of farmer (41.07) increase in knowledge level of farmer, increases in production. Due to introduction of new varieties (53.57 %) reducing yield gap (26.79 %). Also increase in 25 % adoption, increase in marketable farm produce resulting in betterment of rural people due to KVK activities in adopted villages.

The study was under taken on kharif groundnut cultivation in Gujarat predominantly concentrated in Saurashtra region. To assess the farmers’ knowledge of kharif groundnut production technology, the present study was undertaken in two districts of Gujarat state during 2014. From each districts, two talukas were selected randomly. From each talukas two villages were selected randomly. From each village 15 groundnut growers were selected randomly. Thus, a total sample size of 120 respondents at random, constituted from eight selected villages.. It was found that in the sampled population, majority of groundnut growers (60.83 per cent) had medium level of knowledge, followed by low (20.83 per cent) and high (18.34 per cent) level of knowledge about improved groundnut cultivation practices. The finding also revealed that the selected independent variables viz. size of land holding, annual income, social participation, extension participation, mass media exposure, innovativeness and risk orientation had positive and highly significant, education was positive and significant and age was negatively and highly significantly association with the knowledge of groundnut growers about recommended practices of Kharif groundnut. All the 11 independent variables contributed towards 96.10 per cent of variation in knowledge of groundnut growers about kharif groundnut production technology. The calculate ‘t’ value for partial regression co-efficient was positive and significant with education, size of land holding, annual income, social participation, extension participation, mass media exposure, innovativeness and risk orientation on knowledge level of kharif groundnut growers.

A study was conducted in South Saurashtra agro climatic zone of Gujarat state, to identify the technological gaps in adoption of kharif groundnut production technology. The ex-post-facto research design was used for the study. The size of the sample was 120 respondents which were purposively selected from eight villages namely Ishvariya, Adhdhya, Mota dadva and Sajdyali from Rajkot district and Vishavadar, Dhebar, Thanapipli and Vaspda from Junagadh district. The result of study shows that in case of overall technological gap, 62.50 per cent of farmers had medium technological gap followed by 20.83 per cent and 16.67 per cent had high and low technological gap about groundnut production technology, respectively. Whereas practice wise technology gap among various recommended technologies, there were high technological gap in plant protection (43.95 per cent), followed by improved variety (43.64 per cent), application of fertilizer (35.59 per cent), sowing time (31.74 per cent), weed management (31.66 per cent) and seed treatment (30.47 per cent). The finding also revealed that the selected independent variables viz. size of land holding, annual income, social participation, extension participation, mass media exposure, innovativeness, risk orientation and knowledge had negatively and highly significant, education was negative and significant and age was positively and highly significantly association with the technological gap in adoption of recommended practices of Kharif groundnut by groundnut growers. All the 12 independent variables contributed towards 93.63 per cent of variation in technological gap in adoption of kharif groundnut production technology by groundnut growers. The calculate ‘t’ value for partial regression co-efficient was negative and significant with innovativeness and knowledge, positive and significant with age and cropping intensity on technological gap in adoption of recommended practices of Kharif groundnut by kharif groundnut growers.

We are not only informing the farm people about innovations but also we are educating them so that they can effectively and efficiently use that innovations in their own farm situation. This type of educational effort is training and it is an important component in our Technology Transfer System. Training brings required changes in individual’s behavior for improving their job performance to develop human abilities and capabilities for accepting new opportunities in various situations. In broad sense, capacity building is a continuous process where people conscious of their situation, gain knowledge and skills, solve problem and self-development. So far as concerned capacity building through training and especially its direct and indirect effect was measure by Path Analysis. The result of path analysis reflects that marketing orientation about organic farming products was the most important variable affecting directly and positively the knowledge of organic farming practices. It had also provided the way for education and extension participation in exerting their indirect substantial effect on knowledge of organic farming practices. Path’s result inferred that education about organic farming practices was the most important variable affecting directly and positively the adoption of organic farming practices. It had also provided a way for the variables viz.; risk orientation and age in exerting their indirect substantial effect on adoption of organic farming practices.

Vermicomposting is an eco-friendly way of improving soil fertility.