Published Paper Details:

Recognizing the significance of storage facilities for agricultural development, many efforts have been made to construct rural godowns across the nation. Despite these endeavors’, farmers continue to encounter challenges when attempting to utilize these facilities. It seems that these efforts are not adequate to provide rural godownsand to fulfill the needs of the farmers. In this context, the present paper tries to assess the availability and existing status of rural godowns in the Dharwad district of Karnataka. It is found that the number of ruralgodownsaccessible to farmers is notably limited in comparison to the actual requirements. Moreover, many of these godowns are not exclusively used for storage of agricultural produce as many of these experience problems of insufficient space, moisture and pest management problems, inadequate staffing and facilities, and other similar issues. Consequently, the rural godowns in the district prove ineffective in facilitating the proper preservation of agricultural produce and impeding agricultural development. Therefore, policymakers and implementing agencies should make sincere efforts towards establishing storage facilities at the village level, which can significantly help farmers in increasing their income and ensuring food security